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HELP finding PAs to SHADOW in south florida area


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Hey everyone!...I am having a little bit of a hard time finding PAs to shadow in the South Florida area. If anyone has any contacts they are able to share I would so greatly appreciate it as this is where I lacked on my application last year. Thanks so much for any help!!

 

A

I am in Northwest FL and had trouble as well. Here is what I did- a lot of leg work. I opened the phone book and called every hospital. I was told by them all that I could only do one day, for eight hours. That is all that is allowed for shadowing. I was discouraged. I then called every office/clinic in the phone book that listed a PA, and then all the ones that didn't. I asked if they still had the PA in the practice and if so, I explained briefly (very briefly) that I was a pre-PA student and would like to have some shadow hours, could they please tell me who I would need to speak with or could I leave a msg for the PA. Oh, and I got the PA's name. I had to call some back, and I got passed around a lot. I ended up with an office that was happy to have me for 2 whole full time weeks- I spent the first with the D.O.'s and the second with their PA (a neurology practice!) and it was great to get to talk to both sides about how they see the PA role, and ask the docs what they value most and like lease in a PA. Then I kept hearing about another nephrology PA that loves students. He gave permission for me to have his personal cell number, and I got set up with him as well, for as long as I like. I also remembered that my teenage son's friend's dad is a DR. and that they have several PAs. He couldn't 'get me in' but he gave me the correct contacts for the group, and I was able to go there for a week in cardiology, in a hosp that had said I couldn't do more than a day!

 

So, I guess the point is, if opportunity doesn't knock, build a door! I had no luck with PAEA lists. I was desperate and thought that the phone book would never work. But, once I got in one place, and they LIKED me, it seemed that there were doors every where!

 

Best of luck!

  • 1 month later...

Great advise sastacey7! I agree, the FL PAEA list was a joke! Why do people even bother putting their names on there if they are never going to reply??? I'm on the west coast of FL and got lucky my second year of applying. A friend of mine asked her P.T. for a PA who was willing to shadow and gave me her name. For those of you who are having trouble finding a P.A. to shadow just remember one thing....make sure they WANT to help you. I've shadowed some real unmotivated people and wasn't exactly comfortable with them writing a reference. Make sure they will write you a reference letter BEFORE you start to shadow. That way you'll know they are motivated.

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