My fist post was an interview with Audrey Lively, a newly graduated PA. Now that she's a year out, I was able to do a follow up and see what thought she had about her first year as a PA. Check it out!
1) What has your first year as a PA-C been like?
I work for the University of Texas as a PA in orthopaedic trauma at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas. We are a team of 6 attending surgeons, 2 fellows, 3 PAs, 1 NP, and 4 residents that rotate on a 4 month basis. My first year as a PA has been amazing. I am extremely fortunate to be working with a team of brilliant attending surgeons and supportive midlevel providers. The amount of information I have learned over the past year in my specialty surprises me daily. My basic job description is to arrive at the hospital by 6AM, when the team meets to cover all of our current inpatients and review the consults that came in over the previous 24 hours. We then disperse to begin rounding, prepping patients for surgery, and assisting in surgery. One day a week I am in clinic, where I see our hospital follow ups and new patients. When we are running short-handed or my physician is on call, I help with the consults that come through the ER.
2) What's different at work now compared to when you first started?
I have gained a lot more responsibility as my attending has trained me over the past year and come to trust my judgement on interpreting x-rays and making decisions regarding surgery. My surgeon's goal was that we become "one person who can be in two places at once," and I feel we have accomplished that. My comfort level has also greatly increased since starting one year ago as I have learned from other members of my team and attended conferences.
3) What surprised you about being a PA-C? What do you wish you had known when you graduated?
I had this false idea going into PA school that when I graduated I would be a pro in everything and just have to stay up to date on topics, but otherwise know just about everything I needed to know. However, I quickly learned that this is not the case when you make the choice to go into a specialty. Every day is an opportunity to learn. The physicians I work with attended 4 years of med school, 5 years of orthopaedic residency, and at least a one year fellowship in orthopaedic trauma. I was surprised by how much I still needed to learn and continue to learn on a daily basis to keep up with them.
4) Do you see yourself staying in this area of practice? What do you like about it?
I do see myself staying in orthopaedics. I really enjoy the broad population with whom I work. We have treated patients as young as 2 weeks and as old as 98 years. It is also a great opportunity to learn and maintain knowledge in anatomy. PAs are able to do quite a bit in the field, including seeing clinic patients, ER consults, assisting in surgery, performing injections, reducing fractures, and applying splints and casts. Working in a hospital setting, I am also able to continue to use my medical knowledge in managing my inpatient's labs and chronic medical conditions. The knowledge learned in orthopaedics can always be carried over to urgent care, primary care, or emergency medicine as well if I ever did decide to switch fields.
5) Any advise for future PA students? What should we do to prepare for a program? What about preparing for the "real world?"
My advice to future PA students is to stay committed during the didactic year. It gets really tough trying to keep up with everything, but it will be worth it in the end. When students would complain about exams, my program director would always say "Every patient is a test." This statement could not be more true. The information learned in school will be vital later as your future patient looks at you and asks what is wrong with them. In preparing for a program I would suggest refreshing on your anatomy and physiology, which are the basis for what you will learn. Beyond that you will find out what you need to know in school. In preparing for the "real world," just remember that you should never stop learning. Medicine is a constantly evolving field and will pass you by if you don't keep up. Read journals and take the time to read a few of the emails with which your account will be flooded after graduation regarding new medications and treatments. Most importantly, keep in mind the reason you chose to go into PA school in the first place.
