I wouldn’t say it’s easy. You are going to be learning new things everyday. You have to be proactive and self motivated to read up on topics in your specialty to be up to date on treatments/differentials/procedures/etc.. and so you don’t forget topics you have already learned but you don’t see everyday. It can definitely be a stressful job, but as you learn more it gets better.

I guess it depends on several things. A couple of them being if you already have an undergraduate degree that you didn’t use the 9/11 for then you could use it for PA school, the price of the PA school, if you have 100% of your 9/11 (sometimes if you don’t complete your contract in the service you will only get a percentage). I personally used the 9/11 for my undergraduate and then used Voc rehab (which I believe is going by a different name now “Veteran Readiness & Employment Chapter 31”. I would recommend you talk with a counselor at the VA to discuss your options and the best plan of action to maximize your benefits!

Hey, so you can use your post 9/11 for undergrad and then if you meet the requirements for voc rehab then you can use that for grad school. Here’s a link to check out the requirements: www.va.gov/careers-employment/vocational-rehabilitation/eligibility/

For real though! I get that same feeling. I understand we have to pay taxes, but it’s freaking robbery how much we have to pay. Also, that’s pretty good take home pay!

I would say it is pretty competitive. It is definitely attainable though. You just have to look up the requirements and try to exceed the minimum. My program was mainly online due to COVID. We were in person for a portion of didactic. I would say you will definitely benefit more from in person for clinical skills. I’m not sure if online programs like Yale have in person opportunities for clinical skills or how they go about that. I would have to look more into it.

Fresh grad?

yeah but cali’s cost of living is high

Hey 👋🏻 great question. I would say it depends on which hospital you work at and if you only see fast track type patients or if you also see more critical patients as well as how high/low the census is usually at the hospital. My hospital has been having a lower census so we have been cut down to 8 and 9 hour shifts. I also just hit my year mark in the ER, so with that I would say for the past several months I have been averaging anywhere from 13-17 patients in a 8 or 9 hour shift. And those are a mix of higher acuity complaints and fast track complaints. If I were to only see fast track patients I could see way more. I don’t know exactly when the title of new grad goes away haha but my first 2 -3 months I would say I was probably seeing under 10 in a 12 hour shift because I was still getting used to the EMR and charting and learning where everything was and I was also asking a ton of questions and running every single patient by someone more senior than me. I still run patients by docs and other PA’s/NPs to get some input here and there and I still ask questions everyday. Hope this helps!

Primary was Motor T mechanic and secondary was marksmanship coach

I know right🥲😂

I got my undergrad paid for with the post 9/11 GI bill and my Masters paid for with the VOC Rehab GI bill. Everyone that completes their active duty contract and gets honorably discharged qualifies for the post 9/11 GI bill. For VOC Rehab there are different qualifications though - you need a certain disability rating and other criteria

Yeah unfortunately pharmacy tech do not count as DPC hours. I became a STNA (nurses aide) and then later switched to a phlebotomist to get hours. You can get certified much faster to be a nurses aide vs a phlebotomist but both count as DPC hours. I switched to phlebotomy for several reasons: better on the back, nose, and wallet 😂 But those are pretty easily obtainable ways to get patient care hours. You could also become an EMT which would be even longer but you would learn a lot of useful skills vs the other 2 options. Most people I think become nurses aides though because like I said it’s the fastest way to start getting hours. You also don’t need a lot of any for some schools. I think I only had like 500 DPC hours but I had other parts on my resume that made up for that. So I would recommend getting slightly above the minimum if there is one listed and then just make sure you stand out in other parts of the resume!

@@keldendelvecchio6932 thank you so much for the feedback! I appreciate it

Wow that’s impressive! Have you been in the same specialty or have you changed since you started? Thank you 🙏🏻😃

@@keldendelvecchio6932 I've just been in Internal medicine, but in different capacities (clinic, hospitalist, private practice). I've also taught in PA school, participated in clinical trials studies, been a speaker for pharmaceutical companies and a lecturer for healthcare topics.

@@OmarAbdulMalikDHEdMPASPACPAPro Wonderful!! 2 decades!! What an inspiration!!

That’s awesome! Which rotation is up first?

I hear a lot of people in ortho love it! You could try with your very minimal free time to shadow some ortho PAs at potential places you would want to work. That way you can see if you would like it and to make yourself stand out when you apply because they would already have an idea of who you are!

@@keldendelvecchio6932great advice! I’ll try my best to do that, thanks!

