Landing your first PA Job: Tips for current PA students & New PA Grads
Landing your first PA Job can feel like a daunting endeavour. In this post, I break down the nuances of what employers are looking for in the ideal PA candidate when to start preparing for the PA job hunt, and the steps you can take to become a competitive candidate.
This article is based on my experiences as a PA student, new PA hire, PA student advisor and mentor, and consultant for PA employers looking to hire a PA for their practice. A lot of the tips come from answering questions I have received from current PA students, new graduates and PA colleagues about job hunting.
What are employers looking for in an ideal PA hire?
Before diving into what you need to know as a new PA Grad when looking for PA jobs, it’s helpful to understand what PA employers are considering if they have made the decision to hire a PA.
For employers, hiring a PA isn’t just “Post Job Posting, Interview Candidates, Hire the best candidate”. PA employers take many steps to assess the needs of the practice and see how a PA can help the practice reach its goals of providing quality patient care.
The ‘hunt’ for the best PA candidate for practice is an intentional process where an employer vets qualified candidates to see who is the best fit. Adding someone to the team is like adding another member to the family. The new hire is someone that patients and staff at the practice will see and interact with every day, which can affect the experience and culture of the practice for both patients and staff.
A bad hire costs a practice/employer, time and money that was used for hiring, recruiting and training. Bad hires usually require more supervision and micromanagement, require remediation if there are issues in professionalism, and can affect rapport and relationships with patients, allied health, other health care providers and other health care organizations. Looking for these red flags during the hiring process is key for employers.
An effective hire can be worth their weight in gold. The right PA for the job enhances patient flow, improves efficiencies, facilitates patient care and truly acts as an extension of the physician. This can help reduce wait times, improve the quality of care patients receive, and increase the time patients spend with a provider.
What can I do during PA school to strengthen my chances of PA employment when I graduate?
Becoming a strong candidate for PA jobs is not just having a strong resume, references or interview skills, it starts with building skills while in PA School.
I believe competitiveness during the job hunt actually begins as soon as you start your first rotation in the first year of PA School. In fact, I attribute my success in the job hunt to all the skills, references, and knowledge I acquired through PA school.
Some of these competencies I had built as a result of learning how to be a strong clinician, acquiring medical knowledge through the medical foundations and clinical skills I learned in the first year, then applying what I learned in the second year of PA school.
Clinical rotations in the second year are a lot like a “working interview”.
As a new (or soon-to-be) PA graduate, it is your job to develop the skills you need to be a PA candidate by improving upon and solidifying your CanMEDS-PA competencies and competencies outlined on the Canadian EPA-PA Framework throughout PA school. This includes being a Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Leader, Health Advocate, Scholar and Professional, which are all core components of the PA program curriculum.
Focus on becoming an excellent clinician who engages in lifelong learning and excelling during your clinical rotations.
Preceptors are potential future employers or future references for you! I recommend dedicating your time to:
Building relationships with patients you meet on rotation. Work on your communication skills, clinical reasoning, and empathy, practice patient education, and outline treatment plans. Get comfortable speaking to patients and their families.
Building rapport with your preceptor, staff, and allied health. Health care does not occur in a vacuum. In order to provide effective patient care, this means working together and collaborating other health care providers and staff. This means understanding the role of the individuals you work with, and how they contribute to patient care. Building a relationship so that you can come to to ask for questions or help with tasks to facilitate patient care.
Engage in lifelong learning. Be the PA student you’d want to teach. Be engaging, ask relevant questions, do reading around interesting cases, and be enthusiastic to learn - even if it is within a specialty you are not interested in.
Set learning objectives, strive to meet them, and get feedback from your preceptor. Show a willingness to learn and improve based on feedback from your preceptor. Sometimes this means asking for feedback at the end of a shift, week or mid- or end of- rotation.
Building your resume as you go through rotations. Some PA students wait until they finish PA school before they start working on their resumes. Sometimes it’s hard to recall everything you did during a rotation if it was done 8-12 months ago. I recommend capturing what you do while you’re completing rotations. Your resume should be a working document that is always being updated.
At the end of your rotation, ask your preceptor for a reference. This includes asking at the end of your rotation. Then when you are applying for PA jobs after PA school is completed, and a PA employer asks for references, you can reach out to the preceptor again to mention they may be called by a potential employer to provide you with a reference.
Landing your first PA Job
Once PAs complete PA school, we go straight into work. PA education trains graduates to be generalists, with transferable skills in clinical assessment and reasoning that is transferable between specialties.
The process of landing your first PA job
Step 1: Find PA Job Postings
To obtain a PA job, you begin simply by applying to PA job postings in any of the provinces/territories that are hiring PAs.
