New grad, can't get any callbacks, looking for advice...

[needhalp]

Hi everyone,

I'm in a weird situation and trying to get some perspective. Any feedback is appreciated. Apologize ahead of time for the length.

Long story short, I should have graduated in December 2018. But I finished my rotations in December 2018, then had to finish a master's thesis paper which took me until August 2019 (it shouldn't have taken as long as it did, I just personally found the writing process really hard so it was very slow for me), when I officially graduated as a PA. I have been applying to jobs since July 2019, and at this point I have gotten exactly 1 callback. No interviews or any other interest. I think I have submitted almost 50 applications so far. I am not certified yet, I take the PANCE in January (nervous about failing so wanted to give myself plenty of time to study). I am not limiting my applications to any specialty or type of job or special hours. I am applying to anything and everything within 2 hours of where I currently live (Cincinnati), unless the post says that 1year+ of experience is required (which unfortunately, most of them do). Rejection after rejection just keeps rolling in (or worse, no response ever!).

I am starting to get very very worried. Does anyone think maybe the reason why I'm not getting callbacks might be because I'm not certified yet? I should have had a job at least 6 months ago on my original timeline. But here I am, not even certified yet, and I am starting to panic a bit. It feels like every day that goes by and with every rejection I am less likely to get a job. I have my resume structured to just say the amount of time I was in each rotation, rather than the dates, because I feel like it would look very bad for me to employers if they knew my rotations were so long ago. I have re-written and restructured my resume and cover letters several times over the past few months. Is it possible there's something in them that is a red flag that I don't realize?

I know the job market is saturated in many places in the Midwest. My wife is in a graduate program here and can't relocate until probably May at the earliest. So we were hoping to stay within 2 hours of where we live. But do I just start applying to jobs in other states (possibilities for us could be VA, MI TX, AZ, MA, or somewhere in the US Northeast or Pacific Northwest) and not worry about if she can come with me at this point? I am kind of at a loss of what to do next and freaking out about what employers must think of the growing gap in my resume.

Edit: I guess I should also mention that we have 0 problem moving somewhere rural. Probably would prefer it actually.

Edited December 8, 2019 by pyk00z
Added information

[Cideous]

Not sure I would even apply to another state unless I had a license in it first.  That's the very first question they are going to ask...do you have a license in X state.  Most are not going to hire you and then wait around for you to get a license.  It's a bit of a catch 22.

 

And yet another new grad who can't find a job.  I'm counting the clock until the inevitable, "every thing is ok with our field" comments start to pour in.  Everything is not ok for these new grads.

[SedRate]

The lack of certification, narrow location, and drawn-out timeline are severely hindering you.

Regarding my own experience, I was hired by a preceptor during my rotation with them. That job was not posted. Before that, I had sent out a couple of random applications to random workplaces (mainly large hospitals), but they weren't interested in hiring a student prior to graduation or certification, so they declined and suggested I try again after I was licensed. 

Some suggestions and things to chew on:

1. Network, network, network. Jobs aren't always posted so talk to classmates, preceptors, program advisors, state association, professionals you've met through your training thus far, etc. 

2. Expand your location. You need a job. You and your wife will make it work somehow, but you need gainful employment ASAP before you start losing prescious knowledge and student loan repayment kicks in (if you have loans). It still may take months to interview and hire you!

3. Your extended graduation and certification timeline may raise a concern that there may be a reason why you couldn't finish in a timely manner or get a job right away. This may scare off potential employers. 

4. Take the PANCE ASAP. Six months seems excessive. You'll never be able to memorize all of medicine, and you've likely already studied plenty at this point. 

5. Consider a head hunter. 

6. Consider a residency.

Good luck.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Sed
Residency

[PAinPenna]

I'm in agreement with Sed. Your lack of certification and licensure is making it pretty tough for an employer to stick their neck out and onboard you.  

It'll get better. 

