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New grad taking half-pay to secure a job


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My classmate secured an EM job with an org that typically does not hire new grads by offering a contingency plan: she will work for half the standard PA salary for the first three months, with some of that being shadowing, some working full-time.  Is this a good idea to propose to organizations hesitant to hire a new grad?

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54 minutes ago, wamucc said:

My classmate secured an EM job with an org that typically does not hire new grads by offering a contingency plan: she will work for half the standard PA salary for the first three months, with some of that being shadowing, some working full-time.  Is this a good idea to propose to organizations hesitant to hire a new grad?

No, it’s a @&$& stupid ass idea.  Shadowing is a bullshit idea with the subject following someone around like a puppy, incidentally learning little tidbits.  Plus, if you are going to be “shadowing “ for half that time then it better be shadowing without doing any work that should be compensated for.  So no “do an H&P while I squeeze in some charting “.

a much better idea would be for this organization to take the worthless shadowing days into formalized structured educational opportunities.

 

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22 minutes ago, thinkertdm said:

No, it’s a @&$& stupid ass idea.  Shadowing is a bullshit idea with the subject following someone around like a puppy, incidentally learning little tidbits.  Plus, if you are going to be “shadowing “ for half that time then it better be shadowing without doing any work that should be compensated for.  So no “do an H&P while I squeeze in some charting “.

a much better idea would be for this organization to take the worthless shadowing days into formalized structured educational opportunities.

 

It seemed like a bad idea to me too. His mindset is "get your foot in the door, no matter the cost" -- but as a new grad, the thought of (essentially) bribing my way into an org that doesn't like new grads (which the hospital he's going to apparently *never* hires into the ED) is a recipe for disaster. (Wasn't sure if that was just my lack of experience talking, though.)

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No, this half pay thing is bullshit. I don't see it in any other job, including non-medical jobs. This is the cost of doing business. It takes time/money to hire and train a new employee. An MA doesn't get half pay when training. A nurse doesn't. A doc often gets a guaranteed base the first year or two so they don't work for little pay while building up their own practice.

If they want someone with experience, they can pay more for someone with experience. If they like a new grad, they can pay them less by 10 or 20/hour or whatever the pay difference is, but half pay for 3 months is a slap in the face.

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Yeah it is a great idea!!

Makes it even harder for other new grads to get a job

degrades the product (practicing medicine) 

Cheapens every other PA out there

makes it harder for people to demand and get a reasonable pay rate

 

but hey look on the bright side, PA-S-->PA-C has such low loans that this is a great thing!!

 

 

 

Really what a stupid thing to do.  My nephew just graduated with a 4 yr CS degree, has more 6 figure job offers then he knows what to do with..... yeah lets cheapen a master/doctorate level degree to a < 50k year first job....

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I don't think you guys understand just how hard it is for new grads to get jobs now a days especially in oversaturated markets.  It's bad. I think whatever they need to do to get their foot in the door is what they need to do.  Who are we to judge unless we all pony up and start paying their school loans for them..........

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2 hours ago, Cideous said:

I don't think you guys understand just how hard it is for new grads to get jobs now a days especially in oversaturated markets.  It's bad. I think whatever they need to do to get their foot in the door is what they need to do.  Who are we to judge unless we all pony up and start paying their school loans for them..........

Wil Wheaton wrote a an article in 2015 about a similar event: http://wilwheaton.net/2015/10/you-cant-pay-your-rent-with-the-unique-platform-and-reach-our-site-provides/

I think it has several aspects pertinent to this instance.

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8 hours ago, HanSolo said:

why not just do a structured residency/fellowship at this point?

I agree. I don't recommend new grad going into ED. Don't get me wrong, I've known people who did it but they were excellent students and have ER expereinces in the past (ER techs, ER nurses). Working in the ER is not easy. What I found most difficult is for new grads to navigate themselves in the ED. The nurses can often misled you and you get into trouble, the consultant can give you a hard time because you don't know what you are doing and physician thinks you ask too many questions.  I also don't really trust EDs that hires new grads, unless you know someone who already working in that ED and recommended, otherwise I don't even bother. These ED jobs are usually new grad mills.  They also place new grad just in the Fast Track. There is nothing wrong with fast tracts, I love fast tracks.  But ask any experiences PAs, Fast track can be a dangerous place. You are the gate keeper! Patients in the main ED gets all the lab tests in world. It will be hard to missed things in the main ED. The triage nurse will tell you the patient don't need anything, just treat and street. I personally have seen lower back pain turn into a dissection, "sciatica" turn into a acute limb ischemia, toothache turn into a MI, eye pain turn into a stroke. You will also see large volume of patient in the Fast track. It will be very stressful for a new grad. 

If you are a pa student reading this post, I highly recommend doing a residency. 

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