3 months into my first job as a PA (not loving it!)

[peaceloveandPA]

 

Soo I am 3 months into my first job as a PA. I took a job in a BRAND NEW family medicine practice, started by a Psychiatrist who has 6 other very successful psychiatry offices. Well, the fam practice is still not picking up and I find myself VERY BORED. There are 2-3 other physicians in the office who are only seeing anywhere from 3 - 8 patients a day. I dont even have my own schedule yet, and don't know if I ever will get one until the physicians schedules fill up. In the morning I do admission H&P's, and general fam med consults for a psych. hospital. In the afternoon, I dread going to the office so I can sit there and act like a PA student . I feel like I am NOT learning anything!!! I will go in the exam room with the physician (and I am learning a little that way), but most days are super boring. I have not yet been able to manage 1 patient on my own (ok, maybe 1 or 2 at the most). The other physicians say that I should be happy that I am getting paid (90k) to do nothing, but I just dont know. I feel that family medicine may not be for me. I really, really want to do Pediatrics and the Physician who hired me told me that I would be able to see >50% of peds in family practice. Well of course, this is not the case as we are seeing very little patients. I signed a year contract, and I keep thinking that If I go somewhere else at the end of the year that I want to feel confident enough to be independent/on my own.. and I want to have experience. I feel like I am not getting any experience here, and I am just waiting to get fired any day now.. because there is no work for me to do. I have spoken once to the physician who hired me.. and all he said is that hes sorry.. he thought the practice would pick up faster. He said that all his psychiatry practices are "Carrying" the family practice (financially). What do I do.. just wait and hope it picks up or should I actively search for another job?? There is a non-competition contract so I am kind of stuck there.

 

 

Any thoughts/advice anyone? Or has anyone been in my place before? :sadface:

 

Thanks!

 

Jenni

[Contrarian]

... Any thoughts/advice anyone? :sadface:

 

Thanks!

 

Jenni

 

 

Learn Psychiatry....!!!!!

Specifically, Geriatric Psychiatry.

You will then find yourself invaluable and sought out for consults.

[SocialMedicine]

I would say a few things ....

1) not learning nor having fun is a serious issue in the clinical workplace. I would consider a position change if I found myself in that setting. HOWEVER, you can learn alot outside of meeting with a patient. You better be reading a ton of articles when not seeing patients.

2) I hate to say it but chances are if things do not pick up at the end of the contract you will not have a job. A clinic cannot sustain 90K with only a few visits each day. Especially if several other providers are with a similar economic deficit. At month 8 or 9, unless you are approached with an extension or schedule becomes very busy, I would start circulating a CV.

[peaceloveandPA]

Thank you both for your response!

 

I am completely aware that I may not have a job at the end. I already plan to most likely find another job at the end of the contract. My problem is for the time being (9ish months to go). I was JUST recently granted a working laptop and a desk (that I share), so I have been reading medscape articles until my eyes bleed. And I have considered the fact that he may ask me to become a psych PA. One of the Psychiatrists in my office half-jokes about it already. So I have been reading more on psych, but I just cant begin to practice it without his permission. And I would need some degree of training (which the doc who owns the practice doesnt seem too fond of giving his mid levels training). There are a few PAs but most are psych trained NPs or Physicians.

 

I practice in a military town with an overwhelming need for psychiatry in children - young adults. Geriatric psych is almost nil. but the psychiatry is HEAVY in PTSD, ODD, Schizo. Definitely not comfortable in treating based on the 2 measly psych courses we received in PA school.. but I am definitely willing to learn and be trained in order to have patients and obtain experience! (even it is in psych, at least til my contract is up.... )

 

Now the question is, do I contact him or wait for him to come to me? I'm sure he wont let me eat up his money much longer...

[sartort]

I'm curious if your non-compete contract prevents you from working one day a week in a different area of practice, or if there is a possibility of traveling far enough out of the radius one day a week. Would you be able to get 8-10 hours a week somewhere else that would make you feel like you were learning more?

[peaceloveandPA]

I'm curious if your non-compete contract prevents you from working one day a week in a different area of practice, or if there is a possibility of traveling far enough out of the radius one day a week. Would you be able to get 8-10 hours a week somewhere else that would make you feel like you were learning more?

 

I am definitely looking into that, but it makes it hard since I work Mon-Sat. He threw that in there last night "Oh yeah, you're working saturdays, too" which I'm also not fond of! I kinda like to have Sundays off to spend with family. But I still am seriously considering it, especially to help pay for my loans. The non-competition contract makes it a little more challenging, but I think I can find something outside of the radius. Thanks for your advice!

[kidnid]

Wohh 90k for FM and such less work load !!!:O_O:..... which state do u reside ?!!

