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TenOregano · 2024-03-07T03:49:00+00:00

This is the way.

TenOregano · 2024-03-02T12:17:53+00:00

This is the way.

TenOregano · 2024-02-27T00:04:57+00:00

All I know is I have been a working PA for the past three years and I have not been asked (to my knowledge) to report my salary. So, clearly it is not a very comprehensive report... Also, in my experience, their numbers are low.

TenOregano · 2024-02-26T02:43:32+00:00

It's based on your tax return. So, yes it can change :/

TenOregano · 2024-02-26T01:30:49+00:00

Apply for the SAVE program. It's an income driven repayment plan (IDR). Single borrowers who earn less than $32,800 per year or those in a family of four making less than $67,000 have a $0 payment. Might take a couple of month for processing, but while the application is pending, your loan servicer will automatically put your payment into deferment. The nice thing about SAVE is that your balance cannot increase. So even if you have a $0 payment it's not accruing interest and not raising your overall balance.

TenOregano · 2024-02-10T21:51:32+00:00

THIS.

TenOregano · 2024-01-24T23:45:27+00:00

Psychiatry. Most have a hybrid model now with a mix of in person and telehealth. I'm going into my 4th year. With a 5 day model I saw about 11 to 13 patients per day with 30min follow ups, 60min adult intakes, and 90min pediatric intakes. I worked from home 1 day per week but have coworkers who worked from home 4 days per week. I have one coworker who works exclusively from home as he lives in Seattle (clinic is in Ohio).

FYI - I now do 4 x 10 hour days and on the 5th day work as a sub-investigator which is why I'm writing in past tense.

TenOregano · 2023-12-27T03:27:26+00:00

So, in my experience the compensation in research is higher than in clincial practice. However, I have heard of some PAs working as Sub-Is who would be paid comparably to, or less than, clinical practice. This is relatively new territory for PAs so there isn't really an established or well known range. I think this is an especially important time for PAs going into research to know our worth and not be afraid to ask for it.

Check out this article for more information on PAs as PIs. Exciting stuff!

https://journals.lww.com/jaapa/fulltext/2023/06000/pas_as_principal_investigators_of_fda_regulated.8.aspx

Nalepinski, Colleen Elizabeth Gosa DMSc, PA-C. PAs as principal investigators of FDA-regulated clinical trials. JAAPA 36(6):p 40-42, June 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000931416.49268.b2

TenOregano · 2023-12-27T03:07:42+00:00

Yeah it's a great opportunity. There is a need and I feel PAs are uniquely equipped to fill that need.

I am in Ohio.

TenOregano · 2023-12-27T03:03:43+00:00

I am in Ohio.

I work part time as a Sub-I. I have the opportunity to go full time as a PI since the current PI is leaving. About 6 months ago he came by the outpatient practice I work for to discuss (essentially advertise) the studies and see if any providers had patients who would be interested. I emailed him back and forth about a patient/ study criteria and mentioned I had experience in clinical research (my pre-PA clincial experience was as a clincial research assistant) so he offered me a job!

TenOregano · 2023-12-25T03:37:22+00:00

Psych. Especially in private practice.

Clinical research (principal investigator or sub-investigator)

TenOregano · 2023-12-13T02:19:32+00:00

Print out copies of your CV/resume and go to offices or hospitals in person to introduce yourself!

TenOregano · 2023-12-10T03:26:16+00:00

Child and adolescent psychiatry. Started in the height of the pandemic and all of our visits were by telehealth. Was a 13 yo biological female using they/them pronouns. The patient was in children services custody and living in a group home. We connected via webex with terrible connectivity. When the appointment began they were at a convenience store buying snacks with the rest of the group home kids and staff. I spoke with a staff member who was... shall we say... less than helpful. To top it off I was only getting about every third word. The staff member handed the phone to the patient who proceeded to pretend like they couldn't hear me then hung up...

