Statistics on PA residency advantages??

[LPZ]

PA student in didactic year. Is there a website where one can find these residences? 

[EMEDPA]

1 hour ago, LPZ said:

PA student in didactic year. Is there a website where one can find these residences? 

www.appap.org

[narcan]

On 11/3/2017 at 0:47 PM, EMEDPA said:

2 issues here: the PA working in the same field as the residency they intend to do and the pa thinking about changing specialties. I know as a PA I could apply to work in another field than EM, but if I were to do something unrelated to em(say CT surgery or nephrology), I really would want to do a residency in the new field. I agree that is hard to go back and do a residency in your own field after many years in practice. I still wish I could do one today as there are lots of procedures and knowledge(mostly of the critical care , u/s, and ICU pt care management variety), but no way I could take a 60-75% pay cut to do so. If I was single and without considerable debt I would still do one in my late 40s. would still consider doing the lecom bridge under those circumstances.

 

If they could get the bridge down to 2 years, or at least have more than one program offering it (rural Ohio is not the most appealing place), I think I'd go for it. Still may consider an EM residency depending on where I land on some other things next year.

[EMEDPA]

AGREE that bridge should be 2 years, not 3.

[OrthoSurgeryPA]

First let me say that I cannot speak for any of the civilian Ortho residencies/fellowships out there. However as a graduate of a military Ortho fellowship I can say without a doubt that my comfort level walking in to an ED to perform a reduction/MSK procedure or admit a patient for emergent orthopedic surgery is years ahead of my fellow PAs that work in some sort of primary care role or even in the ED. I know that there are probably exceptions but that is just my experience having been stationed coast to coast and 2 tours overseas. 

 

Postgraduate education translates to more experience sooner and in an academic structure that allows for better understanding of why you are doing the tasks associated with your specialty. I know WHY I am doing what I am doing and how to do it with only the most minimal of collaboration with the on call surgeon. If I call the on call surgeon then he/she knows we are going to the OR and that I am taking the steps to get the patient there after prepping/stabilizing them in the ED. 

Want to get a better in a subspecialty sooner and actually feel more comfortable doing your "job"? Do a fellowship/residency where the expectations of a resident in that specialty are what you as the PA fellow/resident are expected to uphold. I showed up to my fellowship and was told, "You will do everything the R2 does and will be held to the same standards. If you fail to do that there will be a review and if you do it too many times you are GONE!". They meant it too because the previous year a PA fellow was fired. PA school seemed like a pleasant memory on some of my worst days during fellowship...and I only have more to learn.

[monae622]

What are you all’s thoughts on completing a residency that is not ARC accredited? 

[PA-SGuy]

27 minutes ago, tmr173 said:

What are you all’s thoughts on completing a residency that is not ARC accredited? 

Last time I checked, there was like 8-10 accredited residencies via the ARC. The APPAP has like 80 residencies listed. I think its fine to do one that isn't arc accredited as long as you research it well and it has solid reputation and history

[AnxPA]

Thoughts on applying to a brand new EM residency program in a VA hospital? Worth the risk or should I just get a job? Not willing to move for any other residency programs at this time. 

[ProSpectre]

9 hours ago, AnxPA said:

Thoughts on applying to a brand new EM residency program in a VA hospital? Worth the risk or should I just get a job? Not willing to move for any other residency programs at this time. 

Without more information, I don't think anyone can give you a solid answer. The fact that it's brand new shouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker (every program has to have a first class). 

A good residency should have protected academic time, off-service rotations (in specialties like optho, ortho, peds, ENT, neurology, critical care, etc), graduated responsibility (with the ability to see patients of all acuities, not just low acuity or fast-track patients), along with a well defined curriculum (ideally with courses like ACLS/PALS/ATLS/FCCS etc included). The Society of Emergency Medicine PAs (SEMPA) has good resources on what a post-graduate training program in emergency medicine should cover for PAs: 

https://www.sempa.org/professional-development/postgraduate-training--practice-guidelines/

 

If it is simply less pay to staff their ER with no off-service rotations, or no defined academic structure or competencies to meet, then I would probably pass. 

[AnxPA]

11 minutes ago, ProSpectre said:

Without more information, I don't think anyone can give you a solid answer. The fact that it's brand new shouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker (every program has to have a first class). 

A good residency should have protected academic time, off-service rotations (in specialties like optho, ortho, peds, ENT, neurology, critical care, etc), graduated responsibility (with the ability to see patients of all acuities, not just low acuity or fast-track patients), along with a well defined curriculum (ideally with courses like ACLS/PALS/ATLS/FCCS etc included). The Society of Emergency Medicine PAs (SEMPA) has good resources on what a post-graduate training program in emergency medicine should cover for PAs: 

https://www.sempa.org/professional-development/postgraduate-training--practice-guidelines/

 

If it is simply less pay to staff their ER with no off-service rotations, or no defined academic structure or competencies to meet, then I would probably pass. 

Thank you ProSpectre! I’m sorry I don’t have more info on the program, they are still working on their website, but this a great list of things I’ll be looking for once they have more information. 

[ohiovolffemtp]

Before you consider an EM residency at a VA hospital please look VERY carefully at what their ED actually sees.  In ~35 years of pre-hospital medicine and over 5 years as a PA in the states I practice (Ohio, KY, Indiana) VA ED's see very little compared to what civilian ED's see: no peds, minimal trauma (that goes to trauma centers), minimal serious cardiac (no VA facility I know of has a 24 hour cath lab), etc.  The patient population is strongly skewed towards males, so you'll see much less OB/Gyn that you'll see in a civilian ED.