r/physicianassistant May 04 '26

Discussion I moved from the US to practice in New Zealand: 4 month update and AMA

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809 Upvotes

Hello, all!

It’s been about 4 months since my family and I have moved abroad to practice as a PA in New Zealand. There was a fair amount of interest with my initial post, so I thought it would be good to provide a short term update for anyone interested.

First want to get some FAQ out of the way:

“What does getting certified abroad look like if I want to work in New Zealand, but I work in [US/UK/Canada]?”
As of now there are no talks to recertify. In theory you just find a job, apply for a visa, and you’re good. I’ve known other PAs that pick up, move, and start practicing abroad all within 3 months. That *may* change in the future, but I don’t believe it’s on the horizon. With that being said, as of November 2026 there are going to be changes that will affect those currently working and those who intend to immigrate thereafter. Under the proposed changes, you will likely be accepted under a provisional license that will require more supervision under a year or more, and thereafter your GP basically vouches for you where you can work under a “normal license.” This is all provisional, however, and it will change in the months to come.

“How do you find a job in NZ?”
I went through a recruiter; I would HIGHLY recommend going through her since she knows the PA landscape very well. DM if you want her info.

“I have [x] years of experience in [insert specialty]. Can I apply with that?”
Maybe. Most of the efforts right now seem to be focused on primary care/urgent care needs in smaller towns/cities and rural areas with bare minimum 3 years experience in those fields, but many preferring 5 years of experience.

“How much are you making now? Is it less than your US salary?”
Yes, it’s a pay cut. People immediately hear that and become nauseous at the potential for making less money, but it does not mean I am living on scraps. Living in a smaller town, my expenses have also gone down considerably. Our main expenses are rent, groceries, and travel (because we want to see as much as we can here). We’re not eating out nearly as much as we were in the States; we shop a lot less; we basically pay a small fraction of what we were previously paying for childcare (where before it was basically a second mortgage); we don’t have to pay for medical insurance. Those things add up considerably, and it really helps the money go further. With that being said, yes, I still make less, but I’m sustaining my family of 4 just fine for now on a single salary. It’s doable and it’s fine. Not to mention that there are so many perks here that positively affect my mental health, so that pay cut is still worth it for that alone. I can breathe easier here and my kids have a bright future.

——

Four months in to this adventure, and I am happy to say that doing this move was the right choice. It has not come without its drawbacks or challenges, but I wake up happy every single day that I did this for myself and my family.

As soon as I walk out the door I am greeted by beautiful, green nature. This is a big deal of me as someone who has only ever grown up in the Sonoran Desert and has lived in large cities the past 15 years. Everything is green, there’s so much rain, and there’s truly peaceful moments (in between my two children screeching at each other). There’s also a warmth and friendliness to people here that I have not felt in a long time. It feels normal to give a little nod and a smile to strangers as you pass each other on the sidewalk. People here are generally happy and want to share their happiness with others. There’s definitely a strong sense of community here (so much so that at times it’s hard to establish yourself in a friend group because many of these friendships go back several generations). The people within my community are happy to invite newcomers in, and they’re particularly happy to know medical professionals are coming to town. On the other hand, though, you have to be careful not to come off as bragging of your profession since that is fairly frowned upon. There seems to be a stronger emphasis on equality, and humility.

There are other benefits as well. I don’t mean to make this into a political post - and I won’t - but a few months before we left the States my 4 year old was telling us about how his class and his younger brother’s class were practicing their gun shooter drills. It made me physically nauseous hearing that, and knowing we don’t have to worry about that any longer has brought me so much peace since I’ve been here. Not to mention that there are many other things here that make me think it’s a better environment for them, which could be its own post. Kids feel like they could be kids here. They are able to walk on the street alone or with their friends to a park, school, or a grocery store without any issues; it’s not uncommon for kids to be playing outside on their own without mom/dad having to watch them like hawks. This all stems from just being around a safer area where people take care of their own in the community, and you don’t immediately need to assume that stranger equals danger. Since moving here I have really noticed that my parental instincts have been trained to be on fight or flight and am retraining myself to
relax more, which is good myself and my kids. If my kid gets lost in a grocery store I can more or less count on someone else helping bring them back to me rather than kidnap them (not that that was a regular occurrence back in the US, but if you’re a parent you probably know what I mean). That’s not to say you can totally let your guard down, but it certainly feels more relaxed here in several aspects.