 

[UGoLong]

I'm in Columbus and new PAs are still finding jobs here and in the surrounding areas. Probably not as easily as 13 years ago when I graduated, but they're out there.

As others have said, take your boards ASAP! Network too.

Reading between the lines, you sound like you might be a little on the obsessive side (taking too long to write your thesis, spending months before taking your boards rather than the days-to-weeks others take, etc) and you might want to see if you can work on that. You're not alone; we are often our own worst enemies.

Good luck!

[needhalp]

2 hours ago, Cideous said:

Not sure I would even apply to another state unless I had a license in it first.  That's the very first question they are going to ask...do you have a license in X state.  Most are not going to hire you and then wait around for you to get a license.  It's a bit of a catch 22.

And yet another new grad who can't find a job.  I'm counting the clock until the inevitable, "every thing is ok with our field" comments start to pour in.  Everything is not ok for these new grads.

Thanks a lot for your feedback. 100% agree the reasoning makes sense that no one would hire me without certification and licensure. All the advice I got in school was that I should be able to secure jobs before passing PANCE (and thus before licensure), but I don't really understand how that makes sense unless you get hired from somewhere you rotate at. In my case I moved out of the area I did my rotations in after graduating, so unfortunately that was not an option. 

How long does licensure usually take after certification? There are 3 states (OH, KY, IN) I'm probably going to apply for licensure in right away because I'm in a tri-state area.

1 hour ago, Sed said:

The lack of certification, narrow location, and drawn-out timeline are severely hindering you.

Regarding my own experience, I was hired by a preceptor during my rotation with them. That job was not posted. Before that, I had sent out a couple of random applications to random workplaces (mainly large hospitals), but they weren't interested in hiring a student prior to graduation or certification, so they declined and suggested I try again after I was licensed. 

Some suggestions and things to chew on:

1. Network, network, network. Jobs aren't always posted so talk to classmates, preceptors, program advisors, state association, professionals you've met through your training thus far, etc. 

2. Expand your location. You need a job. You and your wife will make it work somehow, but you need gainful employment ASAP before you start losing prescious knowledge and student loan repayment kicks in (if you have loans). It still may take months to interview and hire you!

3. Your extended graduation and certification timeline may raise a concern that there may be a reason why you couldn't finish in a timely manner or get a job right away. This may scare off potential employers. 

4. Take the PANCE ASAP. Six months seems excessive. You'll never be able to memorize all of medicine, and you've likely already studied plenty at this point. 

5. Consider a head hunter. 

6. Consider a residency.

Good luck.

Thanks for your feedback. I've been in touch with my network but they are all about 7 hours from my location so it hasn't been much help. But as you say in number 2...I understand that I likely need to expand locations. I am definitely concerned about your #3 and do plan to take the PANCE as soon as I can. If you can't tell I'm an anxious person and just don't feel like I've studied nearly enough. Regarding #5, I am not sure I know what that is? Regarding #6 - I'm definitely open to residencies. I think a residency would actually be a great fit for me. 

 

1 hour ago, PAinPenna said:

I'm in agreement with Sed. Your lack of certification and licensure is making it pretty tough for an employer to stick their neck out and onboard you.  

It'll get better. 

 

Thanks. Here's hoping! :-)  How long does licensure usually take after certification? I can't seem to get a consistent answer on that.

 

[needhalp]

39 minutes ago, UGoLong said:

I'm in Columbus and new PAs are still finding jobs here and in the surrounding areas. Probably not as easily as 13 years ago when I graduated, but they're out there.

As others have said, take your boards ASAP! Network too.

Reading between the lines, you sound like you might be a little on the obsessive side (taking too long to write your thesis, spending months before taking your boards rather than the days-to-weeks others take, etc) and you might want to see if you can work on that. You're not alone; we are often our own worst enemies.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot for your feedback! That's really encouraging. Gives me hope that when I'm certified and licensed maybe I'll have luck around there at least! 

