Start a health clinic as a Physician Assistant

It is possible as a Physician Assistant to run and own a medical clinic. The possibilities seem very exciting and as one can imagine the limitless possibilities are intriguing. I am not an expert in this area and I don't have much time currently to investigate and learn and so I decided to bring this up as a post. Please feel free to leave comments on your experiences or knowledge....

This topic has my attention as I have been approached 3 times by 3 physicians to discuss the possibility in creating a partnership in starting a clinic after graduation. Our class has also received 2 lectures from PA's who work in a partnership with a Physician and they are business owners in their medical clinic. One of the presenters spent much time on describing how he decided to start his own clinic and the benefits and successes that he has had. Obviously if the clinic is succesful the income potential is very large. There are also the obvious stresses and risks associated with starting a businesses...

I believe the laws are different in every state and should be researched. If a PA is interested he must have a supervising physician as a partner in the business. The physician is required but the partnership doesn't have to be 50/50. There are PAs who give a very small percentage to the physician as the physician is "supervising" but not really associated with the business.

Anyway it is an intersting subject. I will spend time before I graduate learning and researching. I am not sure if I will take on such an endeavor but if I continue to be approached I would at least like to know the possbility and understand if the arrangement is fair and promising.

First week of class

The program has officially begun and I am swamped with material. PA school is a pursuit I have been focused on for several years and it was surreal being in the classroom. The first two days were an orientation with many documents to review, technology information, and q and a availability. The next few days we dove into the material and began preparing for our first exam...which is in two weeks. Pathophysiology appears to be a "weeding out" class with a 75% minimum grade required to continue in the program. We are covering a "typical" semester worth of material every two weeks. Its intense and anxiety promoting but it is assuring to think of the hundreds and hundreds who have come before me and passed and are now practicing clinicians.

Well back to the books. For those of you who are still in the process of preparing your applications and pursuing the pa path; keep up the hard work and achieve what you set out to achieve. I can't wait to have a fulfilling career that will enable me to critically think, help others, and provide a good lifestyle for my family and I.

The heart of life is good...

Another anniversary of the life changing event that lead me to this change of careers has came and went (a day I will always remember); and the words to John Mayer "The heart of life" has been on my mind. Sometimes life sucks and people are idiots. Ill-doers (along with the well known triumph and disaster) are imposters and not worth your valuable time. Ultimately I feel undeniably sure that the heart of life or the purpose of life is still good. At times when you are down - there is only one thing that turns you around and lifts you up....Love. Love can come in many forms such as friends, family, and faith. In my rough times it was extremely hard for me to rid myself of anger and vengeful thoughts but ultimately it was allowing love to enter my heart and to change those other feelings into pity and sorrow for those that did me wrong.

A bright new day is upon me and now I have an amazing opportunity to become a PA-C. Life is good... You only get one chance to live...... Don't waste it. Take time to love and to let love into your heart; Don't forget - help those around you feel loved as well.

Physician Assistant

So the other day I received an email from the program director at the pa school I will be attending. The email was a brief salutation and provided some basic information for the new class. A website was created where we can get to know each other before school begins and communicate about different things such as where to live, good schools for children, etc.

I also received another invitation to interview at a good school. I had given up on the last 2 schools that I applied to that I never heard from but now there is only 1 school I haven't heard from. I mentioned before but I applied to 13 schools, 2 of which I didn't complete secondary applications as I realized I didn't want to attend their program and didn't really want to pay the fee for the secondary application. 3 schools I was officially rejected from, the other 7 schools I was invited to interview but I chose to only interview at 2 of them. I was happy with the first interview and I immediately made the deposit to attend the program. I would have really liked to interview at the other schools but the cost to travel and interview was high and I felt good about the program in Florida. This last school I have been teetering whether I want to interview but I probably will forego and set all sails towards Florida. I just want to get started, live in a place comfortable for my family, and have great experiences and many learning opportunities.

My 1st Interview

Almost 2 years of preparation led me to the morning of my first pa school interview. Here's what happened:

In late August I received an email with an invitation to interview for the program in September. I can still remember the excitement when I read the words: " Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to interview on (blank day at blank time) for a seat in the class matriculating in 2011. Please report to .....

