From Student to Clinician

You’re officially job searching for your first PA job…EVER! Where to start? What to do? What to expect on interviews? Keep calm & read on
 
Start by deciding which area of specialty suits you best. After clinical rotations, I knew for sure I did not want to do anything in peds (sorry kiddos!) or specialize in anything too early. While I had (and still have) a lot of interest in dermatology, it seemed too specialized for me right out of school. So it was: Family medicine, ER, and Urgent Care—all areas I thoroughly enjoyed and could see myself working in!

Graduation to First job
Graduation, PANCE, Interviews, Licensing, first job as a PA-C
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The whole process took about 3 months. Yep, that meant 3 months without any income. Plan accordingly—that may mean moving back in with loved ones to save on rent, taking out a little bit more loans, or working (Lyft? Uber? Yoga teacher?).  Below you’ll find my timeline to give you a better idea:
 
May 22, 2018--Graduation
June 1-17, 2018—PANCE prep/applying for jobs & interviewing
June 18, 2018—Passed PANCE
June 19-30, 2018—More interviews & shadowing
June 30, 2018—Received California PA license—fairly quick, but there were some glitches throughout the process—was asked to submit copy of DMV record & other questions on application. Take note of these little delays!
July 1, 2018—Accepted job offer. Started the DEA license/hospital clearance process, which took about 1.5 months
July 14, 2018--Controlled Substances certificate course
August 15, 2018— DEA license arrived. Officially cleared!
 
Did you have any job offers during rotations?
Yes, but I didn’t accept any. A lot of my rotations were in Northern or Central California. While I potentially saw myself working in these hospitals or clinics, I knew I wouldn’t be able to live anywhere but SoCal—Los Angeles truly is home. So, I graduated without a locked in position or job waiting for me. Was this scary? A little bit, especially since a lot of my classmates already knew where they were headed.
 
How did you find your job? 
I was getting news of job openings from past preceptors, past employers, classmates, and via job application websites. My job came from one of the websites listed..I cannot remember which haha! But, don’t forget the importance of networking

Websites I used: 

• Indeed
• DocCafe.com
• AAPA job board
• For California listing-CAPAnet.org

 
How did you manage to get jobs in both Urgent Care and Family Medicine? 
I already knew I wanted to do both.  As much as I love FM, it can get a little repetitive. The job I interviewed for (and ended up accepting) only had Urgent Care duties listed. When I interviewed I realized there were also looking for primary care providers—just my luck! Lesson learned: it doesn’t hurt to ask to be considered for both
 
Interviews

• This is like any other job or school interview, come in prepared & confident
• Dress appropriately/professional. I don’t need to explain this one
• Bring in copies of your CV, pen/paper to jot down notes
• Research the organization—mission/vision/etc
• Be prepared to speak at length about your experiences—rotations, interests in medicine, where you see yourself in couple years

Were you ever asked about clinical scenarios?
Yes, there were some employers who asked how I would handle certain chief complaints and I talked about work-up, differentials, etc. Don’t worry about this too much, no need to prep for this. You’ll be more than qualified to answer them
 
Did you have a chance to shadow in office?
Yes, I think most of the jobs I interviewed for allowed this. And, I highly recommend it! Our scope of practice tends to vary depending on the clinic/hospital. It also varies on the supervising (aka collaborating) physician’s experience working with PAs. Spending a day or two at the potential job gives you a feel for the clinic/hospital environment, scope, etc. 
 
If you’re taking over another PAs job, be sure to ask why she/he is leaving. A job I interviewed for made it seem as if the PA was simply switching to another specialty. The more I spoke with him, the more I realized he was limited on the types of patients he managed. He also seemed really unhappy and undervalued there! Cue the red flags
 
What should I look for as a new grad?
You really have to think about your priorities and what you are looking for in a job—only you can define these for yourself. For me, I focused on these when searching: 

• Scope of Practice—perhaps the most important for me! I looked for a setting that truly understood our scope, allowed autonomy, and also allowed for me to do procedures. This is where the shadowing or spending a day with the potential employer comes in handy! I interviewed at a place that treated the PA as a glorified RN and somewhat like a student. No seeing patients by herself, limited prescription writing, no procedures. Thank you, next! 
• Support/Willingness to Train—How much support will I get as a new grad? Is the attending on call? Willing to train on new procedures?
• Clinic Environment—How many patients will I see a day? Is there a patient cap? Are most patients familiar with PAs or NPs? Solo provider? EMR used? 
• Schedule—I was looking for shifts, primarily because I also run a yoga studio, this blog, and work to create content via MedGeeks. I knew I wouldn’t be able to work a regular 9-5. Working 15 to 16 shifts a month means I have time to work on other things I love.
• Commute—You’re probably rolling your eyes right about now, but Los Angeles traffic is no joke. I’m pretty lucky that I found a job with only a 15 min commute & no freeway needed! Commute time was pretty important
• Pay--As a new grad its tough to negotiate a high pay as there’s still so much to learn. But also know that you have some experience under your belt; don’t sell yourself short! Research median salary in your location and start there. At the same time, do not completely discount a job just based on pay—there may be other aspects to it that are beneficial

On the Job

​Orientation
The first two weeks were primarily orientation. I saw patients with the doctor or other practioners, learned more about the referral system, charting/documenting. Saw patients but it was more so like rotations! After that, I pretty much hit the ground running—but there were limitations set in place. Don’t burn yourself out and learn to speak up if things are overwhelming!
 