Haha, yes - as you guessed I am certainly an anxious person. I am definitely working on it!

As an aside - I was a non-traditional college student and by far the oldest person in my PA class, which has not helped my confidence any. Definitely going to check out your book! Thanks!

[ohiovolffemtp]

I live in the Cincinnati area and used to work there.  Like you, I didn't receive any response to applications until after I had passed PANCE, possibly not until I had my Ohio license.  Get PANCE behind you.  Then, go ahead and apply for licenses in Ohio, KY, and Indiana.  From my experience, the Indiana market is a bit better than the Ohio.  In Ohio you have 2 PA programs in Dayton and 1 in Cincinnati, plus several NP  programs, so there are probably at least 200 new grad PA's & NP's being turned out each year in that area.

If I recall correctly, my Ohio, KY, and Indiana licenses each took about 2 months to get.

Talk to the staff at your PA program.  They often get requests from folks looking to hire PA's.  Also, if you're in the Mt. St. Joe program, you have faculty members there who work at UC and UC currently has multiple postings for PA jobs.  They may be able to point you in the right direction.

I too was the oldest in my PA class - got my license at age 55.  Consider the fact that you have decades of life and work experience that other grads haven't.  Sell yourself to prospective employers as having lots of value in your ability to relate to a wide age range of patients because of your life experience.

[ANESMCR]

Your story is not unique in 2019. This is the norm now. Try not to panic. Do what the other posters have said and you’ll be fine. Used to be new grads could find a job between1-3 months, then a couple years ago 3-6 months. Now it’s 6-12 months. For a plethora of reasons. 

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

• Sounds familiar to '83-'84.  Maybe on the other end of the bell curve now?

[needhalp]

16 hours ago, ohiovolffemtp said:

I live in the Cincinnati area and used to work there.  Like you, I didn't receive any response to applications until after I had passed PANCE, possibly not until I had my Ohio license.  Get PANCE behind you.  Then, go ahead and apply for licenses in Ohio, KY, and Indiana.  From my experience, the Indiana market is a bit better than the Ohio.  In Ohio you have 2 PA programs in Dayton and 1 in Cincinnati, plus several NP  programs, so there are probably at least 200 new grad PA's & NP's being turned out each year in that area.

If I recall correctly, my Ohio, KY, and Indiana licenses each took about 2 months to get.

Talk to the staff at your PA program.  They often get requests from folks looking to hire PA's.  Also, if you're in the Mt. St. Joe program, you have faculty members there who work at UC and UC currently has multiple postings for PA jobs.  They may be able to point you in the right direction.

I too was the oldest in my PA class - got my license at age 55.  Consider the fact that you have decades of life and work experience that other grads haven't.  Sell yourself to prospective employers as having lots of value in your ability to relate to a wide age range of patients because of your life experience.

Thanks a lot for the advice, nice to know I am not alone in my situation!  I had no idea about the other programs in Cincinnati and how saturated the market must be! I'm not at Mt. St. Joe (I went to PA school in another state) but my wife is at UC as a graduate student (I moved to join her after graduation). I'll see if she can find someone who can maybe pull some strings for me. 

[needhalp]

15 hours ago, ANESMCR said:

Your story is not unique in 2019. This is the norm now. Try not to panic. Do what the other posters have said and you’ll be fine. Used to be new grads could find a job between1-3 months, then a couple years ago 3-6 months. Now it’s 6-12 months. For a plethora of reasons. 

Thanks for the encouragement. Definitely comforting to hear this. Haha. 

4 hours ago, GetMeOuttaThisMess said:

• Sounds familiar to '83-'84.  Maybe on the other end of the bell curve now?

Definitely possible! It took others in my program probably 3-5 months on average to find a position if they didn't get one where they did rotations. 

[SedRate]

My reference to a head hunter means a recruiter. Proceed with caution when using a recruiter. 

Regarding time to state licensure, it took a week or so to receive my certification after PANCE and I think another week after that for my state license.