CNN and Surfing

How to link em. Well for me, it just became a little easier. CNN/Money Magazine just announced their best job list for 2009. I was driving to work the other day and almost spit up my coffee, when it was announced that my profession was named 2nd on that list. For years we have been know as the bastard children of Medicine. I mean, hell, the name itself implies that we are nothing more than the help. In truth, that is the case. Generally though, unless you've experience the work of a PA in the past, the name pretty much implies that you went to a couple month course and learned how to draw blood, or take a blood pressure. Plus, with the close relation to the name "Medical Assistant," (which is pretty much what you get when you take that 2 month course), the haziness becomes even more prevalent. Now days when people ask what I do, I usually try and move on as quickly as possible. No longer do I want to have to explain. Since this is my blog, and I can pretty much say what I want. I'll give you a quick glimpse. I work in Orthopedics at a very large group. I see and examine patients (just as a physician would do), evaluate studies, diagnose, and treat patients. This all under the supervision of a Doctor. Rarely do they ever see the patient, unless it is an extremely complicated case. When on-call, I am the one taking the calls. I am usually responsible for 20-40 post-operative patients on the floor. I see all the complicated Ortho cases in the ER, reduce most fractures, and admit the patient for surgery. I also first assist in surgery (which to me is pretty boring).

How did we get to where we are, and why should you trust us to take care of you? One reason is that we usually know how to treat the common problems in Medicine better than the doctors. We see em everyday and know the protocols. We also usually know when it's over our head, and time to pass it along to the Doc. The Docs in our clinic rarely ever see the basic stuff anymore. More often than not, when they do, they are asking us what that protocol is. As for education, Most PA Programs these years are 2-3 year Masters Programs. They are run or are affiliated with a Medical School. We pretty much give up 3 years of our lives (after getting a BS degree) to do what we do. Unlike Medical school where the students go to class from 8-12 the first two years, we go from 8-5. Then study until midnight, and repeat the next day. Usually do an all nighter studying 1-2 nights a week. The general idea is to try and get the same information in 2 years instead of 4. For me, and for most, it was probably the hardest years of my life. In the end, well worth it.



So, that is it in a nutshell. I have now done the job that our profession is constantly trying to get us to do. Explain to the public what we are, and what we do. I'm pretty stoked, after 12 years of being a bastard, to now be recognized for a job that I truly enjoy and am glad to have.

So, how does this tie into surfing, Well, I get a lot of time off. Those hard years of work have now paved the way for the job of my dreams. I work three twelve hour shifts a week. This entails some nights and some weekends. Generally, I have 5 days a week, that I am off during the day. I also get one week off every 5 weeks. It's just the way the schedule rotates. I'm thinking most of you know what I'm doing with all that time.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/

And the winners are...
Great pay and superior growth prospects. Work that's meaningful. Those are some of the qualities we looked for when selecting America's best jobs. More
1. Systems Engineer
2. Physician Assistant
3. College Professor
4. Nurse Practitioner
5. IT Project Manager
6. CPA
7. Physical Therapist
8. Network Security Consultant
9. Intelligence Analyst
10. Sales Director