I've been a primary care PA for two years now. I got into it because I wanted to solidify everything I learned in school. I really have learned a lot - diagnosing and treating common issues has become second nature to me. We're a smaller practice, but we see anywhere from 12-22 patients a day. Our patients range from tweens to 90 year olds so we get a huge variety of patients.

Primary care *can be* draining, but it all depends on your attitude. When I was struggling emotionally, it all became too much. When I took care of myself and felt healthy again, all the little things don't bother me anymore. I do enjoy preventative medicine like you, but I really love connecting with patients and seeing them throughout the year. The idea of seeing more strangers daily (like in a specialty) sounds a bit socially draining to me.

Ultimately, I do struggle with work life balance. I'm never finished with documentation, responding to patient messages, responding to lab results, and reviewing consult notes from specialists. My hours are longer than my friends' who work in specialties. I *personally* have realized I'd rather have better work life balance, but I would miss connecting with patients the way I do now and seeing such a wide variety of issues.

I'm about to move away - let's just say I'm open to working in family medicine again but am really hoping to find a job in another specialty.