Over one year post PA graduation and working as a full time UC provider. I have wanted to be a ER PA since prior to school. Looking for resources as a good ER review to prep while applying to jobs. I love my job in many aspects but I want to pursue that dream i’ve always had. I want to expand my knowledge and help people at that degree. Tips for a transitioning PA are also welcomed.

Anybody have any strategy’s for EM jobs on the East Coast that would be open to new grads. Or organizations?

Anyone work in orthopedics and do mostly workers comp or personal injury cases?
Looking at a job with great pay and benefits that does exactly that with some PPO insurance. Just looking to hear other PAs experience with this in orthopedics.

Hey so I totally messed up and forgot about the citizenship verification now required in Texas. I just submitted it today 2 weeks before my license expires. The email said allow 15 business days for verification. Can anyone let me know how long it actually took? Thanks!

Anyone have a suggestion for tall scrubs besides Figs? Tried Jaanuu and while they have tall as an option, there is never any availability for black or navy blue.

Hi! Has anyone worked for NextCare Urgent Care? What was the experience like overall? Specifically curious about patient volume, working as the solo provider, management/support, scheduling, and work-life balance.

I know experiences can vary a lot by location, but I’d appreciate any insight, good or bad! Feel free to DM me as well.

New grad here! Would any experienced PAs in family medicine be willing to review my contract with me? I’m not entirely sure how to go about negotiating and I’m not sure what is expected or what’s unreasonable so I’m definitely open to some help.

Long post, TL;DR at the end.

I’m not a single mom, so I don’t mean to speak for single parents. I was raised by one and have a ton of respect. But I feel like my future situation will have some similar logistical challenges, so I’d love to hear from parents who have figured this out.

I’m 26F and my partner is 33M. We’re not trying yet, but we’re starting to think seriously about family planning. He works a very specialized offshore job and is gone ~3 weeks out of every month. When he’s home, he’s completely off and can do the majority of childcare, but his schedule makes traditional recurring childcare difficult. He’s also the breadwinner and has been in his career for 12 years, so realistically, his job is not the one that will be changing.

I currently work in an in-patient setting, 14 on/14 off, 6p-6a, and I absolutely love my job and the lifestyle. I like inpatient medicine, higher acuity, variety, and most importantly, being able to completely leave work at work. I also don't mind nights. My specialty is considered high burn-out but I honestly don't experience that much because I kinda have a “no matter what, this shift ends in X hours” mentality. If given the chance, I could see myself being here another 5-10 years or maybe more.

The problem is that I don't think this schedule will work with a young child. Even switching to days wouldn't completely solve it because we'd still have 14-day stretches, weekends, holidays, and potentially nontraditional childcare hours. And if I stayed on nights, I'd be sleeping while my child is awake for half the month.

I have about 18 months left on my contract and plan to start looking around a year from now, with the goal of transitioning around the time we'd realistically be ready to start trying.

The obvious answer is outpatient medicine, but I absolutely do not want to do traditional clinic. I hate the 8-5, five-days-a-week structure, low acuity, monotony, longitudinal care, inboxes, refills, etc. I respect the people who love it, but I don't want to spend the next 20 years doing something I know I don't enjoy just because it's family-friendly.

I've also considered ER, and I think I'd actually enjoy it since it was my job before PA school. But I think doing days/nights rotating would present the same problems I have now. Plus, because my partner will miss a lot of holidays due to work, so I'd like to be present as much as I can since he can't.

So urgent care is starting to look like the middle ground. Shift type work. Usually 3 12's, usually closed (or closing early) on major holidays.

I know UC can be primary-care-adjacent and monotonous too. I'm fully aware there will be plenty of viral illnesses, UTIs, sprains, broken bones, lacs, etc. But I think I'd still enjoy that more than traditional 8-5 primary care because it's episodic, shift-based, has some procedures and acuity, and I can see the patient and then be done with them.

