PA School Goals

Your primary goal as a new physician assistant or as someone hoping to become one should not be immediate success or money, but to learn as much as possible. When people look for a way in to a particular field an internship or first job they often search for positions which promise the greatest prestige or financial reward. But there are other, more meaningful rewards to consider For one, a job that gives you an opportunity to learn can be worth doing, even if it doesn't pay well. Other more prestigious, well-paid positions will be available to you later, and the practical knowledge you gain from those early, poorlypaid jobs will ultimately pay off for decades to come. Consider my first job in the medical field The only position available when I applied at the campus health clinic was an hourly position in the basement. It was far removed from patients, and I was working for campus minimum wage (which at the time was a whopping $4.25 an hour) as a medical records clerk. This "entry level" position gave me a foot in the door, and after a couple of months of filing records in the evenings, I transitioned to a float. Soon I was "kicking it" with the doctors, PAs, and medical staff. Later, I met a college senior who was working in the laboratory as a student phlebotomist and technician. She became a close friend who would eventually pass her time-honored position on to me. It was here, in the lab, that I worked alongside a medical doctor turned lab technician from India who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I became close acquaintances with a physician assistant who ran the campus orthopedic clinic and let me hang out from time to time. Later, it was these phlebotomy credentials (not my four-year degree in biology mind you) that I used to obtain employment after graduation. It was the supportive campus health center staff that would go on to write the letters of recommendation that were surely a part of my acceptance into PA school. I never made enough money to buy more than my annual bus pass and pay part of my living expenses. But the knowledge, the resources and the connections I gained were priceless. Stop Acting Entitled - It's Time to Rethink The Meaning of Work! Take a look at this timeless 2011 TED talk by Charlie Hoehn author of The Recession-Proof Graduate - How to Land The Job You Want by Doing FREE WORK (FREE download) My entire life, I've done what everyone told me I should do. From kindergarten to my senior year of college, I had a high GPA. I volunteered. I played sports. I was in groups, extracurricular activities, student council. I did all that stuff. I was checking off the boxes to become a successful American. So by the time I graduated in 2008, after 12 weeks of applying for jobs to dozens of companies - maybe even a hundred - I had been turned down by every single one of them with the exception of two. One was a staging company whose only job requirements were to have a pulse and be a chain smoker. And the other company was a pyramid scheme, so thank you CareerBuilder.com. And my friends were all going through the same thing. It wasn't just me. Charlie Hoehn Many masters made a similar choice in their early years Consider boxer Freddie Roach: he chose to take an unpaid position at a boxing center, using his time there to develop the skills necessary to his professional career. Ultimately, his decision paid off; Roach eventually earned far more money than if hed taken a different, paid job early on. For example, in his youth, Charles Darwin rejected both a place at medical school and a well-paid job in the church.Instead, he convinced his father to allow him to work as an unpaid naturalist on the HMS Beagle, where he could study exotic plants and animals. The observations he made during that voyage helped him to develop his famous theory of evolution. Or consider Benjamin Franklin, who rather than taking over his fathers lucrative candle-making business chose to work at a printing business. This meant a far longer apprenticeship and financial uncertainty, but Franklin recognized he could use this position to learn how texts were composed a skill that would later benefit him greatly. Your Inner Calling Have you ever had the feeling that a discipline or field was tailor-made just for you, and that working in that field is your destiny? Then you need to trust that feeling and do whatever it takes to make your destiny a reality. Each of us is unique an original, through and through. Due to the endless possible combinations of DNA in our bodies, we are a one-off phenomenon. Like snowflakes, no two humans are exactly alike. So why is it, then, that we dont allactunique? Due to incredible social pressure to blend in, we suppress our uniqueness in the vain hope that just doing what everyone else does will keep us out of trouble. Rather than using your energy to blend in with the crowd, recognize instead that youre unique, and that you have a particular calling in life which can be found quite simply by listening to and following your inner voice. As I write this now, I sound bold and fearless but when I first approached the campus health center in hopes of finding a job and some medical experience I was terrified. I lacked self-confidence, I doubted my inner calling. But what I didn't doubt was my desire to help other people. My "calling" or whatever you want to call it, that led me to believe that a career in medicine was even a possibility. A lot of people spend their time making excuses instead of making solutions! Some excuses I hear all the time: There are no jobs out there to gain experience - Then do what I like to do - offer to work for free.Then see where you are in a month if you play your cards right this may be the best investment of time you have ever made. PAs don't want to let me shadow - Call one up and invite them out for coffee. Or if that sounds scary, write a personal hand-written letter and drop it off at their office. Explain to them how much you want to help others, why you dream of being a PA, how you admire them and their position and value their work. Hell (although this might come across as stocking so be careful :-)) you could even schedule to make an appointment then work it into the conversation. Then ask them if you could buy them a cup of coffee and pick their brain - I have had a patient of mine do this. We are still friends to this day! For an excellent example of this process in action watch how these students approached the task. I am not smart enough - This is fear taking over. If you struggle (I hate math for example), then do whatever it takes to figure out how to get through it. In 2016 with the dawn of the Khan, Udemy, Coursera, EdX, etc., etc. There should be no more excuses! I have a family - Granted I didn't have kids when I attended PA school although I have two now and a wife that works. Having a family doesn't mean life should stop, it just means you need to get serious about time management, assess your priorities, turn off the TV and make the time. Not sold? Take a look at how this PA school Dad, and this PA school Mom made it happen. I am too old - I attended PA school with a 56-year-old post-doctorate student with a previous degree in psychology. I work with a 62-year-old NP who decided he needed a new challenge. I work with a 75-year-old PA who loves her job. Life is about learning; it is never too late. I can't, I don't, but I, I'm not . . . These are self-limiting words that will hold you back. Next time you see yourself making excuses stop! Just stop, and reframe your thinking.Instead of thinking of all the ways you can't do something start thinking about the ways you can instead. Change your worldview, and the view of the world will change with you! I am not even sure where this blog post started, but I like the way it turned out... Take Home Points and Action Steps Your primary goal as a new physician assistant or as someone hoping to become one shouldn'tbe immediate success or money, but to learn as much as possible. Follow the advice of Charlie Hoehn - Rethink your definition of work, stop acting entitled, choose an area you'd like to work in and get some skills then contact "targets and prove your worth! Listen to your inner calling. Be Unique... i.e. Be yourself. And finally, stop making excuses! As my dad always says "excuses are like armpits and they all stink."Change from a limitedto a limitless mindset. That is a lot to absorb in a blog post, but hey, life is short - So get GOING! Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to read this blog post. I wish you the best on your journey, and I hope you have a beautiful day! - stephen@thepalife View all posts in this seriesUse this Interview Hack to Get The Physician Assistant Job of Your Dreams!The Physician Assistant Job or PA School Interview Email EtiquetteThe Physician Assistant Interview: Thank You and Follow-up (With Sample)Your Main Goal on Your Path to PA Shouldnt be Immediate Success or Money, But to Learn as Much as PossibleUse VisualCV to Create a Stunning Physician Assistant ResumeThe 10 Best Websites for Physician Assistant Job SearchThe 10 Best Cities For PAs to Move to in 201910 Reasons Why Physician Assistant is the #1 Healthcare Job in 2019 You may also like -The Physician Assistant and the Frog: Kiss Many a Frog Before you Marry a ToadEvery night before bed my wife and I take time as a family to read to our kids. I love fairy tales as teaching tools. I particular love the story of the princess who had to kiss a frog in order to find her handsome prince. 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