Job Market and Challenges in getting SPs

[PharmD]

I am an aspiring PA candidate and I was wondering:

1) What the job market is like. I have read lots of statistics from PA schools about jobs upsurge for PAs presently and in the future, but wants a real world confirmation.

2) What are the challenges in getting SPs or is there a way PAs can work independently  (Hospital or Urgent Care) without the headache of searching for SP before getting a job? 

I appreciate your honesty advice and responses to my questions. Thank you.

[mmchick]

I can't really answer much for question 1 besides everything you and I have both read during career research. The career is exponentially expanding and although there are more jobs because of this increased demand, I understand there is sort of a bottlenecking of quality PAs as the supply (pre-PA students) is outweighing the demand. That being said, I think in terms of job outlook and availability, it looks to be okay for the next few years, but in the coming decade, I'm thinking that standards are going to be raised somehow (whether that's through application, preliminary qualifications, or higher degree required for furthering your career, like a DMS- Doctor of Medical Science).

 

For question 2, from how I understand it (and I'm not an actual PA, so if you want a seasoned vet to answer this, you might be better off posting in the professional section of this site)- when you apply for UC or hospital jobs, you're sort of applying into a job opening that was created by a perusing physician. Those I do not believe you have to worry about finding an SP for.

As for opening your own practice, that carries the added responsibility of not only finding an SP, but having to do all the behind the scenes work in finding a budget for the SP/setting a schedule/collaborating with what they're comfortable with in terms of supervision, office hours, etc.

And at the end of the day, doesn't matter if you open your own practice as a PA, you will always require supervision from a physician. The autonomy scale can vary drastically, depending on where you are practicing, but you will always have a SP that signs off on your work. I believe this may change with the uprising of the DMS career, we shall see.

 

[PharmD]

Thank you for your comments,  I appreciate.

[beattie228]

Hey Kunle,

 

Here's my take on your questions:

1.) Job market varies by geographical location. Some areas are more NP heavy, others are more PA heavy. The age old mantra of "salary, specialty, location - you can only pick two" truly applies to most PA gigs. If you're flexible one one of the above, you'll have no issue finding a job. The trick is finding quality jobs that don't have a lot of turnover, but there are plenty of them out there.

2.) This question varies by state laws as well as within various departments. With that said, though, you don't seek out a SP per se. Instead, a job is posted or you find one via word of mouth that is a packaged deal with SP. If you work one on one, you'll have one SP whereas if you work in a department like Urgent Care or the Emergency Department, you can have a couple of SPs. Early on in your career, it's important to find a SP who is willing to teach you. This can be crucial for setting yourself up for success later in your career as you'll have a very solid foundation to then build upon.

[mmchick]

You just posted this same question several hours beforehand. Refer back to that original post.

[rev ronin]

10 hours ago, mmchick said:

You just posted this same question several hours beforehand. Refer back to that original post.

I fixed that for him.