Officially a PA-C

Hello beautiful peopleeeeee!!! I have been MIA these past couple of months. So much has happened from moving to a new state, starting a new job, quitting that said job five weeks later, failing my board exam, to later passing my board exam. Yes, I said I failed my board exam and talk about a hit to my ego. I was disappointed in myself and had a lot of shame around failing. I questioned my competency as a physician assistant. There are many that still do not know. However, I had to be honest with myself and accept I did not study to the extent that I should have.

Frankly, after graduating PA school I was exhausted and just wanted to socialize spending time with family and friends. Sis was in these STREETS. I’m talking about US and internationally lol. I underestimated the exam and failing was a wakeup call. I since have passed and am now a certified PA-C! Additionally, I will be starting a new job next year which I am excited for. I know this position will be a better fit for my personality and will provide me with the work-life balance I crave.

If I were to offer any advice to those on this PA journey, specifically those in their clinical year gearing up to graduate it would be…

Do not stress about quickly finding a job

It is not uncommon for programs to encourage students to start looking for employment a month prior to graduation. You may begin to feel pressure from family or classmates about “what’s next”. Although they mean well, it’s okay if you don’t yet know. Before you can start working as a PA-C you have to pass the PANCE, and I would encourage first focusing on this because a job will always be there.

Give yourself time to decompress

Getting through PA school is a lot. What medical students learn in two years we learn in one. Thus, it is okay to take a break post-graduation. You do not have to jump straight into taking the PANCE or employment. If you need time to decompress before taking the PANCE do so. Please do NOT let others influence your decision to when you take your exam. I knew I wasn’t prepared to take my exam the first time and I actually wanted to push it back, but I had already accepted a job offer and felt the pressure from my employer to take my exam so we could begin the credentialing process. I understand their stance, but I blame myself for not listening to my intuition and expressing this concern to my employer. Ironically, I rushed to take my exam for a job I ended up quitting anyway.

Ensure you have some money saved

There are so many factors that go into play before you can begin practicing as a PA-C. First you have to pass the PANCE, then apply for state licensing, your DEA license, and finally employment credentialing. Some employers will pay for your licenses upfront or through reimbursement while others may not. Additionally, outside of ensuring you pass the PANCE everything else (timewise) is out of your control.

Thus, I highly suggest you have 3 – 5 months of money saved to cover your expenses because anything could happen to delay the process. My first employer was kind in suggesting I could work as a medical scribe throughout the credentialing process. Side note, I was working as a “scribe” but most certainly was training as a new grad PA-C lol. Anyway, if you do not have the privilege of having financial support from a partner, family or some form of transitional employment, ENSURE you have some money saved to hold you over.

I can now officially say I am done with this journey of becoming a PA and sis is now a certified PA-C!! Talk about a Christmas, NYE and birthday gift to myself.

Remember, you are loved ❤️