underserved Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm not asking anyone to defend me n vaston U need to get laid. Clearly it's overdue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 19, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 19, 2012 everyone , please play nice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaston Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm not asking anyone to defend me n vaston U need to get laid. Clearly it's overdue. You busted out the sexual frustration angle!? I must've struck a nerve. A weak-minded personal attack, and an old, over used one at that. How will I EVER recover from it? Seriously.......I'm open to suggestions....... Project your frustration onto me all you want. The fact remains that your typing is lazy and your responses are weak. Personal attacks only confirm that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToppDog Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 My point to OP is not to put down your positions on the PA profession, only to take a hard look at MD & the problems/dissatisfaction they are having with healthcare as well before getting into a lot more debt & years lost, only to be right back where you are now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underserved Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 E is right. Let's play nice. I have read many posts by you and I think that you are a sweetheart so accept my apology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMD16 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 .......... [ATTACH=CONFIG]913[/ATTACH] ....a strong indication of your immaturity. Not wasting my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treejay Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I don't know what area you live in, but where I am many patients PREFER to see a PA. And the hospital I am finishing my clinicals in is swarming with PAs, some of which are more highly respected than the doctors because of their personality and wealth of knowledge. The majority of docs love PAs here. I finish school in a month and have had 4+ offers from awesome doctors who WANT to teach me and help me grow in their speciality so that I can function at the same level as them.As someone else said, respect is earned. Find what you like and put in the work, you will get respect. No one is going to trust/respect you as a new doc either until you show them what you can do. "Better work hours and great pay"? As a new grad you get good work hours/no call with decent pay, or work the hours and make the big bucks. Not many jobs are going to hand you everything with no experience. Perhaps your issues have more to do with your insecurities of "being the assistant" rather than issues with the career. If you want to be a physician, than go for it! But your ideas about the career are wrong, at least where I live. What area/hospital are you in? just curious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underserved Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Kmd he's mature but just having a bad day. He's actually a sweetheart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alster Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 As a pre-PA student I'm somewhat concerned to hear this opinion of a profession I'm passionate about, but I think this could be a great opportunity to provide some insight for people trying to choose between PA and MD. After a couple hundred hours of shadowing along with time spent in the health care field as a cna, I am very confident about my decision to be a PA. In my opinion it will be better in the long run for the profession if the people that are pursuing PA really want to be PAs. Underserved - what do you think you could've done differently to discover these feelings sooner? Did you not shadow enough? Not ask questions enough? Were you strongly debating between MD and PA and went for the shorter route or something? This could be a bad assumption, but from what I've seen, the people that don't seem to be happy with PA are those that should've chosen med school, as opposed to another job in healthcare or outside of healthcare. To me, the people that are seriously debating between PA and MD should almost always go for MD. That statement might be too generalized so correct me if I'm wrong. Im interested in the growth of the profession, and I think that begins by having students who are passionate about the profession and it's future, so please give some advice to the people wondering if they should pursue PA. (Also written from my iPhone. I just care enough about the topic to take the time to write it out. That, and my internets down so 3Gs my only option right now :/ ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underserved Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Alex, u made a great point. If there is ever a debate between Pa vs md. Go md!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 As a pre-PA applying for a second time I find this post to be legitimate. I don't agree with the better hours statement : lateral mobility, but I do agree about threats to the PA profession. I pay more attention to the professional forums then the pre-pa and time and time again I see a substantial amount of posts about various scenarios threatening the PA profession. I mostly blame it on weak representation from the AAPA by my observations. There's always a thread in here proving time and time again that NPs have better political power and lobbying than PAs and repeated posts from discruntled PAs regarding their SP. unless something is done to address this swiftly we will lose momentum and possibly take a step backwards from NPs and our remain stagnant or fall behind on our scope of practice compared to NPs. Can't take someone off disability? Non stop legislation issues, you handle the easy