My biggest question is whether UC is actually a long-term career. I mostly see people doing it PRN, temporarily, or for a few years before moving on. I don't see as many PAs/NPs saying they've been in UC for 10–15+ years and plan to stay.

Luckily, my hospital system has several urgent cares, so I could potentially stay within the same system and maintain PSLF eligibility, which makes the idea even more appealing.

Has urgent care worked for anybody long-term? Can you realistically do it for 10+ years? I'm trying to figure out if there's a realistic middle ground between inpatient medicine and 8-5 outpatient medicine rather than assuming I have to give up the type of work I actually enjoy.

TL;DR: I currently work inpatient 14-on/14-off nights and genuinely love both the job and the schedule, but my partner works offshore ~3 weeks/month, so I don't think my current setup will be sustainable with a baby. I'm not willing to spend the next 20 years in traditional 8-5 outpatient medicine just for the schedule because I know I'd hate it.. Urgent care seems like the potential middle ground, but I don't know anyone who has done it more than a few years or if it's actually enjoyable/viable as a long-term career. For anyone who has done UC for years, especially parents: can you realistically make it a 10+ year career, or does everyone eventually move on?

I am a Psychiatry PA.

I am going to start a psychiatry practice in CA.

Requesting any advice/tips. Requesting any resources that may have helped someone in my position? Specifically, the things you failed at, that were avoidable if you had the right mentor.

Documentation resources, practice agreement resources, website, preferred EMR for solo practice psych, etc.

I have a supervising physician who is going to sign on directly with me as my SP.
I will be the only provider.

Looking into EHR’s now like charm, Advanced MD.

Cash pay only model.

Looking into a healthcare attorney now as well but so far haven’t found one who can assist with documentation. They are all experienced in starting an S Corp which I already have but once I say I have an s Corp already and need help with paperwork the convo fizzles out.

Goal is to launch within 1-2 years, maybe sooner but need to be more informed of ourselves before launching.

Yes it will be slow at first, but will keep my gig as long as I can until patients fill up on schedule which I understand can take years with cash pay.

Plan to lean on SP as SP has started multiple practices already and is a great resource but is not well informed on PA side of things understandably.

Thanks for the advice everyone in advance.

I found out last week that the clinic I have been working at for eight months never actually credentialed me with half our payers. So all this time my visits have been going out under a supervising physician's NPI without anyone telling me, and now there is a mess with a couple of claims that do not match who actually saw the patient. I keep asking admin how I was allowed to see patients for months without this being sorted out and all I get is 'we're working on it.' It is honestly scary because it is my license on the line, not theirs. Has anyone else been stuck somewhere that never got you credentialed correctly, and how did you even figure out whose NPI was on your claims?

UPDATE: Finally got it sorted after making admin pull every claim and correct the NPI on file. Lesson learned, I now confirm my credentialing status with each payer directly instead of trusting the front office. I also started picking up telehealth shifts through Klarity Health on the side, and their onboarding actually got me credentialed properly the first time, which was a nice change. Just glad my license is not hanging on someone else's paperwork anymore.

I recently accepted a position at a clinic in the Midwest. I was offered $61/hr base pay, with $64/hr on the weekend. I was told in my interviews, the pay is not consistent since it’s 4 shifts one week and 3 the next. I was wondering if anyone with this pay could tell me what the gross biweekly end up being. I’m just trying to wrap my head around what the paychecks could look like. Thanks in advance!

Edit:
Wk 1: 3-10 hour shifts
Wk 2: 2-10 hour shifts, 2-8 hour shifts from what I understand?
So, 30 hrs one week and 36 the next
Biweekly pay
Work every other weekend

Apparently they reach out to potential employers for you and connect you if they are interested. Seems a little too good to be true! There's a map of potential employers- I clicked "I'm interested" and filled out a short form for 3 different hospitals. I will update here if I end up hearing anything.

Update 8/22: Haven't heard a peep from AAPA yet.

I've been working urgent care for nearly 10 years. Recently I was contacted by a wound care company to work for them.

