Is it more common for PAs to work in clinical settings over the OR?

[pinkshadowed]

Hi everyone. I am a 3rd year undergraduate still trying to figure out which career to pursue after I graduate. I wanted to know if it is more common for PAs to work in a clinical setting? What I mean by that is it more common for PAs to work in specialties where they meet patients, diagnose, prescribe medications and do paperwork over procedures? I am an introvert, and the thought of working in a setting like this 8 hours a day, 5 days a week sounds like it would really tire me out. I think I would prefer brief patient interactions like the ones that are done in the OR. Are there plenty of surgical positions for PAs?

[SedRate]

There are lots of areas of medicine PAs work in that are clinical, inpatient, outpatient, surgical, procedure-heavy, and a mix that have varying degrees of pt interactions. I encourage you to read as much as you can on this forum and internet and talk to and shadow as many PAs as possible to get a better idea. 

To answer your question yes, there are lots of surgical positions. Some PA students go into PA school with the intention of going into a specific field but then end up changing their mind for one reason or another. Know that PAs are trained as generalists so if you do choose to go to PA school, stay open-minded and do your best to learn about ALL areas of medicine and then go from there. 

Also of note, not all surgical interactions are brief. We often consult on these pts before operating, round on these pts daily post-op, see them post-op in the office (at 2 wks, 6 wks, and 12 weeks), and oftentimes thereafter. We also field phone calls from pts and their families. In fact, a lot of surgical PA positions involve pt interaction, medication refills, and paperwork as we cost less than the surgeon to do these things. And interestingly, some surgical fields tend to require a certain level of outgoingness, so as an introvert, you might find that it may not be as appealing as you think. 

If you're interested in fields that aren't back-to-back, face-to-face appts every day, look into interventional radiology, first assisting, general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, and trauma, to name of few. There are non-surgical, clinical positions out there that aren't as mentally draining but I'm not the best person to expound on this as my background is exclusively surgical.

Check out the book How to Choose a Medical Specialty. It's geared towards medical students but has great info on what fields draw which personalities and certain specifics for each field. 

Hope that helps.

Edited March 21, 2023 by SedRate

[ohiovolffemtp]

My 10 year experience of practicing EM is that it is usually hustling from room to room with brief pauses to chart.  Most patient interactions are brief, but there are some that are very long and intense, e.g. psyche patients and very nervous ones.  Some procedures are also long.  I've spent as  much as 1.5 hours on some complicated repairs.