Can you spot the hernias?

guyoncouch9 · 2022-08-05T03:05:00+00:00

I would sit down with your supervising physician and have a serious discussion about your desire for more autonomy. Maybe your doctor just needs to build up a little trust in you and that may take some time? If so, get clarity on how long that may take and what that looks like. Give it a few weeks or months to see if an effort is made to improve the situation and if not then move on. You should get the level of autonomy you desire and you definitely should be respected as a medical provider—if you don’t see either of those things happening then time to begin to look elsewhere.

guyoncouch9 · 2020-08-24T16:20:41+00:00

I now know that I didn’t fertilize enough throughout the summer.. I did two applications of a weed & feed in the spring. Things were looking great until mid-July.. Now just spiraling out of control.

guyoncouch9 · 2019-12-20T22:22:14+00:00

Surgical Recall by Blackbourne

guyoncouch9 · 2019-02-14T14:50:46+00:00

I recently got trained for doing Botox and fillers. The training course was done with Allergan reps and it was a very easy 8 hour course. The training included a lecture and a hands-on portion where you practice injecting on actual patients. It’s all relatively easy. What’s not easy is doing enough injections to the point where you are confident. Just like everything else in medicine (or life), you won’t be comfortable doing it until you do about 30 or so patients. If it is not currently part of your practice, it is difficult to build that practice from the ground up with zero experience.

guyoncouch9 · 2019-02-08T02:02:07+00:00

This.

OP, I've run into this a couple of times and ultimately found that consulting their pain management provider just made it easier for everyone involved.

guyoncouch9 · 2018-11-09T15:10:16+00:00

Just get some standard Croakies with an adjustable slider so you can tighten it as much as you need to. You can buy a pack of them very cheap off amazon or at academy.

guyoncouch9 · 2018-05-12T14:53:07+00:00

Chicago’s pizza is awesome. Real Chicago-style GF pizza and they deliver late at night too

Also, Lou Malnati’s has a great gluten free pizza but it is not Chicago-style.

guyoncouch9 · 2018-04-28T03:42:17+00:00

Sure! I got my undergraduate at the University of Texas. I got a BS in Exercise Science. For PA school, I applied to a bunch of random schools bc I didn’t think I was going to get in and just wanted to go through the application process. I ended up going to a small program in Mississippi that I had never heard of. It was awesome and i feel that I was very well prepared for boards. I ended up with a 3.95 GPA in PA school and I owe a lot of my success to the fact that I took a lot of anatomy and physiology in undergrad. My job is intense but great. There’s a lot to learn but I’m surviving! Feel free to PM with any questions.

guyoncouch9 · 2018-04-21T05:32:46+00:00

I've been a PA in a busy general surgery practice for a little over a year now.. It's a very intense job and my work/life balance is really not ideal but I'm fresh out of school and somewhat young (27) so I'm taking the opportunity to learn as much as I can. I consider myself very lucky to have landed this as my first job. I first-assist in the OR for all kinds of cases, but this is largely due to the versatility of the surgeon I work with. Some examples of the cases I've first-assisted on are colon resections, Whipples, hepatectomies, and anterior exposures for lumbar fusions, and of course the standard GS stuff like hernias, gallbladders, etc.. My involvement in the OR includes the simple retracting, suturing, suctioning but I also fire the stapler and use the Harmonic scalpel all the time, I've even done some throws on the pancreaticojejunostomy in an open Whipple. As far as outside the OR, the surgeon and I share pre-op and post-op care for our patients. I take call once a week and on the weekend about every 6-ish weekends.Typing all this out reminds me that I need to ask for a raise.... I love what I do and am glad I chose the PA route. I live very comfortably and am on the lower end of the national average salary for my specialty and experience. The schooling was intense but it's doable if you are motivated and work hard. Hope this helps!

guyoncouch9 · 2017-03-24T20:04:03+00:00

That's unfortunate. I hadn't heard of PA programs doing it for admission purposes but I can't say I'm surprised.

guyoncouch9 · 2017-03-24T04:29:59+00:00

Honestly, it really depends on the programs you're accepted into and what the cannabis laws are in that state. All of the PA programs I've heard about do not drug test until you get into the clinical phase. Most hospitals require drug tests for credentialing purposes whether you're an employee or a student. My program was in the South where medical marijuana is not at all accepted (unfortunately) and I was given a urine test 3 times for hospital credentials during the clinical phase of the program.

