PA workload

[deleted390966]

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From what I've read, a PA sees 25-30 patients/day. Is that typical of PA work day? I shadowed a family doctor before, who saw ~12-15 patients/day, and it already seemed rushed to me. So I wonder: Does PA have enough time to spend with each patient, or does he/she have to rush through to "meet demand"?

PS: I've put the words in to shadow a PA at a local hospital but so far haven't heard back from them.

 

[keep]

are you talking about inpatient or outpatient?

 

[deleted390966]

Outpatient. Primary care practice specifically.

 

[keep]

what speciality?

 

[keep]

It is very typical for about 30 pts these days infact it is alot more than that in primary care. things has changed alot but you will get used to once you start working.

 

[deleted390966]

How do you manage to see 30+ patients in 8 hours? Each patient gets 16 minutes on average... Then I wonder why people say PAs are able to "focus more on the patients"... Please enlighten me! ._.

 

[deleted6669]

PAs see as many pts as docs and nps in the same practice in most primary care arrangements. practices either book 15 or 20 min appts typically, so providers end up seeing 24-32 pts/8 hrs typically and do a lot of charting before and after work and during lunch.welcome to modern medicine.
PAs don't get any more time than anyone else. that is one of the great myths regarding the profession , along with PAs work better hours...total BS.

 

[pamac]

All the providers I've been around that work high volumes, whether I've watched them while shadowing or working with them, tend to have to use time wisely. Some work multiple rooms at once like in urgent care. When you don't see them they are either charting or in another room. You can get a lot done in 15 minutes if you can manage to direct the conversation and keep folks on task. It takes some finesse not to come across as rushed or insensitive.

 

[deleted390966]

People say that PAs "have more time for family, have more work-life balance, are able to focus more on the patients (instead of being inundated with paperworks)... than MD/DO do".

But in Primary Care, there is not much difference between MD/DO and PA, is there?
Atm, I'm not able to shadow a PA yet, so I'm hoping to learn as much as I can from you guys.

 

[deleted6669]

People say that PAs "have more time for family, have more work-life balance, are able to focus more on the patients (instead of being inundated with paperworks)... than MD/DO do".
.

this is a myth. NP propaganda says the same thing. So does DO.
Everyone gets the same amt of time. managers don't say "let's give the PAs 20 min appts and make the docs do 10 min appts."
The fact of the matter is that PAs do the work docs don't want to do at the times and places they don't want to do it so they(the docs) can be on vacation, sleeping in until 8 am, not taking first call to the ER, working in STD clinics, etc.
Think about it. why would a doc hire a PA to work m-f 9-5? They hire them to work nights/weekends/holidays, take call, and do the stuff they don't want to do. For EM that means low acuity BS in fast track. For surgeons that means rounding and writing discharges and doing wound checks. Getting beyond these tasks takes lots of time, experience, motivation, and willingness to work places docs don't want to doing the work THEY normally get to do...for the most part that means rural folks...