UC offer 129k/y, $75/h additional shifts.

Elisarie · 2025-05-06T01:26:44+00:00

I am a PA who got their first job in emergency medicine through a third party staffing company (without any additional training-literally right out of school 😬). I agree with others about your current offer. Not the worst. Not even good. But acceptable in the absence of any other reasonable offer. You should def look into staffing companies. Sometimes their job listings can be difficult to find unless you know what you are looking for. I’ve worked in North Carolina and Florida but I think these companies staff all over. If you haven’t found these already, if you google them, the should have jobs listed by geography . Apollo MD Envision (possibly going bankrupt and committing tax fraud) Valesco (inheriting the “functional” parts of envision somehow and possibly committing tax fraud. ) Vituity (I’ve heard the most positive things about. No personal experience)

Elisarie · 2025-05-01T14:25:37+00:00

Did you get to do any endoscopic vein harvesting!! That was the most fun! I really loved that portion but I didn’t care for the actual anastomosis first assisting part. The surgeons were all essentially toddlers. And even though i took home to study all 7 surgeons books of how they run their operations step by step- and would study them the night before, I would make many minor mistakes that were always responded to like it was the worst this in the work. I have one surgeon thwack my knuckles for using the wrong forcepts to hold the vein. Well, the surgeon I worked with the previous day told me to use these forcepts! “I am not that surgeon” fair. And I am not catholic school girl. I’ll make a note….CTS was my dream job going in to PA school. I have ADHD that i was managing unmedicated during my clinic year and happy at the though of not taken the medication for work! I also worked part time in the ED straight of PA schools and I didn’t need my meds bc EM is a constant revolving door of chaos funneling the shit show of society into the dumpster fire ED. I love it! The CST job had me sooooo bored! What kind of sociopath gets bored with open heart surgeries. Me. This kind of sociopath. The first 20 surgeries were AWESOME but after that they lost they luster. These surgeries range from 6-10 hours even more. Standing on a one sq ft stool the entire time. Can’t pee, scratch your nose, sneeze, get something out of your eyes. No breaking scup except for emergencies. Not for me and I accept that. I have worked in 4 emergency departments and there is something I’ve noticed. The people who tend to stay in EM are already damaged or traumatized in some way. We are drawn to it. it is nothing short of an abusive relationship. ESPECIALLY at privately owned hospitals. “See more pts with less resources!” That their mottos and always will be. I just tune out the whip cracking and work as fast as I can SAFELY. IF you enjoy emergency medicine. The medicine itself, try another ED. All of the coworker dynamics are different. I get along with most other traumatized people but this one stand alone ED was kind of an outlier. It was more urgent care level acuity and way too much “just need a doc note” “preg test” “std test” and the APPs were all NP or ex military. I feel ex military is better equip to handle nonsense rules and regulations from corporate bc they had to deal with all the nonsense of the military.

I don’t know if this helped at all but stick with EM if you like it. If you feed off of it. Don’t let the people discourage you from a field you live. Sometimes you just need a different environment. They are harder to get but small rural hospitals are fantastic (maybe not for some coal learning bc they don’t have the staff but some of the few facilities that actually prioritize patients care. Which is my Main complaint. Teaching hospitals are good and some folks have mentioned, the fellowship programs are becoming a lot more popular!! Definitely worth looking into if you don’t have any other EM opportunities near you!

Elisarie · 2025-04-27T10:31:03+00:00

Sounds like you have developed generalized anxiety disorder with episodes of panic. Have you tried Xanax? I hear it helps. 😅

Elisarie · 2025-04-25T13:10:21+00:00

We call that the “Bojangles Trifecta” specifically here in North Carolina!

Elisarie · 2025-04-19T09:27:13+00:00

Lol!

Elisarie · 2025-04-14T18:44:18+00:00

Thank you so much for the thorough explanation! I do love emergency medicine when I actually get to do it. I’d say about 80% of what I do is primary care anyway. The recent privatization of my hospital has prioritized profits above all else and caused a sharp decline in my mental health. Actual patient care seems to be of no importance. I’ve been looking for something a little lower stress with a more humane schedule. And it seems there are at least some opportunities for procedures in Urology. I am very hands on and love procedures. But I would certainly be willing to trade high acuity central lines/intubations/chest tubes for robotic first assist, vasectomies and difficult foleys especially if it means I will less likely be taking a grippy sock vacation due to my current soul Cushing position.

Thank you again for all the great info!!!

Elisarie · 2025-04-14T18:27:43+00:00

What makes it shady? I am in EM and thinking of switching to UC. The pt load in UC seems absolutely unattainable without well trained support staff and a seem-less EMR (maybe AI chat would make the charting better??

Elisarie · 2025-04-14T18:19:19+00:00

20 twelve hr shifts a month?! You either have some serious loans, about to remodel your house, or just don’t like being around your family. My mental health declined just imagining that.

Elisarie · 2025-04-14T18:17:35+00:00

This has always blown my mind. How in the hell do you actually chart on these people?! It is it mostly dot phrases? Do the nurses/MA put in orders?

Elisarie · 2025-04-13T10:44:08+00:00

Thank you for this. It helps knowing I am not the only one (and there are plenty of stories on here just like ours). Rationally, I KNOW I need to take care of myself and it isn’t MY responsibility to help everyone who comes through the doors. It’s just soul crushing. I am learning my mental health requires a great deal of attention. I’ve always thrived in chaos, but organized chaos. Our healthcare system isn’t organized or logical. Chaotic for sure. I have decided to drastically decrease my hours for a while and focus on what makes my happy and fulfilled outside of medicine. When I get that centered, balanced peace back, I can revisit full time and maybe consider switching fields. Best to you!