((What a relief and what excitement filled my body. I knew that I was not yet accepted but after 2 years of diligent work the vision had a glimpse of reality. ))

Living in California I soon began researching flights to Florida. I decided that I wanted to arrive a few days early to make sure no flight cancellations or delays disturbed the interview and also to give myself time to investigate the area and envision what life would be like for me in this new area. Could I possibly move my wife and kids to this city and feel comfortable/safe??

I arrived in Florida, picked up my rental car, and headed for the hotel. After dropping my things off at the hotel I immediately drove to the campus where my interview was to be held. I saw some students outside the building and I took the opportunity to ask them some question about the school and the area. I had a lot of time to spend before the interview and I was prepared. I was able to see a couple of sporting events, go to the beach, visit other popular tourist attractions, meet people, and look at housing options and the potential communities where I would be living.

Before coming to Florida I prepared for the interview by putting together a binder folder with plastic inserts of potentially important information to review and have with me for the interview. I included documents of the school with its mission statement and school overview, notes on items I wanted to focus on or emphasize about myself during the interview, letters of recommendation, documented clinical hours and patient care experiences, school transcripts, etc..

The night before the interview I sat in the bed and went over the items in my binder specifically the items I wanted to focus on in the interview. Previously I had read other PA blogs that described the type of questions to be prepared for. I read through the questions and imagined how I would respond to each question.

The morning came and I took time getting ready, went to the hotel lobby for a nice breakfast and drove to the campus. I quickly realized that there was going to be four people interviewed. I was the only male candidate. The other women were professionally dressed and seemed prepared. We were given a small folder and escorted to a different room.

THE INTERVIEW BEGINS

We were given 10 minutes to write a brief essay. It was early and I am a slow writer so this was a challenge. It felt like 1 minute went by and we were asked to stop writing and turn in our essay. In another room was an interview committee of a few of the faculty members waiting to drill us individually. I was the third of the four candidates to be interviewed. Each individual interview lasted about 30 minutes and the committee remained in the room and talked amongst themselves about the individual (making a decision) for another 30 minutes. So about 2 hours had passed from the time I wrote the essay until the moment I was walking into the interview room. I was asked why I want to be a PA? Why do I want to go to this specific school? Do I feel prepared to handle the rigorous schedule of pa school? I was also asked several questions stemming from my previous answers. I made good eye contact. I was sincere with my answers. I tried to show some humor and normality about myself but most importantly I went back to what I had prepared, making sure I focussed on why I felt I was prepared and ready to begin.

As I was talking each committee member had paper and they jotted notes while I was talking. The answers I gave I felt went very smoothly, the committee members seemed to be in a good positive moods witnessed by their smile and overall I felt I did everything I could. We were given a tour of the campus by a few of the current students and that was it... the interview was over.

Two weeks later I received the phone call congratulating me as I was accepted into the program.

I was offered interviews to several schools but I decided I was satisfied and excited about the first school I was accepted to. I really didn't want to pay all the costs to fly and stay somewhere when I felt good about the first school. I did go to one other interview and the interview was pretty similar. I was asked many of the similar questions and at the completion was given a tour of the campus.

I was very nervous going in to the interview as I didn't know what to expect. Hopefully my experiences can give you some answers on what it will be like.

The Rise & Fall of Life

Hello Everyone!,

About 3 years ago my life as I knew it changed forever. Approaching the age of thirty and establishing a family and rooted life... I lost my job. I experienced every emotion imaginable but especially an overwhelming constant concern of WHAT TO DO NEXT!

"Life is a storm. You will bask in the sunlight one moment and then be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout, do your worst, for I will do mine."

---Get to the point---

This blogs' intent is to outline the steps I took to become accepted to a physician assistant (PA) program, describe & display my life in PA school, and ultimately my life after PA school. I hope to assist those desiring to follow this career path through my experiences and also encourage all to find the best path for them to take in this journey through life notwithstanding what "storms" come their way.