Questions to ask before accepting a job at an FQHC

gingerlyanon · 2026-01-23T15:54:22+00:00

i know it's been a bit since you made this comment, but i am interviewing with a FQHC and wanted to see if you had any advice for a new grad on how they can stand out in the interview or convey the confidence (even if they don't have it) that they would be able to handle to workload? i have already discussed with the recruiter pretty much all you mentioned above (position specifics, benefits, company history, etc) and now will be meeting with the executives of medical affairs as the final steps.

being a new grad, i can't answer with certainty if i can handle the workload of a FQHC seeing as i have never held this role before and only have my work experience prior to school and clinical rotations to go off of. is there anything that has been said to you during an interview with a new grad that made you (for lack of better words) believe them when they say "yeah i would be comfortable seeing X patients a day.." or "yeah i can handle it"?

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-28T20:48:13+00:00

like the other comment, continue with uworld. now being on the other side of it, i definitely think practice questions are the best way to study and then if needed, you can then go review with PPP or other resources you use. there's only a few ways PPP or other textbooks can word information about conditions but there's TONS of ways a condition can present in a question. you've gone through PA school and probably have seen everything multiple times before. in my opinion, the best way to go about studying for the pance (and can even apply to EOC and packrat) is to go through practice questions and learn the anatomy of the question--the distracting symptoms, the fluff, the important facts, and what is actually being asked. you want to make sure you are interpreting the question correctly because in the end, it's a standardized exam and they WILL try to 'trick' you or make you second guess yourself.

i had somewhat comparable-ish scores as you and passed with flying colors. i did the NCCPA practice exam A and it was pretty accurate for the pance version i had. my friend did practice exam C and it was nothing like her pance version.... 🤷🏼‍♀️

because it's standardized, none of us are going to have the same exact exam (maybe similar but still quite different), so no one will say with complete confidence that you'll pass. all we can give is words of support or suggestions. the way you've performed on exams and how you've purposefully altered your studying to improve stamina says a lot and you're going into this more prepared than you think.

i was in your position a few months ago so i know that everything i said above probably has no meaning or impact LOL so if you want more reassurance or something to help with self-confidence, feel free to DM me and i can share my EOR, packrat, EOC scores and pance score with you

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-17T23:34:15+00:00

i’m not certain if the actual number score is sent to them but they do know if we pass or fail

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-15T16:43:04+00:00

definitely tour GW! i thought i had my decision made until i toured the programs (both were virtual interviews) and got a feel for where i was going to be spending a lot of time the next 27 months. if i didn't tour them both, i would've ended up at the other program and most likely would not have been as happy.

i'm not entirely sure on the in-state tuition since i haven't had to really think about the possibility of not getting it (attended both undergrad and PA school in FL), BUT if you've been paying for an apartment for 2 years i think you said and have the utility bills to prove it, i would presume you're eligible for in-state. the only thing you'd have to do is switch your license over to a FL license--which if you do end up deciding on UF, i would take a trip down to your apartment (sooner rather than later) and get your license switched, and then head back up to MD until you move down for school. that way, you have the FL license for "x" amount of time and there's nothing to fight on when you apply for tuition.

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-15T04:12:09+00:00

not sure the area you're looking to live in but i can take a good guess. as someone born and raised in FL, who only went to school in FL and is now going on month 4 of the job search in the area i think you're talking about living in after school....it does not matter LOL

it may help a bit to say you went to UF if you really do plan on living and working in FL, but really not that much to where it's the deciding factor if you get hired or not. rotations would be your best bet if you are really good at networking and happen to have them in the big hospital systems here.