ones, I'd rather see a doctor, name change issue not being addressed, the list goes on. So I can see how someone can have a change in heart. But not for the reasons the OP stated. Every profession has its complaints. Getting involved is the key to making changes. The newer generation of PAs needs to oust [most of] the older generation that is impeding progress for the profession. Tucking tail and running is not the way to go because you'll just have a new set of issues wherever you end up. It's up to us to take the reins of the profession and make real change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hubbardtim48 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Disagree...I am 27 am love PA school. I would HATE the life style of an MD/DO, I want to practice medicine sooner and have time with my family. I do not want to do a residency, fellowship etc and spend tons of $/time in medical school when I could be living it up working 3-12's or 4-10's in IM/FP in a rural area. This is just my life and I think family is way more important than any schooling or career. It is a personal choice and one that SHOULD be looked into for some amount of time before picking physician vs. physician assistant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jen0508 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Disagree...I am 27 am love PA school. I would HATE the life style of an MD/DO, I want to practice medicine sooner and have time with my family. I do not want to do a residency, fellowship etc and spend tons of $/time in medical school when I could be living it up working 3-12's or 4-10's in IM/FP in a rural area. This is just my life and I think family is way more important than any schooling or career. It is a personal choice and one that SHOULD be looked into for some amount of time before picking physician vs. physician assistant. ^agreed^ next year i'll be 25 and making 6 figures. I want to enjoy the rest of my 20's instead of spend them in medical school/residency. I don't care about having "Dr." before my name or having additional respect (which is subjective). I just want to provide great medical care and enjoy life. @underserved I honestly think if you found a position in a specialty you enjoy with a physician(s) that respects you then you may reconsider your decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underserved Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Thx Jen. U have a great head on your shoulder. Best wishes to you:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 ^agreed^ next year i'll be 25 and making 6 figures. I want to enjoy the rest of my 20's instead of spend them in medical school/residency. I don't care about having "Dr." before my name or having additional respect (which is subjective). I just want to provide great medical care and enjoy life. Can't argue with that. However, some may have a longer view on things and reason that while they may be spending their 20s in school and residency, for the rest of their lives beyond that (hopefully many decades) they will be top of the food chain and earning significantly higher wages. Both are legit rationales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Can't argue with that. However, some may have a longer view on things and reason that while they may be spending their 20s in school and residency, for the rest of their lives beyond that (hopefully many decades) they will be top of the food chain and earning significantly higher wages. Both are legit rationales. Correct, and that is why the answer is not always "MD" when it is open for debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 What specifically is wrong with where our profession is "heading"? If you provide some details you will get some answers from members here who actually know about these things. Depending on what field you enter as a doc, salary, respect, and hrs may not be what you think they are. To the OP et al.... I still haven't seen a response There are lots of vague "I read the forum and see lots on concern about the future if the profession", but no details. What is the concern? The rapid growth? Doubling of our numbers in the last ten yrs? The rising salaries? Increased penetrance into subspecialties? PAs filling more leadership and legislative positions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxtechhk Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 The concern is not over a greater salary or being called a doctor... The major issues for me... The frustration with your decisions being double guessed or the ability of the docs to overturn your decision. The lack of respect from docs and other staff..I went to school for 6 years why should I be called by my first name. Even as a doctoral trained PA I can't call myself a doctor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primadonna22274 Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 This must be a very personal decision. While I do regret that the OP's PA slot could have been used for someone more likely to remain in the profession, adcoms can't possibly screen out every potential wannabe MD/DO. Some folks like myself didn't really know they had a capacity to be a physician until they were well into training or a few months (in my case) or a few years (some of my friends) into practice. Going to med school AFTER PA school is an expensive proposition, and will get more expensive as PA education costs have risen so sharply. In almost all cases I think it's better for those on the fence to go to med school now cuz it ain't getting any cheaper, and if you know me at all you know I don't sugarcoat the truth. I often wished I had settled as a happy PA. Many aspects of my life would have been easier had I been able to find contentment in a 36-hr workweek and fair-to-slightly-above-average respect. Lateral mobility is indeed a nice