Edewald Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I'd like to gather a general consensus on how long new grads stay with their first employer.. And please offer brief logic behind the duration. I'm curious as to how many people simply take jobs in order to gain experience (to then apply for the job they wanted all along). Or are there experiences included in the learning curve that manipulate expectations vs reality. With so many variables (salary, hours, relationships with SP, patient population) it's nice to hear from the folks who have gone through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moestown1016 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Three years in cardiology. Scared of it. Learned to love it. Got decent at it. Took a job closer to home. Still there part time today four years later Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcash Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 One year in OB GYN. I left as we moved. Then moved back and I worked there another year. I loved the speciality but the money was terrible and my sr NPs and PAs were only making slightly more than me so I knew I couldn't expect much more money in the long run. I left to explore for more experience and more money Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ERCat Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Hi Edewald! I can definitely tell you about my own situation along with some of my classmates. Me: started my first job November 2015 and I am still there over a year later and have ZERO inclination to leave Friend #1: stayed in a family practice clinic just over a year, and just quit last week to go into another family practice that was paying 10K more a year and had way better hours Friend #2: started in surgery and quit that after six months because doctor was so awful, now working in a community clinic Friend #3: worked in urgent care for about nine months, then moved over to a community clinic Friend #4: started in pain management and is still there over a year later Friend #5: started in urgent care for nearly a year, then moved over to pain management and he already wants to leave Friend #6: started in ER as a fellowship and was hired on there, and is still there Friend #7: from a class before me; also did an ER fellowship and has been there for over two years Friend #8: did urgent care a year and just switched to ER Friend #9: did surgery fellowship and then was hired on after so has been there a little over a year Friend #10: did ER for three months :-D then left to go to dermatology where he still is Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthehorizen Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Left my first job after exactly one year. Didn't have a contract. I just left for slightly better pay, far better vacation, much better healthcare benefits. It was a primary care job and a great learning experience. I still think of it as an internship with pay. The day that I told my SP that I got a better offer, he "graciously" responded by slamming his hand down on his desk and yelling "D%#n it!" So much for the maturity and civility that SPs bring to the medical team. When I told him the reasons, he stated that he wouldn't give me a reference out of spite even though a week earlier, he had given me an outstanding performance review. Never worry about leaving a job. If you are planning a move, trust your instincts because you are probably being mistreated or cheated in some way. This game is rigged so that the PA will lose and the Physician will win. One of the moderators here is fond of saying that your only power is your feet. If you are willing to walk, you have power. If you aren't willing to walk, they have the power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I stayed at my first job 5 months. It was a spine surgery practice. I knew nothing, and they needed someone who knew what they were doing. Still not sure why this didnt occur to them that a new grad would need considerable training to get up to speed in surgery. I remember very painfully a meeting they called about 3 months in telling me I wasnt meeting expectations. I was totally taken aback. So I did the best I could but eventually they said see ya later buddy. Very devastating for me to lose my first job, but ultimately I landed on my feet. Dont get too hung up on staying at a job for a year or some other arbitrary length of time. If you can, definitely good, but if it's the wrong job and you've done all you can do, you need to leave. PAs are always needed somewhere. If you remember one thing from this thread, remember that if you think you are about to get fired, you probably are. And it's not that uncommon for PAs to get fired, especially newer PAs. Most places will let you treat it as a resignation but it's always better to go out on your shield than stick it out to the bitter end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Four and a half years in spine as well. Left to take a cardiology position that I had initially declined but was bribed into taking. Glad I did. I always liked the "one way road" approach to cardiac function. PCIs were new as were electrophysiologists so it was a nice learning experience. Left there to take a non-patient care medically related position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edewald Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Wow, excellent advice in each of these responses. Thanks for taking the time, all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyJ Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I stayed 2 years at my first job in the ED. It was nice for a new grad, but as I gained more experience it quickly became routine and not very exciting. I left and went to the Northern Mariana Islands and practiced between two islands and loved it, but they had pay issues...like sometimes I wouldn't get a paycheck. So, I left and went back to my first job for 3 years before leaving again. I mixed things up though the second time at my first job and worked at 3 different sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnp Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 I just resigned from my first job. I've been working in a urology practice for 5.5 years. I love the office and the surgeons that I work with, however the pay has been terrible. They are owned by a large hospital system who underpays all their PAs and refuses to negotiate anything. I just accepted a urology position with a private practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexmarie Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 I am a new grad, I took a job with the trauma surgery department at a busy hospital, during the interview process the position seemed great and I thought I made an informed decision, but I was wrong. I've been at the job a week and can very clearly tell that it is not the job I interviewed for. They are critically understaffed and the turn over rate is incredibly high. Multiple people from other departments have come up to me and told me to get out fast. The anxiety I have is more than new job jitters. Can I leave if this is clearly not the right fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedRate Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Working the same job in private practice orthopedic trauma surgery since graduation, going on 4 years. I had exposure to this group while in school so I had a good understanding of what to expect from this position. I am fortunate enough to work with a great surgeon who's also a great boss, good benefits and pay, rewarding work, supportive learning environment as a new grad, variable hours and surgeries which keep things interesting, and have earned more responsibilities over the years with less oversight (although still readily available when needed). Working side by side with the same surgeon day in and day out requires trust, respect, and good communication, which is what we have developed, and that makes all the difference. The work is tough and hours are long, but I have no interest in going elsewhere. This field definitely limits your scope as a new grad, but that wasn't a huge factor for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc56 Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 2 years and 2 days. I went into a different specialty after I left. I felt it was time to go. Tired of call and late surgery nights, plus I wanted to see something different from Ortho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted February 25, 2018 Moderator Share Posted February 25, 2018 2 years and transferred in the same organization to a practice with a broader scope of practice for PAs in emergency medicine. basically fast track to intermediate level acuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexmarie Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 Hi, just looking for some input. I am a new grad, I took a job working for the general surgery department at a level II trauma center. Upon arriving my first day I could already tell the job was very different from what I was told in the interview. They are very understaffed, have had 3 PAs quit in a 6 month period and they have no schedule for me. This aside, I have recently been having some serious health problems, poor timing to say the least. Do I attempt to find a new position within the company, resign or stick it out? Being new, I haven't accrued any sick leave or PTO. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedRate Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 25 minutes ago, alexmarie said: Hi, just looking for some input. I am a new grad, I took a job working for the general surgery department at a level II trauma center. Upon arriving my first day I could already tell the job was very different from what I was told in the interview. They are very understaffed, have had 3 PAs quit in a 6 month period and they have no schedule for me. This aside, I have recently been having some serious health problems, poor timing to say the least. Do I attempt to find a new position within the company, resign or stick it out? Being new, I haven't accrued any sick leave or PTO. Thanks! Please post in a separate thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SedRate Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 13 hours ago, cc56 said: 2 years and 2 days. I went into a different specialty after I left. I felt it was time to go. Tired of call and late surgery nights, plus I wanted to see something different from Ortho. What specialty did you end up going into? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc56 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 SED- I did urgent care so I could go to ER. Once you go ortho where I am at, it is harder to switch to ER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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