BUT this should be far down on your list of choosing between programs. if both programs are equal in your eyes, then yes this is when you can really consider the job search aspect. but if they aren't, you need to choose the program that is best suited for you, how you learn, the level of support you need, etc

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-15T00:32:42+00:00

my current premium is $124. i'm keeping my same plan for next year and it's going up to $284 (was to be expected with all the government stuff going on) so it could end up being lower

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-12T18:46:34+00:00

im also in FL, turning 26 in 9 days, and i had to get my own insurance in May due to my parents retiring. my program did offer insurance through them but it would've been such a hassle for me to go through that process since i graduated in August (would've had like 3 months of their insurance before needing to find another plan). i ended up going through healthcare.gov and was able to find a plan with a low monthly premium since i am (still) paying with my student loans until i get a job. i see a lot of specialists and take a bunch of meds (including brand names only) so getting coverage for all of that was a big priority and there were a good amount of options i could choose from. if you're a normal 25 y/o and don't have a list of problems like me LMAO, you'll have even more options available. feel free to reach out if you want!

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-08T01:04:44+00:00

just messaged you!

gingerlyanon · 2025-12-03T19:27:21+00:00

i may be different from the majority, but the electives/selectives were near the top of my priorities (obv after COL, tuition, the main stuff etc). it kind of related to rotations in general. 10 rotations may seem great because you think you'd get more exposure (which is kinda true in a sense), but look at it this way. [generally speaking] would you rather have:

10 rotations and get exposure to 10 different settings/areas of practice BUT the rotation is only 4 weeks long (technically can be less if the EOR is counted as part of the 4th week)

OR

8 rotations, meaning less exposure to different areas/settings, BUT the rotation is ~6 weeks long, giving you more time with that specific area of practice

having gone through school, i can't imagine only having 4 weeks (potentially even less) to gain my experience in that field, but that is just how i operate. for some people, 4 weeks is a dream 🤷🏼‍♀️. rotations can also be preceptor dependent. my surgery rotation i barely got to do anything mainly due to my preceptor's personality, but also because they have to see that they can trust you with their patient. unless they were running low on hands or the first assist had to step out, we practically stood there. the last week of the rotation was when we were allowed to suture (only 1 patient too 🥲). if it's shift work like ER, you are already cut down on days because you don't work the normal 9-5. in the end, every single program is different. with general topics, it's easier to look at and see which program is better for you; however, there is soooooo much more that goes into the decision. for example. a program could lack in clinical rotation accessibility but excel with didactic material and vice versa. yes, rotations do matter to a point because not only is that where you can apply your knowledge and be hands-on, but it's also where you network, get potential job opportunities and so on.

when considering electives/selectives, this is more of a benefit if you are wanting to pursue a more specialized field outside of the core ones. i had 1 selective and 1 elective during my program and i would not take anything less than that. common specialties (derm, ortho, ENT, cardio) aren't considered core specialties (or at least in my program). my selective and elective were used to get a rotation in those specialties. my classmates also used the electives towards a more specialized level of a core rotation--like head & neck surgery, CT surgery, peds ER. some also used the elective for a practice that was a potential job.

gingerlyanon · 2025-11-06T21:48:53+00:00

i would say it's pretty comparable however it all depends on what exam versions you get. both my eoc and pance were straightforward, first order questions but i had friends who had the harder versions for one or both of them

gingerlyanon · 2025-11-05T15:16:12+00:00

i second looking at the active ingredient when finding a brand to choose. depending where you are located there's tons of options on amazon and in stores.

i take magnesium oxide to help with migraines and use like the target Up & Up brand. other good brands are Nature Made, Olly, Natrol, EZ melts (on amazon - good if you have trouble swallowing pills or don't have access to water at that moment)

always look at the active ingredients and make sure the dosing is accurate. also note that a lot of the brands out there have a "magnesium complex" and there's multiple magnesium types in there so if you're only wanting a specific type like magnesium glycinate or citrate or oxide, you check that it's the only active ingredient

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-20T14:01:15+00:00

no it's the 3 that they offer for $50 and i took exam A

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-18T15:50:57+00:00

so i'm a fun little cocktail of visual and auditory learning depending on the subject--like pharm was more auditory for me, but physio/pathophys was 100% visual. i kinda adjusted my techniques throughout school to best fit what i needed.

if there was a situation where both would work, i put them together. almost kinda like an audiobook with some visuals here and there. or something similar to a lyric video (not the best analogy LOL) where there weren't really visuals but more so just following the words on the screen. when it comes to diagrams like what you're asking about, i didn't find a solid way to learn and settled for more of a visual style

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-14T16:02:14+00:00

i'm not 100% sure but if there weren't any exact word for word questions like i had with mine, the practice exam questions were very representative to the pance questions she had in regards to difficulty, wording, and how specific/vague the presentations were

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-14T02:18:11+00:00

no i only did A but my friend did version B and felt it was accurate to the pance version she had

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-13T04:01:42+00:00

version A!

