Westz33 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Hey guys I know there have been threads about job outlook and employment prospects for physician assistants on this board but many are from years ago. I wanted to know what the job outlook and career prospects are for physician assistant currently now in 2012? with the popularity of PA career and the opening of more and more schools is there a fear of saturation and decreased salaries like what is happening in Pharmacy and Dentistry? for those who have been working as a PA for decades or many years how do you feel about your own future career prospects? bright? dim? worried?excited? with rising costs of healthcare is there a fear that as more and more physicians join together in larger medical groups, there will be less and less job opportunities for PA's? I know that the PA profession started to help close the gap in physician shortages in this country but what happens in the future when more medical schools open and more physicians balance out the gap? will PA's still play an important part in healthcare? or will they have to go look for a diffrent career? are PA a permanent fixture in the future of healthcare in America? or a temporary fix to a temporary problem? I've heard this statement " I have never met a unemployed PA" .. do you agree or disagree with this statement? thank you for your help! I apologize if I sound to forward, I do not mean it just wanted some honest answers to some tough questions as a pre-PA. I know many great and happy PA's but many of them have been working for decades, but am concerned about entering a unstable career field for our current generation of PA students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiaroscuro27 Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 There are plenty of opportunities for PAs. Take a look at the job boards; there is no shortage of opportunities, and this doesn't even take into account the jobs that are never posted. Most PAs get their jobs by word of mouth and reference. One has to be willing, though, to go outside of the metro areas to find the majority of these positions, as PAMAC said. As a new grad, I've had numerous jobs flood my inbox, and most of them are outside of heavily populated areas. This isn't appealing to most of us. It's hard to uproot and relocate, especially with a family. I didn't find a job worth taking a second look at until I ventured outside of the metro area. Luckily for me, the commute is tolerable. I think this will be the issue for years to come: plenty of jobs across the board, but hundreds of qualified PAs applying for the few jobs that are available in popular areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted June 27, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 27, 2012 as a pa you will always have a job if you are willing to relocate. there is a predicted job growth of something like 30% over the next 20 years. I get unsolicited job offers all the time by mail and by email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Healthcare reform just got upheld and the baby boomers are coming of geriatric age...hard to visualize jobless PA's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Healthcare reform just got upheld and the baby boomers are coming of geriatric age...hard to visualize jobless PA's Think again....here in IL where it started midlevel is being replaced rapidly by foreign docs.....any midlevel that reaps from this will be NPs b/c they have representation that we do not.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkuhns1 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 For your consideration http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Physician-assistants.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 That was done in 2010.....yrs ago by medical standards...the medical community will be changing rapidly after today...IF we were autnomous...we would be doing very well.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Well it looks like the mod emedpa has closed the thread "Healthcare Reform and Our Profession".....so I'll respond here....what's free for some is paid for by other's...eventually the other's are going to get tired of paying for all....thin the money out and the service b/c thinner..with Obamacare expected to cost an additional 1trillion dollars MORE.....and with almost 50% of Americans paying nothing into the tax system....this is a hollow victory for those who think it's a victory.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted June 28, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 28, 2012 please, enough with the politics. all 3 branches of govt have agreed to this plan. time to move on. if this becomes a political pissing contest it will be closed and guilty parties given infractions and/or banned. Banuchi got rid of the political forum for a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I agree....let's all stick our head in the sand.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted June 28, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 28, 2012 goodbye..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted June 28, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 28, 2012 goodbye..... THANK YOU as for PA prospects - yes you might have to move to get some experience (new grads are tough to hire) but man o man do we have it made I am 10 years out have essentially a 3 day work week and get paid well and have great bennies As for an experienced PA not being able to find work - they are not looking in the right places..... my local hospital systems knows they are in dire straights on physician recruitment and are trying like mad to hire PA's but are realizing that they are not to many of us out there either..... seems to reason we are safe for a while...