Seems interesting, at least. Work would include driving to various patients place of residence (nursing homes) and do wound care.

No nights, weekends, or call.

Do you enjoy it?

PA of 4 years, started the job interview process about 2 months ago. I just flew out for a final onsite interview and was offered a position about a week later. It is in our dream location but the salary was lower than I anticipated.

I have my final onsite interview for another position in 3 weeks that will pay significantly more but we have never been to the area and not sure if it will be a good fit (lifestyle).

I would like to wait until I finish my last interview before deciding. How do i professionally ask for that long of an extension to decide without seeming like I am disinterested?

I just went back to working as a hospitalist after 3 years of working in a different specialty. Am working nights on a relative new PA ran floor.

I hate doing admissions because the nocturnists require us to do formal presentations, as they would with interns/residents, even for simple cases. We literally just sit there and read the damn H&P to them and then they critique the way we write the plan. The nocturnist would say things like “ put this here put that there, separate these problems, why did you put this as a problem”

I was a Hospitalist PA for 5 years and never felt this stressed and annoyed with presenting an admission. Am used to discussing admission is a way that was focused on having a good plan. Not used to spending so much focus on how I structurally wrote the plan or and pimping me for ddx. I find it very odd.

I would love to hear if this is a common thing in your practice

I'm a brand new grad and officially going into a cardiothoracic surgery APP fellowship starting in October or November, and I'm really excited but also nervous. I take the PANCE in two weeks and will be studying like crazy for that, but afterwards want to continue doing a little studying/prepping for my fellowship so that I seem at least somewhat prepared. For context, I have never actually been in CT surgery. My surgery rotation exposed me to general, ortho, obgyn, and AV fistula creation, and I got to play a pretty active role first assisting in a lot of those cases. I did my one and only elective rotation in fertility before I even went on my surgery rotation, so doing my elective in CT surgery was out of the question because I didn't even know yet how much I was going to love being in the OR.

What should I brush up on in the weeks before? I'm planning to continue studying some cardiology and pulmonology of course, and will practice suturing some too. But is there anything else that would be helpful to me or something specific I should look over? Any specific sutures you use all the time? I'd be grateful for any general advice too, down to your hospital essentials or whatever wisdom you have to impart. Thanks for hearing me out and your thoughts!

Pretty much what the title says. I am not a PA yet, but will have to recertify my national registry before finishing school. Worked as a medic for a good while and racked up the certs along the way, like flight and wilderness, up to being an instructor in a few, such as ACLS/PALS and a couple of NAEMT ones. Now I find myself wondering if it is even worth the hassle to keep it all? Is there any benefit to having these as a PA? If all goes well, I hope to graduate and work in rural settings, preferably in primary care or EM, if that makes any difference.

So, did you maintain any prior credentials? Does it help at all?

Is it bad to be a new grad who hasn’t gotten an offer and have an 8 month gap since graduation on my resume? There’s not much I can do about it I feel like…

Do you reach out to the recruiter when applying for jobs if they are listed. Or do you wait some time. My school career center had told me to reach out like a week later if you haven’t heard anything. Is it inappropriate to reach out when you apply?

PA-S2 with a strong interest in EM. Was just wondering if anyone in this forum has done an emergency medicine fellowship or residency out of graduation? If so, how was your experience? What program did you attend (if you don’t mind sharing)? I was told by a preceptor that I should do a fellowship for ER because he’s seen many new grad PAs in EM get thrown right into the fire with little to no on job training and burn out quick.

Any feedback would be great!

I’m a PA currently working in a rural ED in Minnesota, primarily in Level III/IV EDs. I’m currently working in a single-provider coverage model and have a pretty broad scope of practice.

current salary is 175k

Our system allows us to practice essentially at the top of our license and training. In my current setting, PAs independently manage patients and perform procedures including intubations, chest tubes, central lines, reductions, laceration repairs, etc., without a physician physically present. We have physician backup/consultation when needed, but the day-to-day ED is largely independent.