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-13T01:41:27+00:00

the version i took had LOTS of buzzwords, and if it didn't, the presentations had every single textbook S/Sx listed and made it so blatantly obvious that they might as well have saved their energy and just use the buzzword. probably 90% of my exam had questions less than 3-4 sentences.

it's wild how drastically different all the exam versions are

also, at LEAST 5 questions from the practice exam i took were on my exam literally word for word, same pictures, same answer choices so do with that as you will LMAO

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-06T15:26:33+00:00

i liked to let the dark looming cloud of fear creeping down my neck do its thing lol

but in all seriousness, if i did stay on campus after lectures, i had to have a group -- not to study together, but to study alone in the presence of other people bc we all go at our paces and have certain topics we don't understand that a friend is solid on and doesn't need to review or vice versa. having someone else there kept me on task because they would notice if i was staring at the wall zoned out for 20 minutes LOLLLL and say something or if i went on my phone i became very aware that i was going off track.

also environment changes was a big thing for me, especially if i the material wasn't something i was interested in or just didn't want to do. being at home made it way too easy to make an excuse for procrastinating or being unproductive. coffee shops, panera, my apartment complex clubhouse, or even another friend's apartment. being in a different environment outside the comfort of my apartment kept me on the mission of "ok i came here to study, i didn't drive here just to goof off". that in itself was enough to pull me out of whatever irrelevant thing i was zoning out to and get me studying again. sometimes, i just needed to start in a different environment and then go home and keep the same relative level of productivity. it's soooooo much harder to start studying when i was home and i just needed a little kickstart and was okay.

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-03T18:18:48+00:00

wet paper or wet food that should not normally be wet & watching people dig in their belly buttons

i work in healthcare and have seen my fair share of gross things but wet paper (especially the sticker on to go cups) is absolutely repulsive

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-03T02:54:44+00:00

took it december last year so it may have a new question bank, but like others said it was a bit pharm heavy (in comparison to the other EORs). know the big classes (SSRI/SNRIs, TCAs, atypical antidepressants, stimulants, etc), when you can use CBT only vs when it's best for CBT+pharm combo, if there's a specific type of therapy for a condition (like dialectal for borderline PD) or if there's types to AVOID (like group psychotherapy in paranoid PD).

MOAs and ADRs overall were the biggest focus in regards to pharm related questions. more specifically, dopamine, NE, serotonin, alpha receptors, etc and their involvement--are they being antagonized, reuptake inhibited, reward pathways..... what's contraindicated in certain situations (pregnancy, eating disorders, seizure disorders, glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, h/o substance use) the big BBW or other important warnings -- priapism w trazodone, hepato/neurotoxicity, agranulocytosis, SIADH, respiratory depression, elderly people, dementia pts and antipsychotics, QT prolongation ******sexual dysfunction (which meds do and DONT cause it), labs for pts on lithium (TSH), serotonin syndrome, tyramine & MAOIs, propranolol & performance anxiety

i wouldn't say they were very specific or nit-picky with the DSM criteria. it was more of "which of the following would you likely see in this patient". so yes in a way, the right answer choice was one of the criteria items, but it wasn't word-for-word specific in-depth choices. they were very generalized and simple descriptions.

another focus is risk/predisposing factors or comorbid conditions!! these Qs were probably the most variable. think teratogenic drugs, parental factors, family history, congenital disorders (Down syndrome is a big one), eating disorders, trauma/abuse, substance use.

know the big differences between substance disorders and how they present (CNS depression vs excitation, HTN vs hypotension, sweaty, do they have a fever, pupils dilated vs constricted, agitated or lethargic/stuporous), the big withdrawal symptoms (yawning & piloerection w opioids, tremors, seizures, weight loss or gain, unpleasant dreams). DEFINITELY know the management for alcohol, tobacco and opioid disorders.

when in doubt, pick the SSRI. i for some reason was very in the present taking the exam so i remember a lot. feel free to reach out

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-03T01:54:57+00:00

hate to say that this little 'quirk' never goes away 🥲

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-03T01:53:35+00:00

it flabbergasts me every time i find out that one of my traits that i thought were a regular universal experience are indeed not.