Hey kelden I’m a high school student in 9th grade… what do you think would be the best steps to get me on track to become a Physician Assistant? I’m very interested in being a PA.

@@graysonturner4227 hey 👋🏻 if I were in 9th grade and knew that’s what I wanted to do I would’ve worked harder to get better grades. You could also start volunteering at hospitals to get those hours. Also do some extracurriculars that you really enjoy. I would also recommend finding schools that have a 3+2 program so you don’t have to go to different schools and don’t have to apply to a bunch of different PA programs. I would recommend actually shadowing a few different PAs to see if that is actually what you want to do so you don’t waste your high school days. Hope that helps!

@@keldendelvecchio6932 Thank you so much! I will use this advice!!!

😁😁😁

Pennsylvania!

Each PA program has their own specific pre requisites, but to get in a PA program you basically need a bachelors degree with specific course requirements, patient care hours, volunteer hours, shadowing hours, personal statement, and references.

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Your math is right for working 40 hours a week. In the ER we don’t work a regular 40 hour week. We usually do about 11-12 12 hour shifts a month which puts us at our contract hours. We sign a contract for 1,600 hours/year which is about 133 hours a month. And the agreed salary is $128,000/year. So $128,000 divided by 1600 hours is $80/hr. And then any overtime worked is just the hourly rate at $80/hr.

@@keldendelvecchio6932 I work ER too, in Texas. We do 12hr. shifts also. I typically average about 11-13 shifts per month, so I actually work about 36hrs. per week. But you're way underpaid brother! Get a year experience and get out of there.

That doesn't include overtime pay or our quarterly bonuses! I'll actually be closer to $190k, this year all together (Gross pay). I hate how ER's take advantage of new grad PA's and NP's. Hopefully you can get some good experience and get the heck out of there man. Good Luck.

@@J.Davila_NP thanks for this advice and sharing how much you make! I’ll hit my year mark in September which is exciting!

Glad you liked it 😃😃

None of the top 5 hahaha. I’m in Pennsylvania. How about you?

@@keldendelvecchio6932 Texas

Yeah your money would definitely go a lot further! What part of California do you live in?

@@keldendelvecchio6932 San Diego area! Currently still in PA school at Yale in CT, but definitely already thinking about specialities and whether or not I'll want to practice back in Cali.

@@SolidSmiech oh hell yeah that’s cool you are going to Yale! And San Diego weather is pretty hard to beat year round. I was stationed in Twentynine Palms, Ca and always loved driving up to San Diego on weekends. Do you have any certain specialties in mind that you might want to do?

@@keldendelvecchio6932 Awesome, then you know where I'm coming from! CT is a'ight, but boy do I miss Cali for a number of reasons haha. For some context, I'm near the end of didactic year right now (thank god), so I haven't experienced rotations and the different specialties first hand yet. I would say the main three that seem appealing right now are Peds, EM, and Derm. I know you went straight into EM, and have been working 8ish months now. Any updated thoughts? Still rec for/against going straight into EM? The three 12s lifestyle doooes sound nice!

Not that I am aware of. There was a girl with a full sleeve in our program and there wasn’t any issues. There is also an NP at my job with full sleeves and a neck tattoo! I think places are starting to become more relaxed with tattoos thankfully.

You could do a traditional biology with concentration in pre-med or do what I did and switch to public health with concentration in pre-med. It’s an easier major but allows you to spend more time on other important parts on the application other than classes like volunteering and patient care hours. Make sure you look at each individual school’s requirements before you make any big decisions on major because some programs require more than others!

Congratulations! Yeah it was very nice. It pays for all of your schooling, supplies, and you still get a monthly stipend. For one of my rotations in Florida they also paid for the air bnb. Which schools are you applying to?

@@keldendelvecchio6932 I got an interview for one school in California this past cycle but I haven’t heard back yet. I will apply to much more schools this current cycle as I will be in a better place academically. Hopefully a good GPA and 14 years of military experience as a Hospital Corpsman helps me

Yeah a good GPA and 14 years in the military is hard to pass up! That experience alone separates you from the crowd! Good luck 💪🏻

Glad I did because I only got accepted to one 😅

That is definitely a good path! Wish I did medic so I would’ve had a lot of patient care hours. Good luck 💪🏻

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Nope no dependents. I believe it is set up so I’m paying the exact amount to where I won’t owe money but also to where I won’t get a refund at the end of the year. I also think it’s still pretty high haha

Thanks 🙏🏻 let me know if there’s anything else you are curious about! Good luck 👍🏻

Public health with concentration in pre-med