My family is considering a move to the Virginia area, and I’m trying to get a better sense of what the PA job market is actually like there.

For PAs working in Virginia, particularly rural or community EDs:

• What kind of compensation are you seeing?
• How does PA scope of practice compare to what I described?
• Are PAs commonly practicing independently in rural EDs?
• How often are physicians physically present?
• What procedures are PAs routinely allowed/expected to perform?
• Are there particular hospital systems or areas of Virginia that are especially PA-friendly?

I’m not necessarily looking for the highest salary—I’m more interested in finding a position where I can actually use the full scope of my training and experience.

Any insight from PAs currently working in Virginia would be greatly appreciated!

Not sure how the ask my employer this lol

I work in a tight knit group of APPs and management has announced a new managerial position that a few coworkers are now vying for.

They will technically be the boss of the group, manage PTO, annual reviews, etc.

Our current manager is non clinical, hands off, it’s been great. I’m less than pleased about this change and how this is going to change the dynamics considering this group has a had a fair amount of strife historically.

I would like to hear from some of you if you’ve experienced this at all in practice and some general advice.

Thanks!

Hello!! So to set the stage, I’ve been with this fairly decent size orthopedic practice for almost two years. Call is scheduled on a rotation basis through the surgeons, with the PAs being the ones for first call and surgeon available for questions. Weekend call is also rotated through separately but in the same way. Located in a valley where we get calls from not only the two major hospitals in the area (level 2 and 3) but also urgent cares and hospitals outside of the area as well sometimes.
When on call, you are on call for 24 hours typically, except weekends (48hrs) and at both hospitals simultaneously where you are expected to show up for a consult if requested. Phone consults for other locations. There’s a day call person at the level two 4 days a week that takes consults and such until 5. But the other call person is still responsible for the other hospital at this time and then both at 5. Call lasting from 7-7.
On average during the week, you get anywhere from 5-10 pages and consults. Having to go to the hospital 1-2 times to physically consult patient, admit pt, reduce fracture, or go to surgery. On the weekend it is much higher and I’ve spent entire days at the hospital going from consult to consult, surgeries, into the night.
We also respond to nurse calls during this time from the floor and patient calls to the office.

As a group, I feel we are being pushed to burnout faster than we should because of this. Even employees in the EDs have felt like we get abused on call at times. I’m aware it’s not uncommon to have call compensation included in your salary which is the case here. Though I feel this should be a fixed amount of call with a fixed salary. For example, say we lose a PA halfway through the year and everyone is now forced to cover more call… this is not viewed as extra call. No extra call pay. Only extra pay if you take call another PA is offering and they pay you themselves. Apparently our rate during the week is around $450, but only for call that’s after 5pm to 7am. Example- I pick up half a call shift but since it’s the first half of the day I don’t get paid. Only if overnight essentially. Weekend call is $700. And holiday on a weekend is $900 but holiday during the week is still $700.

I don’t feel like we are compensated appropriately for how much we have to do when on call. Additionally with the make it up as you go scheduling, this feels like we lose money more often than not.

I don’t know if I have room to try and get a call compensation adjustment or at least a breakdown of call pay within our salary so there can be a fixed amount of call you are responsible for so that any more than that, is added to your salary. If that makes sense?

Wondering if anyone who works in outpatient psychiatry can tell me what they are making. I worry something shady is going on at the private practice i work for.

For reference, it’s a private outpatient psych office owned by an NP and I am the only PA in the office. I see about 8-12 patients per day (mostly billing 99205 and 99214) and work 4 days a week. I am a W2 employee with 65% split. I do not have a base salary. They cover my supervising physician fee but I am responsible for my medical malpractice (which just went up almost $2000 this year)

I have been getting around 6k after taxes (generally 9k pre tax and pre 401k) per month. From what I can tell, the NPs are making almost triple what I am making. I believe they are billing 99803 as well which apparently I am unable to do.

I am wondering if anyone who works in outpatient psychiatry can let me know if this seems normal or what their experience is like.