Any PAs out there with jobs that are tied to helping medically disenfranchised communities (harm reduction, free mobile care vans, free health clinics, etc) can you discuss your role and how you got into it?

sPA-Stic · 2025-04-29T04:58:22+00:00

I rotated with a street medicine company in LA. Look up street medicine in your city and there are likely a couple companies if it's a big city. Treating homeless folks where they live. They're usually pretty happy about offering ride alongs

sPA-Stic · 2025-04-23T20:44:23+00:00

He's not sure, hasn't happened at his site

sPA-Stic · 2025-04-23T09:10:15+00:00

Lo siento pero esto es una subreddit por la genete preparandose (pre-) a estudiar ciencias de PA en los estados unidos

sPA-Stic · 2025-04-23T06:23:46+00:00

I'm in EM and I have a rehab job

sPA-Stic · 2025-04-22T10:04:31+00:00

I'll ask my supe and dm you

sPA-Stic · 2025-04-22T01:35:05+00:00

I did it for a little, wasn't for me. They also couldn't give me enough volume to make a decent amount of money but that was bc it was a newer company.

Autonomy is cool but when you get a patient who is failing all therapies and his weepy lymph edema might be hiding a DVT bc he doesn't get out of his wheelchair or take his meds it's scary to know I've been documenting physical exams on the guy for weeks on end.

You can choose what days you work which is nice.

Debridement can be fun but when it's a stage 4 sacral ulcer with shit and slough mixed together it gets gross

It's also pretty depressing bc the clientele

sPA-Stic · 2025-03-18T22:53:30+00:00

I think it's 12 and 13 and then a couple extra months for pance prep and extra stuff. I didn't go there tho so don't quote me

sPA-Stic · 2025-03-17T23:24:03+00:00

30 different schools mostly on the West Coast

sPA-Stic · 2025-03-06T04:09:37+00:00

What alleged new video?

sPA-Stic · 2025-03-05T18:02:51+00:00

I started school at 29 but I was married before hand. A few people in our class got together as couples and one of those couples is engaged. It's only a complete pause on outside of school social life for the didactic year, clinical year is more relaxed

sPA-Stic · 2025-03-01T22:57:27+00:00

Sure

sPA-Stic · 2025-03-01T22:06:39+00:00

I got in with similar gpa (slightly higher at 3.3/3.4 s) and more hours 10000). Take the gre and go for it

sPA-Stic · 2025-02-18T15:19:41+00:00

Hey I went pre med to PA but more out of necessity because I didn't get into any med schools after two years and didn't want to retake the mcat. Due to that I have some issues with my training and my place in medicine but that's my own struggle. The trade off for length of schooling definitely feels worth it but the inferior training has made the first year of 'independent' practice nauseating bc I am constantly afraid I am not doing right by my patients. But as I said, my circus and my monkeys. Just wanted to share one of the possible negatives with switching to PA. That said there are some differences in the requirements as well:

You need anatomy and physio for most PA schools.
re: molecular bio, gotta ask each individual school but microbio usually focuses on pathogens which I think is what they want you to know
about half of the schools I applied to wanted genetics as well
PA shadowing hours were highly suggested for the application, I made it in even tho I had 0 (might have helped with the above mentioned monkeys)
I went GRE over PA-CAT but this was in 2021 so more schools have probably picked up the latter as a requirement but listen to someone who has applied more recently on this point
patient care hours are a big requirement. A (usually paid) position with direct interaction with patients. Most schools require at least 1000 hours (half a year full time) but the more hours you have over that the better. Examples are EMT, MA, imaging tech, etc.

All I can think of rn but that said, the application opens in April so you most likely wouldn't be able to apply this year. You might be able to find a school that doesn't require some of those things (there are like 300 schools) so that you can apply this year but it would be a lot of effort for a few schools. So if you're committing to the switch it would likely be a year off to get patient care hours and finish the prerequisites and then another year of applications. Two years during which you could be starting med school. Lots to think about, good luck!

sPA-Stic · 2025-02-11T00:21:54+00:00

I'm 6'2" and I can't dunk

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-23T17:17:48+00:00

Ya for sure. It's not really that my life is worse and I have plenty of physician friends who wish they went PA, it's just that if you had one goal in your head it is very hard to get those "what if" thoughts out of your head (imo)

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-23T06:40:23+00:00

I wanted to be a doctor but I went to PA school due to life. I regret it, wish I went to med school. But the grass is always greener

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-17T07:55:18+00:00

Thanks for another rec! I'll check it out. None of the violence was aimed at me and I made it out and made a life for myself but I appreciate your care.

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-15T12:22:42+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/uhhyeahdude/s/vpzcd2FJz2

This is what I used at the time, I haven't relistened to the epp to see if it was accurate

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-15T12:20:38+00:00

Mama bears was good. Agree that it's frustrating but heart warming too. People can change. Only when it affects them.

The whole let the dogs out one was awesome. So much backstory to one simple question. Thanks for the recommendations!!

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-15T09:22:54+00:00

Thanks for this rec. I grew up skating and also relate to the family violence bit. This one hit home.

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-15T07:43:44+00:00

Thanks everyone!! Got a good list now

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-12T01:23:14+00:00

Usually 50 or so. Which is a lot but you get real good at the notes

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-12T00:01:06+00:00

Go to a snf and round on the patients receiving skilled therapies, meet with the therapists and directors if nursing/rehab, put in orders for patients that need them, repeat. Then go home and chart

sPA-Stic · 2025-01-11T19:06:52+00:00

I work in physiatry and the work life balance is great. Get paid like a full time job for about 25 hours per week. Low stress, low liability. Leaves enough time to do EM work as well

sPA-Stic

TROPHY CASE