Delece Smith-Barrow and Ilana Kowarski, reporting for US News:
Jonathan E. Sobel, the current president of the AAPA and the chair of its board of directors, adds that PAs have the option of not only serving as health care providers but also as health care administrators. "In addition to practicing clinically, PAs are increasingly in leadership roles within hospitals and health systems, helping them meet quality metrics and improve care," he wrote in an email.
Something about this resonates with me. As ironic as it would be for me to go the great lengths to becoming a PA, just to end up in the long term back on the business side as an administrator, something about that seems to fit. I think a hybrid approach would suit me well. I don’t just want to practice medicine. I’d like to be a part of some decision making council that affects the work that I do. I enjoy innovation and process improvement.
Dr. Will Kirby – a dermatologist and the chief medical officer for the LaserAway aesthetic dermatology group, which employs many physician assistants – says one advantage of being a PA as opposed to a physician is the freedom to shift between medical specialties as your work-life balance needs change.
"Physician assistants however have much more flexibility when it comes to areas of specialization and a PA who starts out in a kinetic field in his or her early 20s, like emergency medicine for example, may decide that they want to start a family and that a slower-paced, more predictable field suits them better in their early 30s and can transition over to dermatology with very little effort."
Definitely some encouraging words and from a Big Brother alum!