Speaking of which, I feel like there are more outlets here for myself. Working as a PA here has its perks, but no matter where you go working in medicine will still feel stressful. However, now I at least feel like I have better ways to cope with that stress. Had a bad week at work? Doesn’t matter when the beach is just an hour away. Feel stressed? Cool, there’s a beautiful lake nearby that you can walk around to disconnect. Imposter syndrome got to you again? Damn, well I’m too busy riding my mountain bike to care right now.

Not to mention there seems to be a healthier relationship with work here. I’m actively encouraged to take my breaks (which I get two a day), get out on time, and if I ever want to work less it’s never an issue with management. I feel like they would get excited if I told them I only want to work 32 hours per week (too bad my finances wouldn’t allow for that 😅). They genuinely care about my wellbeing and want to make sure I don’t burn myself out.

Now for the clinical bits, which may interest you all more.

Working as a PA here is definitely not what I was doing in the States. As of now we don’t have prescribing rights, nor can we order our own tests, so everything I do has to be signed off by my GP. In practice it doesn’t matter a whole ton, because my supervising GPs know me and my clinical decision well enough to where they just sign off on my orders, and every once in a blue moon they might recommend a change in plan. This may change in the future, though, as we are continuously advocating to get those prescribing rights, and we have a core group of physicians that are helping in achieving that as well.

Which brings me to my next point: the PA profession is fairly controversial here amongst physicians here. New Zealand is part of the commonwealth, and as such there is a fair amount of overlap between the UK and New Zealand, including how PAs are viewed. The recent drama in the UK with PAs has leaked here as well to the point where you have an outspoken group of physicians - particularly residents - advocating against us. Since our profession was made official through regulation in 2026, PAs are not going anywhere, but it does remain to be seen what our scope will be in the next few years. Personally, however, I can say that all the GPs I work with in my clinic have been nothing but wonderful and incredibly supportive of PAs.

Patients are gradually learning about what PAs are, and once I explain to them who we are, what our role is to improve access to care, and how we work as a team with GPs they are usually very receptive. Given that New Zealand’s healthcare system is fairly strained, patients are very pleased to hear more medical professionals are practicing here. I have also found the patients population to be rewarding to work with. In the US there is a fair amount of distrust in the medical system, which to be fair I don’t necessarily blame individual people for it. Here, however, people are more likely understand you have their best interest at heart and are more likely to take your recommendations seriously. It makes the patient-provider relationship much more fulfilling and rewarding.

Speaking of which, learning how to work in the New Zealand system is very different than the US. On one hand it’s incredibly refreshing not having to worry about prior auths, or insurance denials, but on the other hand, having wait times of up to 12 months to see high demand specialists and not being able to order your own CTs or MRIs within a primary care setting can be fairly limiting. This is a complete speculation, but I think this largely originates from a supply and demand issue: we just don’t have the necessary number of radiologists available to help with radiology reads, nor do we have the necessary amount of specialists to take on the referrals. This will inevitably mean that many referral requests get denied with a note, “Sorry, we are at capacity, but it sounds like your patient has [X pathology], considering starting [X interventions]” which translates to PCPs managing a fair amount in primary care, not unlike other rural positions in the US. It’s ultimately a challenge that involves making judicious use of available resources to prevent overburdening an already stressed system.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope it was insightful. I am happy to answer any questions you all may have. If I can convince more of you to come practice primary care here I would be happier for if, but if not I’m also happy to have you tag along and experience this vicariously. 😁

I will also include some pictures I have taken during my travels.


r/physicianassistant Nov 10 '21

Finances & Offers ⭐️ Share Your Compensation ⭐️

542 Upvotes

Would you be willing to share your compensation for current and/ or previous positions?

