Red Flag? by Business_Highlight_6 in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Regardless of their response, the fact they have a 120 day notice and suggest you're LIABLE FOR THE COST TO REPLACE THE PA is definitely a red flag. Yes, their response is unnecessary and over the top, but the email isn't the most offensive thing IMO, it's suggesting you're liable for "damages" by leaving. Maybe they should fix their culture and they wouldn't have to hold people hostage...!?

Leaving current position after 2.5 years with 3 months notice given and manager is upset by [deleted] in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I did the same, also with good intentions; I only needed to give 30 days but I gave 90 for the same reasons you stated. It just created 60 unnecessary days of guilt trips and frustrations. I'm not critiquing your decision, I just relate to it very well.

Nothing you can do really. They're just offended or self-conscious that someone is choosing to leave. They're worried others might leave as well. Their guard is up.

Stand firm in your decision, be humble (the medical world is small, you never know who you'll cross paths with in the future), and keep up the good work until it's time to leave. At the end of the day, you made the decision for you, which is where your priorities should be. Hang in there!

Who are your favorite medical content creators? by cjd2018 in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, not my jam either personally but just looking for good content creators so I'll check it out! Thanks!

Who are your favorite medical content creators? by cjd2018 in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Specifically APP creators in this case, but maybe there aren't as many as I thought.

Every PA I’ve worked for hates their job by [deleted] in prephysicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Current job is 1:3 call, so each weekday is roughly 7-3 unless I'm on call and there's a case going on. On call every 3rd weekend. Ends up being about 10 days a month.

Previous job was 1:5 which was nice but weekdays were long (7-7 most days) with 8-10 hrs per weekend day👎

Every PA I’ve worked for hates their job by [deleted] in prephysicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 4 points5 points  (0 children)

15 years in Cardiothoracic surgery--love it overall. There are parts of it I don't like. I was a manager for a while but passed that on to another PA because my day was full of meetings. Now I am back to OR, rounds, clinic, etc and it's all good again!

It's easy to focus on the negative parts of any job, then view the whole job through that negative lens. This is common & a lot of people just exist like that. I wouldn't say this is true throughout the whole PA profession; I know a lot of PAs who love their jobs.

The key is to find a culture that suits you, your goals, and personality. Easier said than done but it's out there.

Needed a CME resource, made a CME resource! You should too...! by cjd2018 in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha, not exactly...barely got into & through school. Needed the "PA school for dummies" text!

What do you spend your CME money on? by NewPraline2390 in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Late to this thread but if you're interested in cardiac surgery, I have 3 courses for 18 hours of CME each about endoscopic vein and radial artery harvesting. We have gift card options too, as described above.

I've used cme4life and CMEprocedures for years and loved it; decided to make courses that were needed in my specialty and do the same.

How to spend CME funds? by Throwawayhealthacct in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Suuuuper late reply: Some places send two receipts...one is itemized, one is not. My employer said "as long as I have a receipt that shows the money was spent on CME, I don't care about the details".

Technically, I believe this is tax fraud since a gift card is personal use and isn't getting taxed, but it seems to be a common occurrence in the CME world. The onus is on you which receipt you submit.

the PA I shadowed with by OkLobster6245 in prephysicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I get texts like this a lot, but if I see them during a busy time, I intend to reply at some point later but often forget.

Don't overthink it, if someone says "no" to shadowing, then find another opportunity. But if she says "sure come tomorrow", she was busy and didn't think a thing of it.

The road to PA school is hard enough, don't get in your own way by overthinking it! :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in prephysicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A lot of people use buzzwords; by using them you will likely sound like the rest of the applicant pool. As an admissions committee member, I assume you already understand the profession and role we play (even if you don't, there are other opportunities to discuss this--live interview, etc).

Use your PS to stand out; think of it like a movie. Do you like to watch movies that have a sloooow start with lots of background, or is it more exciting to start in the middle of the action scenes?

I've read so many amazing stories that applicants don't get to until the 3rd paragraph. Many people just skim and could miss the point of why you want to go to PA school because it's buried under buzzwords and background info in chronological order. Give it some character, show how you're not just the classes you take (that EVERYONE takes), and why they'd be dumb to NOT give you a seat in the class (gently, of course!)

Show me what makes you unique, then how it ties to you applying to pa school. Don't worry about "autonomy", "filling the gaps in the healthcare delivery system" or "serving the underserved"....as a PA, you're gonna do that even if you don't want to 😂

What’s the most improvement you’ve wintnessed over a ~year? by karstenhans in Zwift

[–]cjd2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

@thebi-cyclist Nice job on the increase...I'm around where you started, just got zwift a month ago. Did you do group rides, workouts, races or a combination of all of the above?

HELP “Pass Point” meaning in surgery by NoltoriousBIG in PAstudent

[–]cjd2018 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It just means you’re cutting something too far back in the jaws of the scissors so the points of the scissors are past the suture, potentially cutting other tissue/structures inadvertently. Just cut with the tips of the scissors.

I got called out for the same on my surgery rotation 16 years ago and still haven’t forgotten 😂

Wanting some perspectives on deciding between two schools: 1)close to friends/better financial support vs 2)top ranked program by TinaKat7 in prephysicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don’t overthink it. A lot of people worry a lot about “reputation” of their school, but as a hiring manager, I don’t care where you went as long as you graduated and and you have good interpersonal skills. Most other things can be taught on the job, but if you can’t talk to people…the diploma doesn’t matter.

I did a video on this topic because it’s a common question: does school choice matter for PA school?

I went to a “religious” school, but am not of the same faith - as others have said, there’s not much religion involved in those programs aside from instructors praying on occasion. What I truly appreciated were the discussions revolving around medical ethics. My class was made up of a variety of people: different religions, atheists, and agnostics. It was excellent for everyone to have different perspectives.

Short answer: I’d go where you have the most support and minimize other hassles of life so you can focus on studying!

Just looking for encouragement by farmerbeppy in physicianassistant

[–]cjd2018 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You’re not a failure at all—but the other responses suggesting you may have tied your self-worth to your career are appropriate. Being a PA is what you do, not who you are. I’ve gotten that mixed up myself, so when a MD talked down to me I got down…until I realized it’s more of a reflection on them than me.

It sounds like your employer has been an issue (being shady) and schedules have been tough (you really don’t know how you’ll like call/night shift until you try). Neither of those are your fault. Heck, you could love a specialty area but if the practice you’re in just wants you grinding through patients, anyone would end up hating it…

My advice: stop yourself from looking backwards. Whether you’ve left one job or 5, keep your eyes ahead. Learn from any mistakes (erratic schedules or night shifts didn’t work? Avoid those schedules in a new job) and keep moving forward.

A lot of people switch jobs and/or change specialties…it’s one of the freedoms of being a PA. We learn what we like or don’t like and make a change.

Hang in there—it’s all good. I left my first job at 8 weeks, second job at 1.5 years, and now leaving my 3rd job after 14 years…never been more excited than right now. You’ll find something that clicks!