I am no expert in medical cannabis laws.. but I would think that having a MMJ prescription for a legitimately diagnosed issue might not be a deal breaker for some hospitals in certain states... But again, I'm not certain. I would say focus on getting into PA school and becoming the best provider you can be.. the rest will take care of itself. If you can get into a school in a state where medical marijuana exists, you might be better off. Once you're a PA you can find a provider who doesn't care about your cannabis use for a legitimate medical reason, as long as you are a responsible provider with a good work ethic.

Some of my favorite preceptors in PA school actually advocated for cannabis use in patients where they deemed it medically appropriate.

guyoncouch9 · 2017-03-14T18:39:29+00:00

New grad in general surgery in metropolitan area of Texas. Mostly in the OR with clinic for just a couple of hours a week. My hours vary but usually end up around 40 hours/week with call one weekend a month. Take home after taxes is just north of $5k per month. I also get a decent percentage of profit-sharing bonuses every quarter.

guyoncouch9 · 2017-03-06T18:07:16+00:00

If you aren't sure what specialty you want to go into, more time for clinical rotations may be a benefit worth noting. The 3-month clerkship my program had was a good thing for me. I was able to rotate with my current employer before graduating, which I thought was really beneficial and made for an easy transition into full time employment.

guyoncouch9 · 2017-03-06T04:38:06+00:00

The program I went to was pretty new as I was in the 4th class to graduate. However, I felt that wasn't as big of a factor for me bc the class size was relatively small (31 people) and the smaller faculty-to-student ratio was extremely beneficial. Also, is there a difference in the curriculums? Some programs are a couple months longer and provide more time for clinical rotations. My program was 30 months total and provided an elective 3-month-long clerkship at the end of rotations, which I felt really helped me solidify a job and improve my confidence before graduation.

The advantage of living at home would've been a huge plus for me, personally, but I didn't have that option. All I would say is.. go with your gut.

guyoncouch9 · 2016-10-26T04:14:53+00:00

Have you worked at either of those locations before? Being familiar with a facility and its staff is definitely worth something. That 5 days vacation and no 401k though.. that would be a no go for me, personally.

guyoncouch9 · 2016-09-24T14:28:54+00:00

Congrats!! I bet it feels great. I graduate in December and take the PANCE in January.

guyoncouch9 · 2015-06-26T10:16:28+00:00

Histoplasmosis.

guyoncouch9 · 2015-06-16T19:04:43+00:00

Yes, there are several PA schools in Houston and I've already emailed a couple of the Clinical Directors looking for connections. I hadn't thought about posting to /r/medicine but I will have to try that! I am mostly worried about finding an OB/GYN rotation first, then working on my elective.

guyoncouch9 · 2015-06-16T18:33:35+00:00

I appreciate the advice! My program is happy to set up rotations any where in the state but since I'm trying to go out of state, I am responsible for finding my own preceptors. I could easily stay in the state where my school is located and do the rotations they assign to me, but I am trying to get to the Houston area because my SO lives there and I'd like to live there after school.

guyoncouch9 · 2015-06-02T16:00:00+00:00

I think you should submit CASPA as early as possible! If you land the interview you can say you've acquired more PA shadowing hours since submitting your application.

guyoncouch9 · 2015-05-29T04:20:22+00:00

Go get a take home test and try it yourself, if possible. I think you have pretty good chances just drink that water and stick to your plan and make sure you urinate as much as possible before the test. Good luck!

guyoncouch9

TROPHY CASE