Finding a job?

[Love2BePAC]

Hi all. I just came across this forum and am excited to find such helpful resources.

 

I have a question. I am graduating in August and taking the PANCE in the beginning of September. I have been applying for quite a few jobs here (Michigan) and only have had 2 offers for interviews. I was interviewed by an outpatient internal medicine practice a couple weeks ago, but they said they wanted someone with more experience (if that was the case, I'm not sure why they interviewed a new grad in the first place). And my second interview is coming up Monday at a big hospital. It is for thoracic surgery. A friend of mine just got hired there (nights) and said they told her they like new grads because they can mold them. But if I don't get that job, I am afraid I won't get a job. Plus, this interview is for days, which I'm sure is more competitive than nights since most people want days. I don't mean to feel so pessimistic, but I am starting to worry.

 

How many places did you apply prior to getting an offer? I wish there were job openings in my rotations, but there are no openings for any of the rotations I did. I had great reviews from preceptors and some solid letters of rec. A friend told me not to be discouraged because she applied for 15 jobs and got 2 interviews, which she got both jobs (one hospitalist and one urgent care).

 

Did it take anyone months after graduation to find a job?

 

Thanks,

Sheryl

[chiaroscuro27]

How many applications did it take before I landed an interview and a job offer: maybe 3-4.

 

How many applications did it take to get an interview and a GOOD job offer: I've lost count.

 

It took me about two months before I found and accepted my current job. I began the job search about one month before I graduated. Lots of my classmates had offers and I was beginning to get discouraged, but slow and steady wins every time, hands down. Keep your references handy so you can use them as needed. Keep your eyes open for new positions, and step outside of the box. My current position wasn't advertised on a job board; I called them up hoping they had an opening and luckily they did.

 

You don't want just any job, either. You want the right job with the right pay and the right staff to teach you what you need to learn. Be patient and don't get discouraged.

[EMEDPA]

I interviewed at 4 places. 1 and 2 offered me jobs. #1 and #2 were not the right job for me and I knew it so I politely declined. #3 did not offer me a job as I was not a good fit for what he wanted(solo fp basically wanted an md partner which is what he later hired). job #4 offered and I accepted.

you may need to widen your search area. there are plenty of jobs out there but they are not all in convenient locations.

[True Anomaly]

You don't want just any job, either. You want the right job with the right pay and the right staff to teach you what you need to learn. Be patient and don't get discouraged.

 

This is so key- you will be a sponge your first year out of PA school, soaking up so much knowledge with every patient you see, just as much if not more so than when you were a student. Finding a practice, no matter the specialty, who's willing to teach you things the right away, as opposed to using you for "moving the meat' and generating profits primarily is what you're aiming for. Of course, practices need to turn a profit, but it shouldn't be entirely at the expense of your own professional growth.

[Doc Savage]

I did one phone interview and one face to face interview. The phone interview guy said they were also looking for someone with more experience. I went to the face to face interview and they were a top notch group with excellent salary. I took that job. Then later the phone guy called and said he would like to interview me face to face but I had already accepted the other position. I must have sent out a dozen applications.

[tfsullivan]

There is a site which is perfect for this thread. For any PA who is seeking employment in the USA, the following should be useful. USA Employment Opportunities for the Physician Assistant Here you find a list of PA opportunities for each state within the United States. State pages are updated daily. Very useful especially if you know which states you want to focus in on.

[Guest Paula]

It took me 5 months to find a job. I started looking after graduation and sent out many resumes and applications to all the local hospitals and clinics within a 70 mile radius of my home. Moving was not an option because of my stage in life with 3 children in school and my spouse's business. I turned down one job, and accepted two part-time jobs that were a better fit for me in the long run. My motto became: Have car, will travel. Both of the part time jobs were found by personal phone calls to each facility. One hired me practically on the spot through the phone call and I never had an interview. (There is a long and interesting story there about networking and prior worklife before PA-dom, and the secret hiring practices of tribal clinics). (That is somewhat a tongue-in-cheek statement). The moral of the story is keep looking for what you want, do not settle for a salary you don't like, and if you have the ability to move, do it. Where in Michigan are you looking, I work in the UP.

[Love2BePAC]

Thank you all. I think I have just been seeing classmates get jobs so soon and it worries me. But, then again, I know a couple of them at least are questioning whether they jumped on the first job offer too soon. I am trying to keep my options open because I really don't know what I want to do. It's funny that since I posted this, I received two more offers for interviews...one in hospital medicine and another in family practice at a nonprofit clinic. Both are about an hour away, but I may have to be open to traveling that far, as Paula mentioned. I think primary care is what I want to do, but I'm not sure. And I do need full-time for benefits unless my husband finds a full-time job (right now he is working on contract without benefits until the end of the year).

 

I live in southeast Michigan. There are a lot of hospitals around here, but I also assume a lot of PAs. There are 2 PA programs in the area, and I think another one will be starting soon. I have 2 kids so moving isn't really an option right now. My husband mentioned that I might want to take the hospital job in internal medicine if it is offered because we can then move out that way in about a year, as it's closer to his parents. Plus it is afternoon hours, which would allow me to spend more time with my kids in the morning. So, we'll see what comes of the interview. :)

[jen0508]

How many places did you apply prior to getting an offer?

 

I honestly lost count to how many places I applied before I accepted a job. Probably 30-40. I live in a large city (lots of job postings online) and that was over a 3-4 month period. I was applying broad and didnt limit myself to one particular specialty. I interviewed at 7 places, got 2 offers- one that i turned down (about 2 months before graduation) and then got another offer 2 weeks after graduation, which i accepted

 

Did it take anyone months after graduation to find a job?

 

I would say about 3/4 of my classmates had jobs prior to graduating. The rest found jobs 1-2 months after.

 

Thank you all. I think I have just been seeing classmates get jobs so soon and it worries me. But, then again, I know a couple of them at least are questioning whether they jumped on the first job offer too soon.

 

I remember feeling stressed too. But in the end what difference does it really make whether you have a job before graduation as opposed to 1 month later? I start working sooner than people who had a job prior to graduation. 1-2 months wont make much of a difference in the long run. So dont stress, and don't feel rushed to get a job. Dont accept the first offer you get if its not what you really want. Good luck