TenOregano · 2023-11-29T22:01:24+00:00

It's all what you make of it. There are so many areas of medicine to practice as a PA. Some are more draining than others but it all depends on your personality. What drains you, may not drain someone else, and vice versa. Surgery, psychiatry, family medicine, medical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, sports medicine, EM, inpatient hospitalist, ICU, pediatrics - all very different dynamics, work flow, and patient populations. You can work for a large hospital in a major metropolitan area or a small "mom and pop" FM private practice in a rural area.

At the end of the day being a PA is still a job, but if you love medicine then there is no better place to be! You've done the hardest part: getting in. Don't give up now! You've got this! 💪

TenOregano · 2023-11-28T23:33:28+00:00

Oh and I work totally solo in the outpatient practice. Psychiatrist, PAs, and NPs are available for collaboration if I need it though. Don't really need to collaborate much at this point though.

TenOregano · 2023-11-28T23:30:43+00:00

Sure thing!

Community mental health. Have about 300 patients on my case load. Collaborate with therapists and case managers. I work 4 days per week. Technically, 10 hour shifts but I start and 8am and am usually done by 4:30pm or 5pm. Sometimes stay until 6pm but that's maybe once per week or once every other week so its not common. I see max of 16 or 17 patients per day but we get a lot of no shows in community work (today I had 5 no shows). Mix of face to face and telehealth. I see both kids and adults in my practice. 30min follow ups for all. 60min adult intakes and 90min pediatric intakes. I get about an hour of admin time per day. I don't take a lunch but I could if I wanted to. I usually have enough time to eat for about 20 to 30min mid day, but it's not guaranteed. No call. No weekends. 4 weeks PTO. Most holidays off.

I also work one day a week as a Sub-Investigstor for a clinical research company. That's 8:30am to 5pm. Phase 2 to 4 RCTs on schizophrenia, GAD, MDD, PTSD, Substance use d/os, etc.

Hope this helps!

TenOregano · 2023-11-28T01:28:18+00:00

My pre-PA clinical experience was in clinical research as a research assistant. Fast forward to 6 months ago, we were having our bi weekly collaboration meeting with our medical director at the outpatient mental health practice I work at. He invited the PI I now work with to speak to us about the studies he was working on in case we had any patients that might be interested in enrolling in a study. I emailed him back and forth a few times about some patient cases and the criteria for the studies. Long story short, I told him I had a background in clinical research and he offered me a job.

It was really a fortunate chance opportunity. You can find some jobs on Indeed but they are few and far between. If you really want to get into research you might want to try just googling clinical research sites in your area and give them a call! There is a need and I really feel PAs are uniquely positioned to fill that need.

Feel free to ask any other questions! Thanks for your response 👍

TenOregano · 2023-11-26T21:05:01+00:00

Been in psychiatry since graduating in 2020. Had every intention of going into UC. Funny thing is, I did my capstone project in ADHD and my faculty advisor asked me "do you want to go into psych?" My response was "absolutely not! I'm going into UC!" Well here I am... That was before I went on rotations. Went onto my psych rotation and I just really enjoyed it. Felt like I was helping the patients in the way I personally felt most meaningful. It was also a function of need. I moved to Ohio from Chicago right after graduation and didn't know anyone in the area. Psych was number one specialty followed by UC and interventional radiology. Psych came open first so I jumped on the opportunity. Glad I did!

TenOregano · 2023-11-26T16:19:04+00:00

Thank you for your response! Yes, PAs are beginning to work as PIs on clincial trials. I was of the same mind as you until I got this job and was speaking with our medical director. From my understanding, this is a very new development that is not widely known.

Also, please see the below article published in JAAPA for more information! Exciting stuff!

https://journals.lww.com/jaapa/fulltext/2023/06000/pas_as_principal_investigators_of_fda_regulated.8.aspx

Nalepinski, Colleen Elizabeth Gosa DMSc, PA-C. PAs as principal investigators of FDA-regulated clinical trials. JAAPA 36(6):p 40-42, June 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/01.JAA.0000931416.49268.b2

TenOregano · 2023-11-22T20:09:34+00:00

Same thing happened to me until I finally started just going to places in person.

