Wednesdays are dedicated to the operating room. Since I work two 24-hour shifts per week, I average about 1-2 Wednesdays a month. There is always a chance I can get pulled into the operating room any other day of the week (and it has happened) but there is no clinic on Wednesdays, just OR time.
Needless to say, I love the OR. Luckily, the chief of orthopedic surgery in my hospital is a very kind and compassionate man. He is easy to be around. He doesn't yell or scream or throw things (yes, I have worked with other surgeons who do all that) so working with this surgeon is refreshing. He enjoys teaching & is very patient. So, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I'm not sure what cases are on the schedule...but I'll give a full report afterwards!
Showing posts with label orthopedic surgery PA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orthopedic surgery PA. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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!
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!
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