New Physician Assistant graduates face a unique career dilemma when it comes to choosing what area of medicine they will work in. While the lure of specialty care may be tempting, this may not be the best option for a new graduate. To help evaluate what the best career path may be for you, consider the pros and cons of specialty versus Primary Care practice.
Physician Assistants working in today's healthcare system have a broad range of medical specialties to choose from. Each specialty offers a unique practice experience that is filled with both career advantages and disadvantages.
Specialty Practice
Pros:
- Higher Pay & More Perks Some PA's working in specialty care demand upwards of $23,000 more a year in take-home pay than those working in Primary Care 1. This increased income isn't taking into account frequently added perks and benefits like call coverage, productivity, annual or signing bonuses, which can total up to an additional $15,000 a year 2.
- A More Focused Practice Working in a specialty allows you to focus on one specialty instead of all issues related to patient care from the cradle to grave.
- A Feeling of Mastery in Your Specialty Focusing on specialty practice allows you to keep abreast of new and relevant changes in your field, while also increasing your depth of familiarity with its pathology.
Cons:
- Increased Competition for Fewer Positions Healthcare shortages are driving increased demand for Primary Care more than specialty care Providers.
- Specialized Practice Can Limit Later Career Changes Being too focused on one specialty makes it harder to change to other specialties down the road due to having limited skillsets.
- Repetitive Patient Care with Less Variety Seeing the same patients with similar pathology every day can become monotonous and less fulfilling with time.
Primary Care Practice
Pros:
- Solidifies Your Foundation in General Medicine Primary Care provides PA's an opportunity to treat patients from the cradle-to-grave suffering from a large variety of issues. This comprehensive practice will reinforce what you have learned in school, remember the old adage "use it or lose it".
- More Job Opportunities with Less Competition Only 22% of new grad PA's work in Primary Care Medicine as opposed to specialty care*. This leaves the market ripe for you to capitalize and select from a multitude of job opportunities.
- Loan Repayment Options Due to Primary Care Provider shortages, there are more employer, state and federal options available to help PA's with their student loans. According to the 2017 Statistical Profile of Recently Certified Physician Assistants, around 2% of new graduates participate in state or federal loan repayment programs like the National Health Service Corp.
- Increased Ease Making Later Career Changes Working in Primary Care makes you a jack-of-all-trades and attractive to employers in specialty care looking for PA's with a solid foundation in medicine.
Cons:
- Increased Stress This can be especially true for PA's working in rural or medically underserved areas with increase patient census, fewer Practitioner colleagues and less supervision.
- Lower Salaries Mean salaries for PA's working in Primary Care average around $105,000 a year, putting this practice area on the lower spectrum of the earning scale 1.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Specialty
When deciding on a specialty, it's essential to consider several key aspects that will influence your satisfaction and effectiveness in the role:
1. Medical and Procedural Involvement
Consider the type of medical work involved in each specialty. Are you interested in performing surgeries or procedures? Does the idea of diagnosing and managing complex medical conditions excite you? Reflect on the rotations that sparked your interest in specific medical tasks or challenged your diagnostic skills.
2. Patient Demographics and Continuity of Care
Evaluate who your patients will be and the nature of your interactions with them. Some specialties involve acute care with different patients daily, while others focus on long-term management of chronic diseases, offering an opportunity to develop ongoing relationships with patients.
3. Practice Environment
The setting in which you work can significantly affect your job satisfaction. Whether it's the fast-paced environment of an emergency room or the structured schedule of a dermatology clinic, think about where you felt most comfortable during your clinical rotations.
4. Team Dynamics and Role within the Healthcare Team
The dynamics of the healthcare team and your role within it can vary widely between specialties. Consider where you observed optimal teamwork and where PAs enjoyed a level of autonomy that resonated with your career goals.
Deconstructing Specialties for a Targeted Job Search
After reflecting on your clinical year experiences and understanding the various facets of different specialties, the next step is to deconstruct these specialties to align them with your professional aspirations. This involves breaking down each specialty into its fundamental components and assessing them against your preferences and career objectives.
The Clinical Year: A Window into Multiple Specialties
The clinical year in PA school is designed to expose students to a diverse array of medical fields, acting as a career sampling period. This experience is invaluable as it provides insight into the day-to-day realities of different specialties. Each rotation offers a unique perspective, allowing you to gauge your interest in various medical disciplines based on real-world experiences.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Specialty
When deciding on a specialty, it's essential to consider several key aspects that will influence your satisfaction and effectiveness in the role:
1. Medical and Procedural Involvement
Consider the type of medical work involved in each specialty. Are you interested in performing surgeries or procedures? Does the idea of diagnosing and managing complex medical conditions excite you? Reflect on the rotations that sparked your interest in specific medical tasks or challenged your diagnostic skills.
2. Patient Demographics and Continuity of Care
Evaluate who your patients will be and the nature of your interactions with them. Some specialties involve acute care with different patients daily, while others focus on long-term management of chronic diseases, offering an opportunity to develop ongoing relationships with patients.
3. Practice Environment
The setting in which you work can significantly affect your job satisfaction. Whether it's the fast-paced environment of an emergency room or the structured schedule of a dermatology clinic, think about where you felt most comfortable during your clinical rotations.
4. Team Dynamics and Role within the Healthcare Team
The dynamics of the healthcare team and your role within it can vary widely between specialties. Consider where you observed optimal teamwork and where PAs enjoyed a level of autonomy that resonated with your career goals.
Aligning Your Career Aspirations with the Right Specialty
Choosing the right specialty is more than just following your passions. It's about making an informed decision based on a thorough analysis of your experiences, preferences, and the realities of the medical field. By taking a structured approach to this decision, you can enhance your career satisfaction and effectiveness as a new PA.
Laura Kleffner is the VP of Marketing Operations at PracticeMatch.
She has been with PracticeMatch since 2014. Laura is responsible for the PracticeMatch marketing strategy to reach physicians as well as healthcare organizations with a need for physician recruitment resources.