[peaceloveandPA]

I live in North Carolina, camp lejeune area. The salary is higher because of the psych population. Other FMs in this area are not offering as much

[DJ Bunnell MSHS PA-C]

Learn Psych...find something to do everyday that benefits the practice...don't spend any time telling people what you can't do or are not doing...figure out what you can do. Become invaluable. This will either enable you to develop your niche at this practice or enable you to give a good answer to what you can do in the next job interview.

[bgdog]

What do I do.. just wait and hope it picks up or should I actively search for another job?? There is a non-competition contract so I am kind of stuck there.

 

It’s very rare for any business to hang out a sign and be inundated with customers. Most business need to be cultivated.

 

One way to do this is to actively seek referrals. By being proactive and promoting your practice’s service not only makes you feel better BUT it makes your Psychiatrist SP feel like you are doing everything you can to get the patients and business you need and are willing to put in some work.

 

How to do this?

 

Design, or have designed a well written and professional one sheet that has all your and your physician colleagues bios and services offered and take then to every single place in town. All ER’s, Urgent Cares, specialty clinics and so on. Explain that your practice is taking new patients and if they refer to you then you will do the same. Establish business connections. Use only selected specialists that will return the favor.

 

Consider advertising. Offer free htn/dm checks. Initiate a health fair with the local hospital.

 

Hustle.

 

I worked with numerous providers over the years including a plastic surgeon and pediatric orthopedist that hustled like mad and established booming practices that had they not, would have just shriveled on the vine.

 

The Plastic Surgeon was a new yorker that would see anything, it didn’t matter whether they were penniless or whatever. Everybody in the ER had her cell phone number, called her by her first name and she would come in whatever time of night, always in a good mood and alot of times with edible goodies. Everybody loved her.

 

The established surgeon had all these rules that had to be in place before you could call him so...needless to say, she took ALL OF HIS BUSINESS.

 

That’s what you call the good ol american hustle.

[Corpsman2PA]

 

so...needless to say, she took ALL OF HIS BUSINESS.

 

That’s what you call the good ol american hustle.

 

Kansas City Shuffle perhaps?? :) But great advice. It is a business and needs to be cultivated as such, like Bgdog said.

[EMEDPA]

 

The established surgeon had all these rules that had to be in place before you could call him so...needless to say, she took ALL OF HIS BUSINESS.

.

yup, I make it a practice to not refer to folks who are difficult to work with or who treat PAs like crap. I have already steered numerous patients away from particularly bad groups of orthopedists and gi docs in our area who are always rude and nasty on the phone.

[peaceloveandPA]

What do I do.. just wait and hope it picks up or should I actively search for another job?? There is a non-competition contract so I am kind of stuck there.

 

It’s very rare for any business to hang out a sign and be inundated with customers. Most business need to be cultivated.

 

One way to do this is to actively seek referrals. By being proactive and promoting your practice’s service not only makes you feel better BUT it makes your Psychiatrist SP feel like you are doing everything you can to get the patients and business you need and are willing to put in some work.

 

How to do this?

 

Design, or have designed a well written and professional one sheet that has all your and your physician colleagues bios and services offered and take then to every single place in town. All ER’s, Urgent Cares, specialty clinics and so on. Explain that your practice is taking new patients and if they refer to you then you will do the same. Establish business connections. Use only selected specialists that will return the favor.

 

Consider advertising. Offer free htn/dm checks. Initiate a health fair with the local hospital.

 

Hustle.

 

I worked with numerous providers over the years including a plastic surgeon and pediatric orthopedist that hustled like mad and established booming practices that had they not, would have just shriveled on the vine.

 

The Plastic Surgeon was a new yorker that would see anything, it didn’t matter whether they were penniless or whatever. Everybody in the ER had her cell phone number, called her by her first name and she would come in whatever time of night, always in a good mood and alot of times with edible goodies. Everybody loved her.

 

The established surgeon had all these rules that had to be in place before you could call him so...needless to say, she took ALL OF HIS BUSINESS.

 

That’s what you call the good ol american hustle.

 

 

Thanks for the advice!! We actually have done this. Open House. Ads in paper. We went to every single physicians office, especially specialists, emergency room (there's only one), health department and gave out our business cards, brochures and even COOKIES! I suggested to my SP about a free screening to get people to come in, and she said something a long the lines of we could only do free BP screenings, since we dont have a lab yet in-house. That is coming though... Health Fair is a great idea if we can swing it. Thanks for the advice. I'll try it out.

[d2305]

I hated Jacksonville. Court street was still booming when I was there.

[UGoLong]

If you find yourself in the wrong place, take a breath, look around, and then move on. If you're really sure that you don't like your job, life is too short to be stuck there. Just move on without agonizing about all the reasons you can't do that. Everything in life is a trade-off.

 

Good luck!

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479372099/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk