We help pre-PA students, current PA students, and new grads start their careers as Physician Assistants!
Who are we? We're two practicing PAs who genuinely enjoy helping people navigate their pre-PA & PA school journey. We've made a ton of mistakes along the way (well, mostly Garner), so we set out to share what we've learned over the years so you don't have to struggle or wonder what's next.
You'll learn a ton in PA school, but there's a significant amount of essential information they WON'T teach you in school; that's why we're here.
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i'm a senior in high school and i love learning about psychology but id also like to be a PA more then a therapist so this will be interesting for me to watch
@juliasgreys hope it's inspiring but more importantly I hope it gives you more information so you can decide what's right for you. Enjoy your senior year!
@@PAStartup thank youu I’ve watched it on 2x speed so I’m already at 40 minutes lol it’s been very interesting and inspiring so far and it sounds a lot like what I’d like doing so I’m definitely gonna look into it more because I’m gonna be a PA no matter what kind but this might be the one I’ll pick because it’s either this or work in cardiology but both is because of my background with mental illness so we’ll see lol
Yaaaaaas! 2x speed! We need good PAs in psych and cardiology, so we'll win either way...and you have plenty of time to decide! A lot of people think they'll love one area, then find they're interested in several. You never know! Glad you've enjoyed it, thank you for watching!
Well, I'm going to do MBA and become Hospital Administrator or HR Managers. PAs will work under my supervision. I decided not to waste my time and money for PA. Plus, MBA will get paid close to PA salary or more.
Then I hope you'll become an advocate for the PA profession in your future positions. Glad you found a better fit for you; clinical medicine isn't for everyone! Thanks for watching.
So glad you guys are back! Miss your podcasts! I graduate from PA school in the coming weeks and I have been listening since my pre-PA days! Thanks for being an integral part of the journey!
Video was great!! As a pre-PA student, I enjoyed the topics you guys brought up, bc it solidified my desires and reasoning to continue pursuing this path. I currently work as a Pt transport in a hospital in my area and I here lots of Pts talking about their PAs as providers (as well as doctors) and it snatched my attention to research the career. Love every aspect of it, and I'm currently working myself up in the medical ladder chain to beef up my clinical experience before PA school! Enjoy the holidays.
Thanks for watching! Hope you had a relaxing holiday season! Patient transport is a great way to get exposure to different areas of the hospital, so I'm glad you found the PA profession! It's a grind but it's worth it. Thanks for watching!!
You guys seem embarrassed to be called physician assistants, maybe because you are unsatisfied with your career choice and don't like being supervised by a doctor? Nothing is embarrassing about helping sick people feel better. IMO, this whole name change is an effort to confuse people even more, I bet you'd rather just be called physicians... kinda just like how NPs are now calling themselves "doctors" ...
@balestinian No, we're not embarrassed to be called a Physician Assistant, we just have seen how the name can be misleading and result in some physicians utilizing the PA role inefficiently.
You bet! You'd just need to obtain an Arizona license after graduation once you've passed your board exam. Same is true if you work in California after graduation, just need a California state license. The school you attend doesn't impact the states in which you work, you just need the degree to take the test--then you can pick which state(s) to get a license. Hope that makes sense!
Yes, it’s a slow change-many states and healthcare systems still do as well, until the state laws and hospital bylaws are updated. Maybe CASPA is waiting for a majority to switch? But I’m hearing more and more “associate” being used in conversations, so that’s the right trend. Thanks for watching!!
I wouldn’t say everyone has debt. I personally am blessed to have a great 2 income household that makes $160,000 a year living well below our means in a 2 bedroom apartment for $928/month with an overall yearly bill amount of $24,000/year and the rest is savings and do whatever we please. So I personally utilize all the grants I can get for school and pay the rest out of pocket. So I will be paying my way through PA school out of pocket and graduate with no debt!
So basically if you’re too deep in your life as in having a family, mortgage, and bills. Being a PA can give you the job you want while dealing with life stresses. Especially since you don’t have to worry about matching into something you do not want to do if you don’t get your first choice. It just makes sense, and ig going to med school makes sense on your situation then that’s awesome too.
Sure, at least within the US. As long as you keep your license current, you should be good. I don’t know too much about travel laws in other countries however, but I assume it’s similar everywhere.
I prefer the "Clinical Officer" ( CO ) name.. Clinical Doctor?!Some people will be uncomfortable. Clinical Practitioners?Read what these are. Associates or Assistants?we are no ones Assistant, Nor Associate We are an independent Cadre. We have Medical Officers.Nursing Officers.Public health Officer, Laboratory Officer..Why not " CLINICAL OFFICER "?
Hey question...would you think taking around 180k in loans for PA would be worth it? I'm a CLS in a lab kiddos in school...all that adds up with school cost. Not sure is the ROI would be worth it?
That’s a lot of debt, but not unheard of for sure. It depends on where you work - you might consider a non-profit area with tuition repayment as part of your employment to help. Think: underserved areas, government jobs (prisons, etc). Usually you work there for the first 5 years and could get a lot of that paid off. BUT, with kids you need to factor in location and the rest of family dynamics. Bottom line in my opinion: if you’re happy doing what you’re doing, don’t go to PA school just to be a slave to the loans…!
I'm a new grad PA who just started working. I walk into work everyday nervous but listening to these podcasts have helped me build confidence. Thank you guys!! So glad I found you!!
@@PAStartup no worries. Very helpful information. You reference AAPA so that was my assumption. I agree that the annual survery is worth the cost of membership alone. Working in Ortho, there is the Physician Assistant in Orthopaedics Surgery (PAOS) organization that also conducts a survery. I would encourage others to research their specialty’s organizations and look for salary surveys.
Agreed! Thanks for pointing that out. It’s always good to have multiple sources of salary data…PAOS like you said for Ortho, AASPA for surgery, APACVS for cardiac and vascular, MedAxiom for cardiology…the list goes on. I used the AAPA data for this because it’s the most comprehensive list (that I know of) in one place. Thanks again!
I know this is an older video, Im binge watching/listening to them! How would you say is the best way to gain shadowing hours with a PA? I've been having a hard time post-COVID to getting in some time with a PA or Physician!
Binge away! We’ve got more videos, we’ve just been occupied by some other projects at the moment! Good question about shadowing-putting together an outline for a shadowing video post-COVID. We’ll get that one done first!! Easiest answer for now, don’t be afraid to ask for personal references from PAs you know. “Could you give me the name of another person I could shadow?” I have a few names in my head in case students ask for that. More to come!
What do you think is the best way to immerse yourself in the scope and role possibly, as well as what are the best things to do to prepare yourself for PA school while finishing undergrad? Currently a Junior in Undergrad!
Great questions! The scope and role are widely variable depending on specialty, size of the practice, and experience of the PA, so shadowing a few different people and asking them specifically “how does your role differ from (a different specialty or practice)?” can give you some understanding. As for preparing for PA school in undergrad, I’m going to give you a boring answer but it’s true: establish good study habits. How do you retain information best? Are you a read the chapter/ then re-read type? Do you re-copy or re-organize notes? Do notecards help it sink in (hello there pharmacology!)? Find out what works & create a pattern-location, snacks (😂🙋♂️), background music, etc. A lot of information comes at you fast in PA school, so figuring out how to study in the midst of it all can knock you off track pretty quickly. If I had to recommend a specific topic to study to truly help you in PA school, I would say medical terminology would be the most helpful. The less time you have to spend figuring out prefixes in suffixes in words, the more time you can spend digesting the information! Hope this helps, thanks so much for watching and best of luck! Keep us posted on where you end up going!
Whoa--that's crazy! Because of people like you, we don't have to fight as as hard for fair wages...so I should say "Thank you for your service!" 😂😬 Are you still in cardiac surgery? If so, how has it changed?
Thanks for putting this info out there. Definitely helps to have a condensed version. On the salary negotiation front, do you think there is a point into clinical practice where negotiating salary becomes the norm? As opposed to the 1st job out of school where your leverage and bargaining power are perhaps at their lowest.
Hey Jemari-yes, negotiating the first job is the hardest, but I’d argue in every job switch after that, negotiating should be normal and expected. It’s important to remember you’re not just “maximizing money”…you’re presenting your value and expecting the employer to pay you accordingly. Especially true when switching employers in the same specialty. Illustrate your value and use salary reports to justify what you’re asking…so it can’t be wildly out of line, but we need to shift the norm as a profession to just accept what’s offered (in the event it’s low). Thanks for watching!!
Great job y’all! I actually just accepted my first PA job in CTS!! I start in January 2023❤️ I am nervous but also very humbled and grateful for this opportunity. Keep up the strong work!
Congrats on the job!! You’ll do great! Don’t get discouraged the first year; it’s a *big* learning curve. Knowledge and repetition are key, so keep putting in the time and you’ll be good to go!
@@PAStartup Hello yall! I found this video in my feed and wanted to drop a little update... I have now been practicing medicine in cardio thoracic and vascular surgery for about 1 year now as a new grad PA and I LOVE IT. It has been a tremendous opportunity to serve, to learn, and to grow. Thank you for all your videos and I pray you all are doing well! :D
Ooooh @ATMGB12 I love that we got you to come to the "dark side" (CT/Vasc Surgery) right away!!! Couldn't let you get tainted by some other specialty...! Love👏it👏😂 Congrats! Hope the job is going well-you may like the guys over at VesselHarvest.com too as you learn about EVH (hint: it's *also* us!) Thanks for following up!
I actually just visited New Orleans during my break between didactic and clinical years 😃!! And YES, the beignets (at Cafe du Monde) were soooooo good 🤤 Thanks for the video and keep up the great work!
THOSE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST…so jealous! Sounds like a great stop between didactic and clinical years 🙌🏼🎉 I’d try them from anywhere, but honestly I’ve got my fingers crossed for Cafe du Monde some day!!
I had the opportunity to shadow a CT PA during my internal medicine - cardiology rotation and I will be doing my elective in CT surgery the end of September! The PAs I worked with were amazing. I have a lot of respect for the professionals in this field. My graduation is in December and I am possibly looking into a job in CT surgery as a new grad PA.
Yeah @Hanna!! We’re kinda biased since that’s where we work every day 😂 It’s definitely not for everyone but if you’re drawn to it, go for it! It used to be harder to get a CT surgery job as a new grad but not as much now. Best of luck!!
Thanks for sharing! The contents are great and inspiring for us who wanted to start our journey as PA. However, was wondering if you guys have any idea how would it be like for foreigner to start their journey as PA (non traditional way especially)? Example: from post bacc, gaining PCE hours (visa CPT/OPT) and getting job after PA program (visa). Would appreciate if you guys can share or know someone who has been in the said situation. Appreciate a lot and thanks in advance! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you! One of our original podcasts was with our PA student at the time who was an international student…let me find it and I’ll send you the link!
Found it! It’s from the pre-RU-vid days, so it’s audio only…ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lbw62hdaqt0.html Hope this helps-if you need more info head to our website contact form so I can get your email and I can put you in touch with the guy on the podcast! (Well, the other guy - not me obviously 😉)
Hey!! Yes, we’re great…thanks for checking!! Took a break to work on a CME program (details coming soon!) and real job has been busy! We’re almost done with the CME courses, then back to RU-vid!🙌🏼
I agree a lot depends on cost of living, but it also depends on your interpersonal skills and how you negotiate. I believe having a sense of how healthcare business (like average number of patients per day, what is fee for service, how many level 3 vs level 4, etc) and how that really works along with showing off your medical knowledge in between is the way to charm in an interview. I was able to negotiate my first salary by $35k.
It depends on your employer honestly. Typically, PA salaries in large organizations go up 0-3% as a “cost of living” adjustment (usually at least 1% minimum, but if it’s a hard year economically it’s possible to not receive a cost of living adjustment). Private solo physician practices or small groups might not offer cost of living adjustments as a standard but (in my opinion) may be more likely to work out profit sharing, productivity bonuses, or other incentives. These aren’t truly a “raise” since they’re based on performance metrics, but they do mean more $$ for you at the end of the year. Having said all that, periodically you may be in a position to negotiate a raise or the practice may review salaries and adjust as necessary if responsibilities have changed (gotten busier, covering more services, adding night/weekend call, etc). These can range from small to substantial (3-10%). We work for a hospital system and my base pay has gone up between 1-3.5% each year except one…so raises 14 out of 15 years isn’t bad👍😂 (I’m kidding, very thankful for it!) Hope this is helpful!! Thanks for watching.
@@PAStartup thank you for all your information! I’m currently practice as and an Athletic Trainer and work as a physed teacher and am thinking of making the switch to PA in a year or two!
Do it!! Your experience in both areas will be a great asset to you (and your patients/employer), even outside of orthopedics. Real-world experience of all kinds is great. Best of luck to you!