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkoffshot Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Healthcare reform just got upheld and the baby boomers are coming of geriatric age...hard to visualize jobless PA's Couldn't agree more. marilyn.. where are your numbers on how many foreign docs are replacing midlevels??? Just doesnt make any sense. With Obamacare, you are trying to drive costs down to keep taxes down to be able to keep it cost effective.. essentially. Why would you bring foreign docs who make more than a midlevel, when a midlevel can do the work? That is counter-productive. Until you show me the figures, your statement means nothing to me, and probably anyone else, unless of course you are naieve. I would not advise you arguing with me either. I have been part of this type of system for a long time, I know how it runs. In Canada, they are utilizing PA's because of that same ideology. Drive costs down by bringing in providers that don't get paid as much. Pretty sad to say, but that's how it is. Any doc that I have talked with regarding PA's that's exactly what they say. PA's however are obviously an integral part of the system. If i didn't agree with that, I wouldnt be pouring 40,000 a year to go to school. It's a win for us, and a win for the government. Some may argue that it is not a win for the taxpayers... true.. but something needs to happen.. just give it time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted June 29, 2012 Administrator Share Posted June 29, 2012 From the perspective of a soon-to-be-grad, I've been picky about sending out CV's, but I've gotten three callbacks, two interviews offered, and ended up taking the first job I was offered because it was everything I wanted. I'm still getting soft offers, ("hey, do you have a job yet, 'cause we're going to hire a PA...?") and am trying to steer classmates to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkoffshot Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 haha. Marilyn banned. Doesn't suprise me. Thanks for the heads up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted June 29, 2012 Moderator Share Posted June 29, 2012 It was less of a heads up vs just pointing out the obvious so you werent advising a phantom not to argue with you. That made you come across like a tool. Not obvious on the tapatalk app. Can't see all that stuff. Just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westz33 Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 thank you for your replies, anyone else like to chime in? again thank you for your time and input in this matter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpSite Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I'm sad that you banned marilyn. Even though I may not agree with some of her posts, I find "the other side" of an argument quite enlightening. She's been in this business a long time and has valuable experiences to share.....even if they might be misconstrued as negative. I'm 100% pro-federal healthcare (even at the expense of higher taxes), but I want to know why others might feel differently. And as a current PA student who lives in a state very close to Illinois, it's interesting to hear her perspective. Others have made far more offensive statements but are still allowed to post. You just never know who might be reading what's being posted and whose life might be changed by it. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 3, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2012 she had a long hx of inflammatory posts and was warned several times. if folks really want her back I could change her status but I think most are glad to see her gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browndog Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Emedpa, Did you ban her for the inflammatory nature of her remarks or for her differing political views? I noted that Hemegroup recently posted what, in my opinion, was an inflammatory remark ("Woooooohoooooooo" post) without recourse. I just don't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 3, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2012 discussing the issue of healthcare reform is fine. making baseless statements solely for the purpose of starting arguements is not. There is a rule here about no political posts. I didn't make it, Banuchi did, and it is his forum. "yay health reform passed" is ok. "obama is the devil and will cost each and every american 10 billion dollars" is a bit over the line. one is opinion. the other is opinion and obviously inaccurate stats added just to start fights. Marilyn wouldn't ever consider that america doesn't have the world's best health system even when shown objective evidence from neutral third parties showing poor health outcomes when compared with other countries with much lower gnp's.. she kept blathering inaccurate propaganda. you will notice this post was left open because it is a civil discussion: http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/showthread.php/35607-10-million-more-patients Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browndog Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Who determines "baseless"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 3, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2012 she was never able to back up any of her "facts" with references like the majority of the posters on this forum are willing to do. (and rush limbaugh is not a legitimate source....the world health organization is) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 3, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2012 the poll will decide. fair enough? in the past other posters have been brought back from bans due to public support. if the forum wants her back I will reinstate her. from the forum rules written by Banuchi( see green tab top of the page): DO NOT post political threads to incite anger or simply to "make a point" about your political stance. All political posts must relate to medicine/healthcare. Any posts not following these rules will result in automatic deletion of the post and immediate banning WITHOUT notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkoffshot Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 It was less of a heads up vs just pointing out the obvious so you werent advising a phantom not to argue with you. That made you come across like a tool. You just took marilyns place in my heart, PAMAC. Extremely uncalled for. If it wasn't a heads up what's the purpose for telling me? It was never clear to me as I do not know or care what status she has with this forum... therefore I am a tool I guess. You have NO idea. For saying that and then bashing me afterwards makes you look like the tool... but i don't have to say it, you brought it on to yourself. Maybe you should just stick to handing out advice.. and with that I would still be skeptical. How is the PA community and ultimately our profession supposed to be/get strong when we have people like you throwing out boisterous comments about the people who may one day be your PA colleague. btw.. Didn't EMEDPA just say something about name-calling and warning/ban? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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