PA position, ONLY first assist, no rounding or clinic

[PAMenlad]

Hello,

I am currently interviewing for a CT Surgery PA position. It is going to be ONLY first assisting, with no exposure to patient care and strictly in the OR. I am very interested in CT Surgery and I know these positions are few around where I want to live. I am concerned about taking this kind of role. Any thoughts? I have also considered taking this and after mastering the surgical craft in a few years transition to a role that does both. Any insight would be great!

[Jonnyola]

That's pretty interesting that there isn't even rounding involved. You're right that CT Surg positions are difficult to come by, so jumping on one makes sense. I have spent a few years in general surgery and I can say first assisting is certainly a great skill to have, and you'll gain considerable technical skills. I spent a lot of time in clinic as well, which turned out not to be for me, so you have to consider how much you enjoy outpatient follow ups. As far as no rounding goes, I'd be a little wary of that as part of the skillset of a CT Surg PA is critical care and floor procedures like chest tubes, sternotomy, etc. On one hand your day will be very straightforward, on the other you'd be lacking in some crucial areas of CT Surg. It'd be worth your while to look into that further before you decide. Maybe consider doing this in the interim until a more thorough position opens up.

[SHU-CH]

It will depend on your personality - you'd probably need to be a little OCD to do only OR and enjoy it. I was in open heart a couple of years, and to be honest it got to be pretty boring. You'll be doing the same procedure, the same way, every day. You know what tomorrow looks like, and next week, and next year. The highlight of the month used to be someone getting shot or stabbed so we could have a little variety in our day.