I’ve found myself in two situations in life where a career I’d never thought once about was introduced to me. Around 2010, I joined the Philadelphia Police Explorers, a youth program run by the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance of the US Army, that taught discipline and hands on training. It was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable years of my life. Unfortunately, I aged out of the program because I joined when I was 20; I often wonder if my career path would have changed had I been allowed to continue. Through the program, we were trained by US Army drill sergeants, Philly police, and PA state police, to name a few. We learned how to conduct traffic stops, investigate and deescalate domestic disputes, handle firearms, how to march and drill, and much more. I had never seen the allure of a career in the military or law enforcement, but that mindset was quickly changed. I found all of it fascinating: marching as a unit, learning how to detain a suspect, entering into a building to find a criminal (actor) who was hiding inside. It was thrilling. The camaraderie, brotherhood, and sisterhood that I had with my fellow cadets was outstanding. I decided not to pursue such a career, but it’s always been in the back of mind even ten years later.
The second was in 2014 when I found myself in charge of the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) Program at Abington - Jefferson Health. I managed orientations for hundreds of medical and physician assistant students. Never once in my life had I considered a career in any aspect of medicine but now I was starting to see the appeal. I also worked alongside the Graduate Medical Education (GME) office. We had tons of foreign medical graduates coming to the US for the first time to complete their residencies. It was pretty inspiring to see. There were so many types of people coming through our doors. From the new batch of 50 residents per year to the 40 or so students per month that I was orienting, everyone had a story. They were all different ages. Many were married and had families. Many were older, non-traditional students who were non-science majors in undergrad. To add to this, I also assisted with Abington’s pre-med program. So from a college junior to a fifth year surgery resident, I was seeing the entire medical school journey unfold in front of me. There are medical students I’ve oriented who are now chief residents at the hospital, and others are practicing physicians.
In 2015, a close mentor of mine, one of the internal medicine physicians had said to me, “You know, you would make a great physician.” For the past few years people have been complimenting me on my people and customer service skills. And not just anyone; the former CEO of the hospital told me this in 2018. I’m not trying to sound pompous here; but when people like that compliment you, it’s incredibly meaningful. It’s these skills that landed me a job as a patient advocate in an emergency room. And that’s where I’ve been the past year and a half. I’ve been in hospital rooms. I’ve watched surgeries. I’ve shadowed physicians in the areas of family medicine, OB/GYN & internal medicine, even witnessed an autopsy; never though did one of those experiences make me say “Hey, THIS is what I want to do.” That all changed once I started working in an emergency room.
The camaraderie I found in the ER reminded me of my time in the Police Explorers. There was this way everyone blended into one big team; everyone had each other’s backs. The “always on” atmosphere of the ER is electric. Ever since it opened over 100 years ago, there has been a constant flow of patients. First responders, ambulances, traumas, it was all really exciting. I enjoyed spending time there and getting to know the staff but quickly I realized I wanted more. I wanted to be on the clinical side of things. As a patient advocate, you can only do so much. I realized I wanted to learn how to heal patients directly. The ER employed around 25 physician assistants. I was able to watch closely at how they worked, how they interacted with physicians and nurses. It seemed perfect for what I was looking for. They had ownership for their patients, but they weren’t at the top of of the ladder. They sat at a nice place in the hierarchy which I could appreciate.
I had never even heard of a physician assistant until 2014. It seemed like a pretty sweet gig. Two years of schooling to then have the freedom to go into whichever specialty that would take you. PA just sounded cool. I like interesting jobs that fit into special roles, and that seemed to be exactly what a PA was. It was a little bit mysterious. What exactly do they do?
Then there is the question… why not a physician? People have asked me that. I’ve heard of tales of PA students switching to medical school. I just can’t see myself as a doctor. I think visualization is an important part of life. There’s a certain level of pomp, glamour and stature that comes with being a physician and nothing about that seems appealing to me. Don’t get me wrong, I revere and respect physicians immensely. I often see though how intermingled life and career can become and that’s not something I’m looking for. I want to work to live, not live to work.
I like the idea of being a healer, but something a bit more involved than a nurse. I like the mechanics of making diagnoses and figuring out what is causing a patient’s problems. Waiting for lab results or radiology results to come back to find out what to do next is very exciting. I also like the “generalist / jack of all trades, master of none” dynamic that comes with emergency medicine or primary care. I can’t see myself getting into a specialty. But who knows? Life is full of surprises.