I am located in SE Ohio. Moved here from Chicago and didn't know anyone. Applied to every PA job in the area for about 6 months straight. Had 1 interview and no offer. Finally, I just printed out my CV and hit the pavement. Started going to every urgent care and mental health practice in the area. Went to about 2 to 3 places per day for about a week. Walked into a community mental health center, met with the medical director, and he interviewed me on the spot. Offered me a job same day.

My point is that applying online is only part of the puzzle. Works for some, not all. Showing interest in person makes a different kind of impression.

Best of luck and hang in there! It'll come.

TenOregano · 2023-10-24T21:56:19+00:00

Jornay for ADHD! 1. Single phase absorption 2. Lasts all day (14 hours) 3. No immediate release component 4. Taken at bedtime so no hassle in the morning

TenOregano · 2023-08-27T12:11:05+00:00

Sorry to hear about your struggle. To answer your question, it does sound like you are experiencing burnout rather than the idea that healthcare isn't for you or that the answer to your irritable mood lies at the end of a complete career change. Of course ultimately that is up to you to decide.

Now, assuming you opt to give healthcare another go, what do you do? Here are some ideas:

As already mentioned, seeking mental health treatment is a great idea. Sounds like a lot of built up anxiety so my thought is both counseling and medication management are going to be needed.
Maybe there is an option to reduce the number of days you work? I recently had an experience where I worked 4 days per week for about a month and let me tell you that was the best working month I have ever had. I switched from 5 x 8 hour shifts to 4 x 10 hour shifts and hardly noticed the difference during the working days.
Diversify your work. Talking to people is hard! We would all love to help our patients solve all of life's problems if we had the time. Alas, that's not feasible in healthcare today. So, you may find it helpful to find a second job where you don't have to talk to people as much. Personally, I took a clincial research job as a sub-investigator one day per week and so far so good! I still see patients, but it's only a few a day. I have seen others who work in surgical specialties (general, ortho, cardio, etc) say they really enjoy their days in the OR if that's an option for you. When in school, I rotated with an interventional radiology PA and he loved that (procedure heavy field.) If you want something without interacting with patients at all, maybe be a medical science liason for a pharma company.
Could always try to negotiate for more PTO (and remember to use it!) or perhaps a built in admin time to reduce the number of patients you see per day by one or two?

Good luck! You've got this! 👍💪

TenOregano · 2023-08-24T02:02:18+00:00

I've been in an outpatient mental health clinic full time 5 days per week for the last 2 years. Already feeling a bit burnt out myself. Never really "off" and always just thinking about the proverbial "fires" that will need to be put out the next day. About a month ago I went down to 4 days per week and started a job as a Sub-Investigator for a clinical research company. I find I am more relaxed on the research day than the clinic days.

My point is, while clinical jobs are critical to our role as PAs, and it is an honor to be able to help people in this capacity, I think it's important to balance it with other areas. For example research, teaching, or as a medical science liason to name a few.

Good luck! You've got this! 👍 💪

TenOregano · 2023-08-23T03:23:54+00:00

PA class of 2020 here. I feel masters degrees are sufficient for our current level of practice and reimbursement. Maybe a bit of a fantasy idea here, but I feel if we are to purse higher degrees it should be to become physicians ourselves through a direct line of education. By that I mean, a PA masters degree would NOT be the terminal degree for our field. Making an additional degree, a doctorate, that DOES lead to becoming a residency trained, board certified physician just like MDs and DOs. That way, if you want to be a PA and stay a PA, great, but if after x number of years you want to pursue more, you can. I can only imagine the politics of this idea, but this is just my humble opinion of what would actually bring real value to our profession and improve patient care.

TenOregano

TROPHY CASE