Questions to ask physician assistants

[cav2022]

Hello everyone!

I have been dreaming to become a physician assistant over a year.

I am currently serving in the Army, and looking for schools to take pre-req classes now. After the remaining two years of military service, I am hoping to start PA program.

As soon as I stared my active duty, I got deployed and haven't had chance to talk to any PA in person except Army PA, and I was able to find information about PA only through other people's posts or experience in google, PA forum, and YouTube.

Therefore, I would like to ask PAs who have 15+ years of work experiences for their advices and hear their experiences.

If you could answer one or more questions below and share your experience, it will be a huge help for me to have a  great understanding about physician assistant

 

1) How do you spend your time in practice?

2) How do you work to build a balance within your career?

3) What is your relationship and level of interaction with your collaborating physician(s)?

4) If you could design it from scratch, what would be your ideal work schedule?

5) What might you do differently in your PA school prep or early PA career if you could go back and make a change?

6) Are you satisfied with your salary? Does salary increase as you have more work experience?

 

Thank you again,

Edited September 1, 2022 by cav2022

[VentiMacchiato]

1 hour ago, cav2022 said:

1) How do you spend your time in practice?

2) How do you work to build a balance within your career?

3) What is your relationship and level of interaction with your collaborating physician(s)?

4) If you could design it from scratch, what would be your ideal work schedule?

5) What might you do differently in your PA school prep or early PA career if you could go back and make a change?

6) Are you satisfied with your salary? Does salary increase as you have more work experience?

1. Outpatient care.

2. Learn to say "No."

3. Contact is minimal since he has his own practice to run. He is available when I need him though.

4. See patients without having to deal with insurance companies.

5. Go to medical school.

6a. Yes. 6b: no

[cav2022]

Thank you for the answer!

how is life and work balance? 

[ohiovolffemtp]

My answers are similar to Venti's other than:

• I do EM: solo overnight coverage.
• Decide how many shifts/month I'm willing to work.
• Essentially a peer: I use the ED doc (who works days) as an occasional consultant.  We take sign-out from each other.
• I have my ideal work schedule: 3 5 day runs of overnights per month.
• Start down this path sooner and become a DO.
• Yes, but since I travel to cover rural critical access hospitals, I'm in the top 5% of compensation.  Hourly rate increased primarily by switching jobs, not by raises within a site or employer.

[ANESMCR]

On 9/1/2022 at 3:01 PM, cav2022 said:

1) How do you spend your time in practice?

Mostly outpatient, some inpatient. 

2) How do you work to build a balance within your career?

Get everything done while you’re there, don’t take your work home. 

3) What is your relationship and level of interaction with your collaborating physician(s)?

Unofficial partners. Independent until input needed. 

4) If you could design it from scratch, what would be your ideal work schedule?

2-3 days a week and no more. No more than 15 patients per day. 

5) What might you do differently in your PA school prep or early PA career if you could go back and make a change?

Make PA school longer by 3-6 months. 

6) Are you satisfied with your salary? Does salary increase as you have more work experience?

Yes but a lot of PAs aren’t. I’m lucky enough to be in a higher percentile for my state. I’m not satisfied with taxes. Yes, salary has increased 40% in 3 years. (I have not worked for 15+ years).

 

[EMEDPA]

1) How do you spend your time in practice?

Solo Coverage emergency medicine @ rural, critical access hospitals

2) How do you work to build a balance within your career?

I don't generally. working on it. This month I have 244 clinical hours. Starting next month I will be down to 192

3) What is your relationship and level of interaction with your collaborating physician(s)?

Collegial. I only ever see them at shift change. My state does not require chart review. 

4) If you could design it from scratch, what would be your ideal work schedule?

3 ten hr shifts a week. 

5) What might you do differently in your PA school prep or early PA career if you could go back and make a change?

Go to medical school 10 out of 10 times. The lack of respect as a PA in the late 90s and early 2000s was intolerable. It is slowly getting better as all the older PA-hating ass clown physicians die or retire. 

6) Are you satisfied with your salary? Does salary increase as you have more work experience?

yes and yes

 

[EMEDPA]

16 hours ago, ohiovolffemtp said:

since I travel to cover rural critical access hospitals, I'm in the top 5% of compensation.  Hourly rate increased primarily by switching jobs, not by raises within a site or employer.

ditto