Physician Assistant
(Male, Age 33) from Muskego, WI
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 33 who works as a Physician Assistant in Muskego, WI. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Physician Assistant |
|---|---|
| Salary | $85,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 45 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Muskego, WI |
| Years Experience | 5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work at an academic medical center for a medical school. I provide healthcare to hospitalized patients on a medical floor.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I admit, care for, and discharge people who are sick or injured and in the hospital.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
health insurance, retirement, vacation, holidays
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well paid
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I work with others on a daily basis. I work with nurses, doctors, and other physician assistants. I really like working with my patients. That is the most satisfying.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in a hospital that is affiliated with a medical school. I like that every specialist is available there, I dislike that it sometimes takes awhile to get things done.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 5
Benefits: 4
Hours: 3
Co-Workers: 1
Supervisors: 2
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 7
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Hospitalist group meeting to discuss hospital ward operations. Discussed scheduling and issues with nursing. |
| 8am to 9am | Check labs and tests that were ordered for the morning. I called consults based on these results. I |
| 9am to 10am | I begin to do rounding on my patients, see what has occurred overnight when I was not there. I share findings of tests with the patients. |
| 10am to 11am | I admit new patients and continue to round on old patients. I continue to address patients needs. |
| 11am to 12pm | I admit new patients, round on old patients, and take calls from nurses for orders, questions, etc. |
| 12pm to 1pm | I eat lunch. |
| 1pm to 2pm | I admit new patients to the hospital and check up on anything else that wasn’t done in the am. |
| 2pm to 3pm | I admit new patients to the hospital and discharge those who could be discharged. |
| 3pm to 4pm | I tie up loose ends with my patients, arrange follow up, discharges. |
| 4pm to 5pm | I signout to the covering night physician. |
| 5pm to 6pm | I leave to go home. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I heard about it from a friend.
What was the application process?
I submittied a resume, then had many interviews with various people.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. Multiple individual interviews with future superiors, coworkers, and HR people.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I cannot remember other than they asked me what my strengths, weaknesses, and fears are.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes I do. I was trained on the hospital wards for a few months until I felt confident on my own.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I have a bachelor’s in nursing and a masters degree in physician assistant studies.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes I do. There was still a lot of on the job learning, but my schooling gave me a good foundation.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend starting off by volunteering or working as a nursing assistant to get their feet wet. They should try to work around or shadow other physician assistants. If they like it, I’d encourage them to apply to a PA program.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
They need to like working with people and have great interpersonal skills. They need to be confident but humble. They need to be organized.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, you need a bachelors degree and in most cases a masters degree.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
I would tell them to get as much healthcare experience as they can and take everything in that they can.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes it is. I like working in an academic setting and plan to advance my career here in terms of increased responsibility as I have been.
What are your current career goals?
My goals are to continue to expand my role here to include more teaching and more administration. I plan to retire from here if it can be so.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I find being a physician assistant a very fulfilling career. I would say that it is challenging, but very rewarding.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Physician Assistant | 2 years | 58000 | Provide medical care to workers in industry. Take care of on the job injuries. Perform pre-employment testing and exams. |
| Prior Job 2 | Registered Nurse | 2 years | $27 per hour | Provide long term care nursing to elderly patients in a nursing home. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.4 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Bachelors in Nursing |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.7 | Marquette University | Masters in Physician Assistant Studies |
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