perk and it enabled me to try out a few things to see if I could find my niche. Ultimately I admitted to myself that I could not be satisfied with not knowing what I did not know and always being tethered to my supervising physician's license, and here I am :) Do I die a little inside when I realize I won't make half of what my new grad PAs make for another 5 yr? Sure, although that doesn't sting quite as much as the immediate income I have given up in this folly to pursue my lifelong dream...sheesh, that sounds cliché ;) then I remind myself how frustrating it was to hit that glass ceiling 3 yr into my PA career, and that I haven't had a raise in 6 yr without working 2 or more jobs and every other weekend, and how satisfying it has been to fill in the gaps in my basic science knowledge, and that I know I am becoming a better teacher of medicine because I understand it better. So don't be too hard on the OP, although a little punctuation and grammar go a long way ;) Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underserved Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 The lack of respect from docs, staff and patients. Having to explain every single day of your working life that your not an assistant. Fighting amongst ourselves; we can't even agree on the name change. Being lowballed in re: to salary because we are "assistants". Employers wouldn't dare to pull that trick on docs. Having to fight for benefits, malpractice insurance, cme stipend, vacation time, etc... Oh yeah the aapa; let's not go there. Np are taking our jobs; you see them in many specialty and subspecialty because they are cheaper to hire. In the er I trained at pa are not hired because of the supervision requirement; the doc only take np. The specialty exam for Pa will eventually come into fruition and we be competing among ourselves for jobs; lateral mobility? Good luck with that. Need I say more Anderson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 The concern is not over a greater salary or being called a doctor... The major issues for me... The frustration with your decisions being double guessed or the ability of the docs to overturn your decision. The lack of respect from docs and other staff..I went to school for 6 years why should I be called by my first name. Even as a doctoral trained PA I can't call myself a doctor Then it sounds like being called doctor IS important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 The concern is not over a greater salary or being called a doctor... The major issues for me... The frustration with your decisions being double guessed or the ability of the docs to overturn your decision. The lack of respect from docs and other staff..I went to school for 6 years why should I be called by my first name. Even as a doctoral trained PA I can't call myself a doctor If you're doing the right thing and you get second guessed, you need a new job. If you're doing the wrong thing and being second guessed then you're lucky. We all have the burden of practicing the same gold standard care. If you do right, odds are you won't be overruled. If you are you're in the wrong work environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 The lack of respect from docs, staff and patients. Having to explain every single day of your working life that your not an assistant. Fighting amongst ourselves; we can't even agree on the name change. Being lowballed in re: to salary because we are "assistants". Employers wouldn't dare to pull that trick on docs. Having to fight for benefits, malpractice insurance, cme stipend, vacation time, etc... Oh yeah the aapa; let's not go there. Np are taking our jobs; you see them in many specialty and subspecialty because they are cheaper to hire. In the er I trained at pa are not hired because of the supervision requirement; the doc only take np. The specialty exam for Pa will eventually come into fruition and we be competing among ourselves for jobs; lateral mobility? Good luck with that. Need I say more Anderson? If you are not respected the problem is probably with you We will eventually change to Associate Everyone gets lowballed. Even docs. They just have a higher market value. Even Associates will get lowballed. If you can't negotiate it is your fault, not your profession's. Competition is a market issue. You need a new market if you are not competitive. And if you think you can predict the future of the spec exam then you need to talk to the bookies not the PA forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 The concern is not over a greater salary or being called a doctor... The major issues for me... The frustration with your decisions being double guessed or the ability of the docs to overturn your decision. The lack of respect from docs and other staff..I went to school for 6 years why should I be called by my first name. Even as a doctoral trained PA I can't call myself a doctor Isn't this (the underlined) by definition part of being a PA? The lack of respect thing, I'm sure that is frustrating but not inherent to being a PA. As to title, what do you feel is appropriate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 If you are not respected the problem is probably with youWe will eventually change to Associate Everyone gets lowballed. Even docs. They just have a higher market value. Even Associates will get lowballed. If you can't negotiate it is your fault, not your profession's . Is the gameplan to include more autonomy along with the name change? Without that, it's just a name change. Not that Assistant to Associate isn't a good move, but I'm not sure it will provide any more leverage to negotiate better salary/bennies/etc. Edit: Andersenpa, the link to the website in your signature doesn't appear to be working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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