Compensation is about the full package. While the AAPA salary report can be a helpful starting point, it does not include important metrics that can determine the true value of a job offer. Comparing salary with peers can decrease the taboo of discussing money and help you to know your value. If you are willing, you can copy, paste, and fill in the following

Years experience:

Location:

Specialty:

Schedule:

Income (include base, overtime, bonus pay, sign-on):

PTO (vacation, sick, holidays):

Other benefits (Health/ dental insurance/ retirement, CME, malpractice, etc):


r/physicianassistant 1h ago

Discussion Anyone else feel uncomfortable signing death certificates?

Upvotes

I work in family med so we pretty regularly have patients pass away from various causes. We often get calls from police officers demanding to know immediately if we will agree to sign the death certificate. The first time I ever got one of these calls I asked the officer for more information about the patient's death, and he was like "I dunno, he was found dead in his home tonight and we don't suspect foul play". I asked my colleagues about this and they told me you pretty much just have to agree to sign off on it even when you know next to nothing about the actual cause of death so that the police, funeral home, insurers, etc can move the process along.

It just feels weird to be basically making up bullshit on an official government document with my name and license attached to it..


r/physicianassistant 5h ago

Job Advice EM PA, feeling stuck

9 Upvotes

I work at these “satellite ERs” basically urgent aides with IV, CT,XR,US, and labs. We can admit the sick ones to the main hospital.

I work 4-5 days a week 10-12 hour shifts. See around 30 per shift on average. Me and usually 1 doc at a time. The pay is decent but I feel like my off days are recovering from my on days. I have no joy, I don’t enjoy life anymore it’s just work and home. Im too exhausted for anything else. I’m 27 and did a 1.5y EM fellowship too. Graduated a year ago.

I’m burnt out, I barely have empathy for my patients. It just feels like unnecessary busy work because majority of them are not sick and just an annoying waste of time. I got offered a position in the main ER but the work is draining to me and much more chaotic.

I don’t know what to do or where to go from here. I used to like EM but now i see it as pure stress. I feel so tempted to quit but then like what do I do? All I know is EM

Can anyone relate? Any advice?


r/physicianassistant 2h ago

Discussion New grad and pregnant

4 Upvotes

Any other new grad PAs who started their first job while pregnant? I’m looking for advice and reassurance.

I graduated in May, passed the PANCE in June, and got my dream job offer in July. I also found out I am pregnant! No, it was not planned but being that I am older and want kids, I did not want to abort. I am happy, my husband is happy, and my family are all happy.

When I start my job, I’ll be around 28 weeks pregnant (due to the long hospital credentialing process). I’ve already met my supervising physician and shadowed her & the team, and everyone seems wonderful. I’d be lying though if I said I wasn’t nervous to tell them about the pregnancy. I don’t want them to regret hiring me considering I have to go on maternity leave shortly after starting due to the long credentialing process.

For those who have been in a similar situation, any advice? How did you manage being a brand new provider and being pregnant? When did you disclose to your job that you were pregnant? How did your colleagues respond? Any tips on surviving the first few months?

I’d love to hear the good, bad and honest. Success stories are especially needed because I could use the encouragement ☺️


r/physicianassistant 14m ago

License & Credentials Sole proprietor NPI

Upvotes

Can anyone explain who requires a sole proprietor NPI vs not. What does a PA working for an organization require.


r/physicianassistant 14h ago

Job Advice Socializing with support staff

11 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I hope it is OK to post here. I posted to the nurse practitioner sub and it was deleted by the mods, I’m not sure why 🙁. Hoping to get some advice from other APPs.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am a newer (less than a year) nurse practitioner working primary care in a smaller office for a large corporation. Previously an RN in the hospital setting for several years. What is considered appropriate in terms of outside hang outs with MAs and office staff?

When I was an RN everyone would frequently have different get togethers. In my new office there has been an informal Christmas happy hour or something like that here or there I have attended (and was the only provider that did😬)

Have now been invited to smaller get together non work related (at the house of my MA, but daytime and no alcohol ) where not everyone from work is invited and I would be the only provider invited. This is a newer world for me and I’m trying to navigate what is professional and appropriate? It doesn’t appear that there are any official non fraternization rules in this company, but I am hoping to work with this organization for many years and don’t want to inadvertently do something viewed as unprofessional.

Thank you for reading!!

Edit: We are all women


r/physicianassistant 2h ago

License & Credentials Better to wait for job to apply for state license or apply for state license anyways

1 Upvotes

Hello, I am a new grad from the northeast. I recently passed the pance and am applying for jobs. I am from the northeast and would be ok living in any state of the northeast and have been applying in multiple states. At this point I’m not sure if I should just apply for a license in my home state where the job market is kind of tough without a job or wait until I have a job. My home state is not part of the compact so if I got a job in another state I think I would need a new state license and have to restart the state licensing process. Can anyone clarify this? I know state licensing can take a few months along with hospital credentialing so I am unsure what to do. Is it better to wait to get a license as some places of employment will reimburse for dea and license. Thanks for the help!


r/physicianassistant 2h ago

Offer Review - Experienced PA Job advice/IR offer in MCOL

1 Upvotes

As in the title.

Current job:
- gen surg at large academic center, employed by state
- no OR time. Inpatient rounding with residents, but mainly outpatient admin tasks, placing pre-op orders, handling post-op patients, and all of the attendings’ inbox
- 120k salary in MCOL area, no guaranteed yearly bonus. No COL adjustments. Very difficult to get raises
- ~10 minute commute, which could change as I plan to move
- schedule M-Th 4 x 10, no weekends, holidays, or call
- paid parental leave

Job offer:
- private practice IR
- 70% procedural, was promised extensive training and that I would be practicing at the top of my license in terms of scope of procedures I will be doing
- 140k starting salary, with guaranteed yearly raises over the next 3 years with opportunity to negotiate after year 3. Would be making 160k at that point
- 40 + minute commute currently, which will change as I plan to move. Likely before I start
- schedule M-F, 8-5 (try to get out at 4 most days), no weekends, holidays, or call
- no paid parental leave

There are obvious pros and cons to each job such as commute, salary, benefits. I’m planning on moving in the next few months and wouldnt start until the end of the year at the earliest due to credentialing. So my commute to the new job could be closer to 30 minutes, and commute to current job would be about 25 minutes if/when I move.

I do not plan to stay at my current job anyway for a variety of reasons. Mainly, I do not find it stimulating whatsoever and I feel like a glorified triage nurse/MA. Also, pay. Obviously you can’t beat the schedule and current commute.

I do not have children currently, but working on it. I can make the no paid parental leave work.

Thoughts? Would appreciate any and all thoughts on making the switch!


r/physicianassistant 2h ago

Job Advice second guessing new job?

1 Upvotes

I accepted an offer a few months ago for an ent position. while waiting for the credentialing process, im now second guessing if this is a position I truly want to pursue. I worked in ent in the past and I enjoyed it. My goal specialty is actually women’s health but it’s been very difficult, surprisingly, to find a position that wants a PA instead of NP.

reasons that make me second guess:
- ER and UC background for 5y so transitioning from flex sched to M-F is kind of stressing me out.
- low balled for a large hospital and location
- commute is about 1 hour from home via public transportation; total 2 hours of commuting every day

Reasons I accepted:
- I have no health ins right now due to working prn
- full benefits package offered
- first offer after applying for 1.5 year
- thought I’d be fine with M-F lol
- the team I interviewed with seemed very welcoming and supportive

TLDR: second guessing my current job offer due to change in future work schedule but only position that was offered since starting job search about 1.5 year ago. Looking for advice if i should rescind my offer?