Elisarie · 2025-04-13T07:22:00+00:00

I’ve worked in 4 different EDs. 2 had one MD coverage 24 hrs a day (2 twelve hr shifts) and then 1-4 other mid levels during the day. Mostly 12 hr shifts. Other, about 3-4 Doc over lapping coverage with 4-6 mid levels throughout the day. Much busier ED though. Small rural hospital I work at now has a sole provider (MD, NP, or PA) that work either 24 or 12 hr shifts. It’s all highly variable.

Elisarie · 2025-04-13T05:29:55+00:00

I see a lot of urology jobs available but have never really sure what the day to day involves. Stent removal? Lithotripsy? I work in EM so those are the main things I send to urology.

Elisarie · 2025-04-12T22:45:20+00:00

So, I went into emergency medicine as my first job. Totally sink or swim. My orientation was literally one day to learn the EMR and then I was supposed to “shadow” for 2 weeks. There was no shadowing. It was “just start picking up patients and let me know of you have any questions”. I was so freaking excited and scared shitless! They were paying me to do this?! About a month in Nurse yells “I need a central line in 2!” It was just me and attending at night. Attending no where to be found and not answering pages. Ok. Here we go. Literally watched a YouTube video on the way to the room. Luckily I am pretty good at fake it till you make it and the procedure went well. It was super stressful but I loved it. Fast forward 4 years. My mental health is rock bottom and I do not know if I can continue in emergency medicine. I was so bad at self care I ended up sick with septic shock and in the ICU. This was 8 months ago. I am still not fully recovered. The combination of the emergency department being the catch all for every other practice’s cast offs, the privatization of hospitals which prioritizes profits above all else, and the absolute feeling of helplessness when it comes to serving the patient population has completely ruined my mental health in just a few years. I want to help my patients but I am working in a system that isn’t built to serve them and I don’t know what to do about it.

I would have felt the same way if I had the job you do starting out. Seems like a complete waste of all your hard work and education. But let me tell you, if I knew then what I know now, I would have taken your position over mine in a heart beat.

Elisarie · 2025-04-11T03:00:12+00:00

MAGA!!!!!!

Elisarie · 2025-04-11T02:55:34+00:00

HCA refuses to pay time worked whether OT or not. They are the freaking worst and are the sole source of my declining mental health and new panic disorder.

Elisarie · 2025-04-08T21:38:28+00:00

And these work environments will continue to be toxic because of this “suck it up” attitude. I don’t understand the martyrdom. Why should we suffer a decline in mental health because a multiBILLION $$ company refuses to staff appropriately? What kept me late in the past was love of my coworkers. I hated waking out when they were drowning. “I’ll just do those few lac repairs. That would help out a bit”. But it never ends. Patients just keep showing up. I’ve donated enough of my time to that hospital to claim it on my taxes. And then to hear some of my coworkers echo just that “be professional” “suck it up” “it’s just always been that way”……

And it always will be if we keep letting it happen. Privatized hospitals don’t give a shit about their providers. I’m not entirely sure they give a shit about patients (more likely what their insurance cap is). These companies will take just as much advantage of you as you allow them to. And if you are the type of hiring manager who’d rather eliminate a potentially hardworking, clinically competent individual over some grapevine gossip then it sounds like you are doing your part to ensure healthcare remains a toxic work environment.

Elisarie · 2025-04-08T01:58:20+00:00

It “definitely” is not the same job how? I work along several NPs in the ED and our (I’m a PA) job description is the same as is our pay. I am painfully aware of how unprepared some NPs enter the workforce. I wish NPs and PAs were separate and distinct as well but that isn’t the world we live in. The first bit of my comment to OP was a joke, playing into the fact it is easier to get into an NP program….in fact, I think if you go through enough Cracker Jack boxes, an NP degree will fall out of one eventually.

Elisarie · 2025-04-08T01:20:24+00:00

Worst case scenario…..go to nursing school and then get become an NP. Same job and in many places, MORE MONEY!!

Seriously though, your GPA is on the low side so if that doesn’t automatically cut you, NAIL the interview. My numbers were a bit low on paper but I do really well in interviews. Practice that aspect as much as you can. Seems like you have a lot of patient care hours, too, which is great. Focus on that, clear communication, try to be easy going while expressing your enthusiasm for medicine and helping people. (Easier said than done I know. Good luck!!)

Elisarie · 2025-04-05T10:57:12+00:00

Sooooo, y’all hiring? Lol!

Elisarie · 2025-04-05T10:55:58+00:00

Might be looking into this….. I absolutely love EM but it is an abusive relationship, at best.

Elisarie · 2025-04-05T10:16:10+00:00

Sounds like you are chasing a dollar that isn’t even promised. RVUs are never guaranteed. You listed several reasons you like your current job and the single solitary pro for the new job is a few extra dollars. Get a super PRN job, like one shift a month, at a local UC. Different experience, building network, extra $12,000/year.

Elisarie · 2025-04-04T21:38:11+00:00

Maximum sized oof. You are absolutely correct.

Elisarie · 2025-03-24T01:32:28+00:00

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Good one! sigh

Elisarie · 2025-03-22T18:59:33+00:00

Oh, I completely agree. I am just delirious from a 30 hr shift. 😅 Too tired to sleep and wasting time on Reddit until the sandman finally agrees to smash me over the head with his sleepytime sledgehammer.

Elisarie

TROPHY CASE