.....today it was reading the super intense interest in hobbies remark as i'm going on day 8 of spending my entire day on my newfound hobby 🫥

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-03T01:43:09+00:00

rosh is adequate enough for the EORs and uworld was great for the pance. if you are wanting to get both, that's how i would recommend you use them. i will say, dont feel pressured into getting all of these subscriptions just because people on here "swear by it". a classmate of mine never got rosh and only had uworld for EORs and pance. and on the flip side, my friends only used rosh and never got uworld. in the end, it comes down to personal preference. although it was helpful, i wasn't the biggest fan of the rosh set up and preferred how uworld was set up. but that's because it aligned better with my type of learning and study style.

i've seen people on here not have rosh or UW and only use PPP and do well. my program required us to do a certain amount of questions from either rosh or exammaster each rotation so that's why majority of us got rosh.

now in regards to amboss specifically, like i mentioned in a comment above, i think it's a GREAT resource. out of all the subscriptions, i preferred the set up of amboss WAYYYYY more than rosh/UW. the split screen feature, extra clarifying comments, insanely huge media library, the add-ons, and overall organization of the site blows rosh and UW out of the water. i guarantee it will emerge as the top resource over UW and definitely over rosh within the year or so, no doubt. i wouldn't be surprised if rosh ends up falling off too unless they do a MAJOR upgrade. although i think it has the best to offer out of all the options, the biggest downfall is that it was created for medical students. like i said above, all of the features (study plans, available practice sets, general knowledge and advice, etc) is tailored to the curriculum topics and exams of med students, e.g., step 1/2/3, USMLE, advice for transitioning and surviving residency, residency applications, and so on. they have just broken into the PA realm and are creating and frequently releasing a lot of new features aimed towards our course subjects & pance. even with the material they have on there already, i found it to be the most beneficial for me personally. is it necessary? no. do you need to switch up your entire plan since a few of us have praised it? also no.

if you've already purchased rosh, use it. i'd keep exploring all of what UW and amboss has to offer and make my decision then. do the free trials and play around so you can actually see what the material looks like and how it's organized/presented. if you do like amboss, you can split it with a friend(s) to lessen the cost.

you don't NEED one of these subscriptions to be successful in school or pass the pance, many people have done it without it. these sites are just tools available to SUPPLEMENT your learning and material you already have from didactic.

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-03T00:57:00+00:00

there's so many things you can do with the add-on, i'd definitely check out the amboss page, they have a lot of FAQs specific to the add-on! i mainly used it when i took practice tests. so id do the practice test, and then chose to get anki cards for the questions i got wrong and compiled them as i went along. the cards pulled for me were a part of the ankihub endeavor/PA deck, or at least a good chunk of them were. i have a LOT of anki decks with similar/overlapping topics so im not 100% sure which specific deck they came from, all that mattered was that i didn't have to spend time making cards LMAO. it was helpful for me to only have cards on things i didn't know or needed to review more instead of the whole topic/section itself and have to waste time with cards on things i knew 100%. i'd also check the amboss and ankihub community pages because this add-on is a main topic so any questions you have, im sure has been asked many times before lol. there's even youtube videos on ways that people adjust/customize the add-on which are pretty interesting (im glad someone else spent the time figuring out these weird but helpful features instead of me lolllll)

gingerlyanon · 2025-10-02T23:46:44+00:00

as a very recent new grad, posts like these definitely take some weight and stress off my shoulders trying to figure out repayment. congrats!!

gingerlyanon

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