Finding a Physician Assistant Job
The last few months of PA school can be stressful. You’re finishing up school, preparing for the PANCE, and also planning for the future. Landing your first job out of PA school can take time, but with the proper preparation, you can limit the time you are not working.
1. Networking
Networking is one aspect that many PA students fail to do well. I have heard from new PAs who don’t completely understand the value of it and believe that there are more important things to do as a new PA. It is important to start networking as a student, as it can help you land your first job. Not just networking on social media – making contacts on LinkedIn can help, but networking is much more than this.
Every clinical rotation that you go through is an opportunity to land a job. Yes, you are there to learn, but establishing connections can help you find a lead to a job after PA school. Also, most jobs are going to require references, so having one from your clinical rotations will be helpful once you’re applying for jobs.
2. Finish PA School/ Pass the PANCE
How confident are you in passing the PANCE? I felt like I needed to concentrate on finishing school and passing the PANCE before looking for a job, but that does not mean you have to wait. When you’re getting close to finishing PA school, you’ll want to start looking for a time to take the PANCE. Once you complete the PANCE and are a certified PA, the next step is to get a job or your license. Some states require you to have a practice agreement before obtaining a license. If this is the case, you’ll need a job offer before you can apply. If you don’t, then you can get your license, and have that ready as you are applying for jobs.
3. Update Your Resume
You’re certified and licensed as a PA in your state and are ready to start applying for jobs. Make sure to update your resume with all your new information before sending it out. It can be helpful to include your rotations in your experience and try to highlight your experience based on the job that you apply. If you apply to a surgery position, highlight your surgery rotations and your experiences in these areas.
4. Find Jobs
The next step is to start looking for jobs. If you’ve done well networking, you can go back to some of your contacts to see if they know of any jobs within their organizations. It always helps to have an insider to get to the interview phase. If your networking does not lead to an open position or you’re looking in a different geographical region than where you went to school, start by looking for jobs online. If you know of a specific hospital or clinic that you might want to work at, you should look at their websites and see if you can make contact with an internal recruiter.
5. Negotiate and Accept an Offer
Once you get through the application and interview process, the final step to getting a job is the job offer. Your first job is not likely to be your last job, so it is important to remember that once you get some experience working, you can always change later (and most likely you will). With that said, your first job out of PA school does not have to be your dream job. Know what is important to you in a job, and look for those things – a specific location, a high salary, flexibility, vacation time, bonus pay, on-boarding process, etc. Try to have multiple offers in hand so you can compare and use them as leverage to negotiate an offer. Use the PA-Cents negotiation worksheet to help you compare offers.
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