Hello, and welcome to the first issue of In Practice, the newsletter for AAPA fellow members in their first few years of practice! My name is Kelsey King and I am a member of the AAPA membership team. I’m responsible for AAPA’s Career Central and moving forward, I’ll be writing to you every few months to share peer and expert advice and resources that I’ve sourced to help you navigate the exciting and often challenging early years of PA practice.
PA-C to be unexpectedly difficult, and that the support that new PAs receive from their first employers can vary widely. I recently conducted interviews with early career PAs and heard this firsthand.
Multiple PAs told me about struggling to secure their first job after being told that this process would be easy, and nearly all the PAs I interviewed shared that they experienced feelings of imposter syndrome and overwhelm in their first year of practice.
I heard how hard it can be to learn to trust yourself and your education, and how important it is to prioritize yourself and combat perfectionist tendencies. One PA told me that the experience of learning how to manage complex patients in 15-minute windows regularly brought her to tears. Another shared that she woke up extra early and stayed late every evening trying to keep up before her work/life imbalance ultimately led to burnout.
Less Stress, More Success
While it’s natural to experience an adjustment period at your first PA position, workplace challenges shouldn’t be persistent or interfere with your ability to provide patient care. According to Jennifer Anne Hohman, the PA Career Coach, many issues can be mitigated or avoided altogether.
AAPA recently published an article by Hohman aimed at helping new graduates set themselves up for success in their first jobs. She stresses the importance of asking questions during the interview process to assess whether an employer will provide a good environment for a new grad (asking about their onboarding process for new grads is a great place to start!). She also advises new grads to negotiate a schedule they can live with in the intense transition period from program to practice.
Hohman's other tips include:
Be compassionate with yourself and expect to make some mistakes. Celebrate every positive, empowering encounter that reminds you why you became a PA.
Be compassionate with yourself and expect to make some mistakes. Celebrate every positive, empowering encounter that reminds you why you became a PA.
Shadowing before your official start date can be a great way to get acclimated. Familiarize yourself with the physical layout of the workplace and the technology you’ll be using.
Shadowing before your official start date can be a great way to get acclimated. Familiarize yourself with the physical layout of the workplace and the technology you’ll be using.
Try to meet with your colleagues and team members early to boost your sense of inclusion and camaraderie.
Try to meet with your colleagues and team members early to boost your sense of inclusion and camaraderie.
When it comes to your first job – or even your first few – it can be helpful to have a checklist to make sure you’ve done the administrative work needed to begin practicing. AAPA curated a step-by-step guide to help you begin a new job – things like state practice authorization, hospital privileges, malpractice insurance, and more. It also includes tips for meeting the healthcare team and your new patients.
What if you’re still looking for your first PA position or in a position that isn’t quite the right fit? Head to PA JobSource to communicate directly with PA employers who are hiring now and networking for future openings.If all goes well, multiple job offers could soon be headed your way!
If you’re looking for a job, it might be tempting to jump at the first job offer you receive. But according to PA Michele Cambron, founder of The Medicine Couch, making a hasty move could push you further away from your dream job.
These are just a few of the 200 members-only resources in AAPA’s Career Central we gathered to support you during the first years of your career journey and beyond! Not seeing what you need? Email me at kking@aapa.org or submit a suggestion.
Thanks for reading the inaugural edition of In Practice. I’ll be back in February with more Early Career tips and tools!