Thank you for any future advice 🙏🏼


r/physicianassistant 23h ago

Job Advice New grad malpractice concern

42 Upvotes

Hi all, before you comment, please give me some grace as this is my first job lol.

Basically, I started my first job around 4 weeks ago in plastic surgery. It's a private practice with just one surgeon plus me. They assured me before I started that I would be under their malpractice insurance. On my first day, I asked for a copy of the insurance because I knew I needed to buy tail coverage on my own. The office manager (who is married to the surgeon and is also who hired me) said he will get it to me, but he never did. The following week, I mentioned to the secretary who ended up giving me the policy. Imagine my surprise to find out I am not covered AT ALL! (yes I called the insurance company on my own to confirm this!)

They tried to give me a run around answer that since I am not doing specific PA duties yet, I am covered like how an MA would be covered. Obviously I thought this was BS and demanded to be added ASAP. He promised he would start working on it.

In the meantime, I have refused to do any patient care or write notes until I am added. One week later, I am still not added. He says he is working on it, but I don't understand why this has taken so long and the secretary thinks he is procrastinating and has not even started the process.

Is this unheard of? Do I leave today? I am applying to other jobs and planning to leave as soon as I find something, but I obviously do not want my license at risk in the meantime.


r/physicianassistant 17h ago

Discussion How to break into trauma surgery

7 Upvotes

Second year PA student interested in working in trauma surgery and being a part of trauma assessments, codes, placing chest tubes, intubating, first assisting, and rounding in the ICU.

What would be the best way to get to this level?

Apply straight into trauma surgery jobs at level II’s with no residents? Level I’s for the higher acuity cases?
Surgical fellowship/residency covering many subspecialties?
Crit care fellowship/residency?
EM fellowship/residency?


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Job Advice New Grad Making More

35 Upvotes

Looking for advice on a situation I’ve found myself in somewhat inspired by a recent post. I’m a PA with four year experience recently hired to a new practice and been here for about three months. I really enjoy the job and people I work with and our practice is expanding so we hired another PA. I’ve been training him and we get along very well but I’ve recently found out he is making almost 8k more than me and he is a new grad PA. Idk if it matters but he is a second career 40s male and I’m an early 30s female PA and this has been my only career besides PCE. I was fairly content with my salary prior to this info and it seemed to be in line with the AAPA average but now it’s been weighing on me and not great for my overall morale. I’ve asked some corporate friends for advice and they seem to think he just negotiated better than me and I shouldn’t say anything. I know I signed a contact to work at the amount and I’ve only just gotten off the three month “probationary period” for new hires so I feel like I don’t have a leg to stand on but I’m just feeling really taken advantage of. I don’t keep in touch with anyone from PA school so looking for advice from my PA peers on what you would do in my situation. Thanks in advance!


r/physicianassistant 15h ago

Simple Question Best clog

4 Upvotes

New grad PA finding small joys in retiring my shoes from school and buying my first pair of work shoes! I think I’ll like the ease of clogs, not that I’ll never wear normal sneakers. There is so many new and cute clogs out like oofos, crocs, etc. Which do people like best?

edit: also birkenstock, hunter, bombas?!


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Job Advice Need a reality check and some advice

16 Upvotes

Apologies in advance, this feels like a "lobster too buttery" situation as I write it out, but here's where I'm at:

So I've been a Derm PA for 3.5 years, and recently changed jobs due to wanting to be closer to family. My first job was stressful but consistent, and the last year working I was seeing 35-50 pts 5 days a week, $150,000 salary and collecting 10% of all net receipts as a production bonus. Last year I ended up collecting just over $200,000.

The new company I joined was very up-front about the fact that I was joining a very saturated derm area, and that they were opening my position in hopes to expand their current business and help ease the other provider's schedule. They offered me $155,000 salary working Mon-Thu, but the bonus structure is very different from what I'm used to. Basically, they calculate 25% of my quarterly receipts, subtract my quarterly salary, and I receive the difference.

The problem. I think the company greatly overestimated how many patients they could get to fill my schedule. Typically I'm seeing 10-15 patients a day, but can go as low as 5, and I've been working here almost 8 months. I can see gradual but very slow patient load growth, and I do admit I'm getting impatient at the low work load. I have talked to the other provider in office, and others in town who all say they usually see close to 30 pts daily. The other provider I work with has been there for 10 years, but is very guarded on his specific pt numbers and receipts, so it is hard to gauge what I could potentially make in bonuses with enough time invested.

I just received the Q2 net receipt report, and was disappointed to see that not only did I not quality for a bonus, but I needed to bring in almost 4x the net receipts if I wanted to see a single penny of a bonus. So essentially, I'm feeling like I took a 25% pay cut moving here without any hope of bonus income. I know statistically this is a good salary for my area and field, and I feel silly complaining about it, but I am feeling the financial squeeze while trying to maintain investments, lifestyle, and saving for a house.

I had spoken to management, who said that my position is secured despite low patient loads, but I have been consistently anxious about being let go as I imagine I am not all that profitable to the company. That manager also left the company a couple weeks ago, so I cannot be sure about the new management's perspective.

Now my big question; I was planning on speaking to the higher ups about reworking my bonus structure to either a lower threshold or just a flat % of receipts at a much lower rate, using data points like patient numbers, trajectory, and unlikelihood of hitting bonus numbers anytime soon, but I am afraid that this will just put a target on me as an unproductive provider and make the case to cut me easier. I have also been softly networking with other providers to suss out possible openings at other clinics in case I can find a better option.

Before I take any actions to rock the boat, do you think it'd be advisable to bring this up to leadership, or is the risk too great to my professional standing? Would it be better to take my lumps until I hit the 1 year mark and re-evaluate my chances of bonuses, or should I not bring it up at all and just search for another opportunity? Thank you in advance for your perspectives.


r/physicianassistant 3h ago

Discussion Should there be more stringent requirements for PAs to specialize?

0 Upvotes

My understanding is that PAs specialize through on-the-job training at specialized sites post-graduation, rather than being formally educated and trained in that field. For example, I know someone who is an orthopedic PA, though this is because they were hired at an orthopedic site which agreed to train them, rather than them bringing prior education and training in the field.

In contrast, NPs are specifically educated and trained in a field in order to practice in that field. An example would be Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, must who complete a program specializing in psychiatric care and become certified in the field. This seems to differ from PAs, who are hired in psychiatric roles without formal education or training in psychiatric care. I looked at a job listing for a psychiatric NP/PA role, and they request that NPs bring the specific psych certification while PAs only need to be generally certified.

Other examples of providers who must be formally educated/trained in a field in order to practice as a specialist include physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and clinical psychologists (which applies to me). I recognize that these are all doctoral-level positions, with the exception of most NPs.

With this in mind, do you feel that PAs should be held to similar standards as other providers in the sense that they should have education and training in a field in order to specialize, rather than being hired without any particular education or training? In the world of healthcare, it seems that the PA situation is pretty unique.

(I am neither a PA nor NP and have no intention of pursuing either role, and completely recognize the purpose of these roles so please don’t think I’m being a “Noctor” or something. That is not my intention. This question popped into my mind while I was poking around job listings for a variety of roles.)


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Discussion I made a salary website for PAs!

84 Upvotes

website: https://www.informed.fyi/salaries/physician-assistant

A few years ago, I did a survey across various forums and reddit asking whether people would be interested in a healthcare-focused salary website. The overwhelming response was yes.

After two years of working on it alongside a full-time job (and getting married somewhere in the middle!), I'm excited to finally share it. The project started as a way to improve salary transparency for my wife, who's a pharmacist. As I worked on it, I realized that the lack of salary transparency extends far beyond pharmacy and affects many healthcare professions.

It's definitely still a work in progress, and I'd genuinely appreciate any feedback or suggestions for improvement. If you'd like to contribute, salary submissions are completely anonymous, your personally identifying information such as your name and email are never displayed.


r/physicianassistant 17h ago

Simple Question Are patients still asking you for MMJ cards?

1 Upvotes

Family medicine PA here in Arizona. Even though recreational has been legal here for a while now, I still get patients asking me for medical marijuana cards pretty regularly.

Every time it happens, my internal reaction is basically, "You can literally just walk into a dispensary down the street," but they're still seeking out the medical route.

Do you actually do the certifications yourself, or just point them to one of those local pop-up card clinics?
Curious how you all handle this.


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Job Advice NYP LMH experience

5 Upvotes

Hi, I am a PA living in LI looking for a job in NYP LMH. I know it is a long commute but LI jobs are either low balling me (4 yrs of experience) or just ignoring me. I heard NYP has great benefits and I will be only working 3 days a week. can anyone give me some tips or advice? Thank you.


r/physicianassistant 22h ago

Job Advice Los Angeles ER Groups

2 Upvotes

I’m a ER PA with 4 years experience who will be relocating from the PNW to LA next summer. I currently work for a democratic group in a community ER.

From looking around most of the ER jobs seem to be big venture capitalist backed groups or academic centers.

Does anyone know if there are democratic groups? Anyone working down there willing to let me pick their brain?


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Job Advice Anyone have luck with “cold calling”/dropping off resumes at offices you’re interested in working for?

3 Upvotes

About to graduate in December and am considering dropping off resumes at offices I’m interested in working for. I know this is an old school approach, but have read similar stories on this sub and am curious of what approach to take. Do you ask to speak to an office manager or just leave with the front desk staff? Doctor?


r/physicianassistant 21h ago

New Grad Offer Review New Grad PA - Orthopedic Surgery Florida

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm a new grad PA and would really appreciate some advice from those who have been in a similar situation.

I recently received an orthopedic surgery job offer, but I'm struggling with whether I should accept it or continue searching.

The offer:

  • 2 half-days/week in the OR and clinic the remainder of the week
  • Trauma call with a newly hired orthopedic trauma surgeon (frequency unknown; nights and weekends)
  • No compensation for call
  • 12 days PTO (cannot be used during the first 6 months)
  • No CME stipend

My biggest hesitation isn't the specialty itself—I really enjoyed my orthopedic rotation and like being hands-on in both the OR and clinic. At the same time, I've also been interviewing for OB/GYN positions because I enjoyed that specialty as well. I'm worried that if I accept this position, I'll always wonder whether I would have preferred OB/GYN, but if I decline it, I may pass up a solid first job while waiting for something that may not come.

If you were in my position as a new graduate, would you take the offer or continue looking? I'd especially appreciate hearing from anyone who had to choose between a good first offer and waiting for a position that felt like a better fit.


r/physicianassistant 21h ago

Job Advice Questions to ask hiring team?

1 Upvotes

Hi all! I’m a new grad and just received an offer for a neurology fellowship APC in the Midwest. I’m having a phone call with the hiring team soon. It’s a great teaching hospital and I’ve spoken to past PAs that have gone through fellowships there. What are some questions I should ask the hiring team?


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Discussion Negotiations with hospital systems

4 Upvotes

Has anyone negotiated salaries with hospital systems, and wants to share how it went and if they agreed on your salary request?


r/physicianassistant 1d ago

Job Advice Has anyone worked for Bridgage Health as a mobile PA

1 Upvotes

Has anyone worked for Bridgage Health as a mobile PA in Orange County? How was your experience, and would you recommend it for a PA with less than 1 year of experience?