How often were you checking in with you supervising physician? How often are you checking in now?
My supervising is pretty confident in my skills—sometimes too confident if you ask me lol! From the beginning, he was all about autonomy. The first weeks, he’d ask about almost every patient. Then, it eased up a bit. Now, we transitioned to only check in as needed. During our shifts, he literally sits beside me at our station so if I have any question—he’s about 2 feet away. He’s also available all the time, on call. He still looks over 100% of my charts/cases. Lastly, we always review interesting cases from the day before!
 
Study schedule
You mean there is still studying after graduation? You bet. The first month was tough. I would get home exhausted, overwhelmed, and a lot of times scared I missed something. I work 15 or 16 shifts a month—even now, a lot of those days off are spent studying/going over cases/asking a billion questions to my collaborating physician & specialists

​Common Questions on Interviews
I had a lot of requests about common questions asked on interviews, I’ve asked a couple PA-Cs to chime in on the topic. Below you’ll find so many examples!
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Interview Tips by Aakash & Rachel, Surg PA-C
IG: @thehumerusPA

• Guaranteed to be 1st question. Tell me about yourself. (aka elevator pitch)
• What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
• What attracted you towards this position?
• How has your journey prepared you for this position?
• Can you tell me what you know about this position thus far?
• Can you tell me about your favorite rotations and why?
• Do you have a memorable patient throughout your rotations?
• Describe an instance that was tough for you in your career thus far? And how did you overcome that obstacle?
• Why are you interested in this field (specialty)?
• How do you handle stressful situations?
• How do you handle conflict with your coworkers/classmates?
• Are you a good communicator/team player? Explain
• How do you stay up to date with recent advancements in the field?
• What do you think the greatest advantage of being a PA is?
• Do you think there are any obstacles of being a PA? How would you seek to resolve those issues as a new grad?
• Where do you see this profession heading?
• Where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?
• If you had to choose another specialty, what would be your next option?
• Do you think you are a good candidate for this position? Why?

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​Interview Tips by Chase, ER PA-C
IG: @ChasethePA

Tips for Answering Interview Questions:

• Listen carefully. If you dont understand the question, ask politely for clarification
• Pause before answering—dont feel pressured to rush into a response.
• Always offer positive information, avoid negativity at all times
• Get directly to the point when answering questions
• Focus and re-focus on your successes. The interviewer is trying to see if you are the right PA for the job.
• Be truthful!

Most Common Job Interview questions:

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• If you could have your choice of any job, what would it be and why?
• Why do you want to go into this unit/clinic?
• What are your short/longterm goals?
• What motivates you?
• What does success mean to you and how do you measure it?
• How do you handle stress?
• What is your greatest achievement and greatest disappointment?
• Tell me about the best and worst bosses youve ever had?
• Give an example of how you work with the physicians.
• What qualities do you prize the most in those that report directly to you?
• What type of people do you have the most trouble getting along with in the workplace and how do you handle it?
• Everybody has pet peeves. What are yours?
• What else do you think I should know about you?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Assuming we make you an offer, what do you see as your future here?
• Are you considering other PA positions at this time?
• If you feel you have nay weaknesses with regard to this job, what would they be?
• How do you feel about relocating?
• What could you contribute to our facility or organization?
• Tell me about yourself
• Why should I hire you?
• What do you believe that you are the best candidate for this job?
• Why do you believe that you could handle this position?

Questions to ask the employer/interviewer:

• What is the size of the unit, volume, etc?
• Does hospital plan to expand? What are the hospital's strengths and weaknesses compared to its competition?
• Can you discuss you take on the hospital culture? What are the hospitals values?
• What is the reputation of the department to which I am applying to?
• How is the department perceived within this organization?
• What is your management style?
• How often would we meet together?
• What responsibilities have the highest priority?
• How might these responsibilities and priorities change?
• What do you like about working here?

​Interview Tips by Ngan, ENT PA-C
IG:@ampersand.pa

Questions to ask the Employer

• What is my role as a PA in this position? 
• How soon will I be able to see patients on my own; do I keep track of my own patients, will I report to you/who do I report to?
•  How long will I be trained?
• Can you tell me a typical day of how it would be?
•  Will I be able to come in a shadow for a day?
• Have you hired PAs before?
• What is the last reason why your last APP left?
• What are my benefits? CME allowance?
• ​Will you pay for license registration? Society memberships?

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Interview Tips by Erin, ER PA Resident
IG: @stethoscopeandsparkle

PA Residency Interview Questions

• Why did you decide to complete a residency?
• What are you hoping to accomplish by completing a residency?
• Tell me about your most influential patient during your rotation?
• What have you done to prepare yourself for this residency? (Like what elective rotations did you complete)
• What do you love about this speciality?
• If you weren't doing this, what speciality could you see yourself going in to?
• What will set you apart from other applicants?
• How well do you take criticism?
• Why do you want to go into this speciality?
• What will your bring to this program?​

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Interview Tips by Karina, Endocrinology PA-C
IG: @Karina.pa_c

Job:

• Give us an example of what you've done to enhance patient safety.
• Please describe a situation with a difficult patient you’ve experienced and how you resolved it.
• Have you ever gotten in a disagreement with a colleague over the management of a patient? How did you handle it?
• What are your biggest strengths/weaknesses?

Residency:

• Why are you interested in doing a residency versus starting a job right away?
• Why should we bring you in as a Resident?
• How will this Residency help you to advance in your career?
• Tell me about yourself (professionally speaking)
• Tips: At the end of the day residency and fellowship interviews are more personable and the interviewers really just want to get to know you and how you will interact with others and will you be able to succeed in a fast paced and demanding environment. Just be you!