Back to the Blog!

It's been 2.5 years since I graduated PA school.

WOW...time flies.

I stopped blogging shortly after I graduated and I'm still not quite sure how or why that happened. Other than to say it was a very intense time in my life filled with a myriad of decisions that had to be made and the realities of heading back out into the "real world" were quite overwhelming.

I sure have kept busy though working as a PA. Here is a brief synopsis.

Job #1: HIV/STD Research Clinician-
I worked with a team of physicians and researchers on the development of microbicides to prevent the spread of HIV and other STDs. I mostly worked with female patients and conducted more GYN exams than I had ever hoped for! This was a Mon-Fri, 9a-5p, job and I worked there for 1.5 years. Stay tuned for more...

Job #2: Adolescent Medicine at a Juvenile Detention Center-
This was a part time job that I worked on the weekends. Basically, I worked with a medical assistant and was responsible for the health of kids in jail. I would also conduct physical exams on the kids that were newly incarcerated. In order to get to their cell...they had to be physically examined by me. I worked there part time for 1 year. Stay tuned for more...

Job #3: Addiction Medicine-
I worked in the Psychiatry Department on the detox floor. I treated patients going through opiate and alcohol withdrawal. It was a 10 bed unit and I was the sole medical provider with a team of 3 nurses. This was a full time gig, I worked 3 twelve hour shifts a week. After 3 months at this job, I decided to change my full time status to per diem status... Stay tuned for more...

Job #4: Orthopedic Surgery-
My current full time position. It's been 6 months and counting! I work for a private orthopedic surgical group in a NYC public hospital. I do morning rounds, see patients in clinic, first and second assist in the operating room (OR), complete consults from the ER and other units in the hospital. I also take "call". This, by far, is the most unique PA job that I have come across. I currently work two 24 hour shifts per week. I start my day at 7am and end the next day at 7am. I am "on-call" after 5pm. I have a call-room that consists of a bed, TV, computer, fridge, microwave, ortho library and is bigger than my current apartment! Some days I am awake for close to 24 hours....other days it's the complete opposite. I never know how the day will go or when it will end...if the beeper goes off at 3am...it's my responsibility.

So far, orthopedic surgery is the best fit for me. I really enjoy the physical, hands on approach with the patients as well as the fact that the majority of my patients WILL get better. Having a patient in excruciating pain from osteoarthritis fully recover from a hip replacement is simply miraculous! Scrubbing in and assisting in the operating room is still a humbling experience for me. I often catch myself thinking, "How in the world did I get HERE?!?!"

All in all...choosing a career as a PA was the best decision for me. The transition from being a PA student to now has been a pretty STEEP learning curve. I am just now starting to see what being a PA REALLY means.

Perhaps, that is why I am back to the blog! After 2.5 years working in the real world as a certified physician assistant...I finally have something to say!

Stay tuned for more...I promise!