Many job postings can be found on Indeed.ca, LinkedIn, hospital career websites, on Provincial Government websites, the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants job board, Canadian PA facebook groups, through word of mouth, or shared through email correspondence from PA programs.
I recommend casting a wide net. Don’t limit yourself to applying to only a handful of positions. I would apply to at least six or more if that is available to you. I understand some PA job candidates may be limited in their job search because of location, distance from home, or specific preferences about the specialty.
The numerous jobs you will see as a new grad (especially in the context of Career Start) may not come around again, and this is an opportunity to practice interviewing, marketing yourself and explaining the value you hope to bring to a practice. These are skills that will help you later when negotiating future raises or exploring other employment opportunities.
Step 2: Submit your Cover Letter and Resume
I strongly recommend PA students and new grads customize each cover letter and resume according to the specialty and specific position you are applying to. Use the job posting as a guiding post for what to include in your cover letter. Be sure to read the instructions on the job posting carefully and include any documents or answer any questions they have included.
I recommend applying within 48 hours of a job posting going live. Employers are actively screening applicants as they receive cover letters and resumes from different applicants. PA Job interview invitations can begin as early as 1-2 weeks after the job posting is first posted.
First is vetting if the candidates actually qualify for the position. Employers do a quick of the resume to ensure that the candidate meets the minimum requirements to apply. Requirements can vary by jurisdiction and employer:
Is the PA applicant a graduate of an accredited PA program in Canada or the United States?
Is the PA certified or eligible to write the PA certification exam?
Is the candidate a member in good standing of the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants?
Step 3: Attend the PA Job Interview
The employer then selects a handful of PA job applicants to interview. This is usually based on the strength of the cover letter and resume writing that highlight relevant experiences, skills and competencies that would be a good fit. Applicants are contacted via email to set up a date and time for the interview.
Who interviews the potential PA job candidates? In a hospital setting, the interview panel is usually multidisciplinary (e.g. physicians, a representative from Human Resources, Department Manager or head, PA, etc.). In private practice, this may just be with one hiring physician or surgeon.
What is the format of the PA Job Interview? Interviews can be in person or online via Zoom call or Microsoft Teams Meeting, and employers usually interview multiple candidates in a sitting.
What are the different types of questions that are asked? There may be a standard set of questions that can include:
Typical interview questions allow employers to learn more about the candidate, as well as their motivations for applying to the position. These questions can include: “Tell us about yourself.” “Why are you interested in this position?” “How does your experience qualify for you the job?” “Why do you want to work at this practice/hospital?”
Behavioural Questions which assess problem-solving, and critical thinking: “Provide an example of a time you resolved a conflict with a patient and/or their family.”
Clinical Scenario Questions are less common, but some employers may opt to ask clinical questions that are relevant to the specialty you are applying to. This allows employers to get a glimpse of your clinical reasoning and problem-solving.
For example, if you are applying for an Emergency Medicine PA job, an example of a clinical question: “A 36-year-old male presents to the Emergency Department after a heavy metal bar fell onto his chest at work. He now describes sharp stabbing pain, shortness of breath, dry cough and fatigue. As the PA receiving this patient, what would be your next steps?”
Interviews are usually 20, 30 or 45 minutes with each candidate. After the candidate exits the room, the interview panel discusses initial thoughts and overall impressions. This includes strengths, weaknesses, and whether or not the candidate is a good fit before they interview the next candidate.
After the top candidates are interviewed, they will select their top candidate and that candidate’s references are contacted.
Step 4: Notice of Job Offer, and Negotiate your PA Contract
The email or phone call may include some version of “We would like to extend you a job offer!” I strongly recommend candidates DO NOT accept the job offer right on the spot. Thank the employer, express your interest in the position, but that you would like to review the terms of the contract first. Consider other job offers you may have received.
Write back with any clarifying questions and/or modifications you would like to make to ensure it is a compensation package that you are happy with (salary, benefits, CME funding, vacation days, paid education days, etc.)
You can reach out to fellow PA colleagues or your PA student advisor/alumni mentor about what they recommend an ideal contract should include, especially minimum starting salary.
Step 5: Accept the Job Offer
Once everything is up to speed, sign the formal job offer! Congratulations! You landed your first PA Job!
How soon can I start working after completing PA school?
You can start working as soon as you have completed your second year of PA school. However timing of when you apply to job, when the job offer comes, and when you accept the position means that new PA grads may start PA jobs at different times.
What usually happens is new PA grads apply to several jobs after completing PA school, and subsequently accept a job. So there are a few weeks to months when PAs may not yet be employed after PA school before they accept a formal PA position.
There are different factors around PA job opportunities that may affect when a new PA grad starts working. Whether a PA starts working immediately, or several months later is not a reflection of the competitiveness of the candidate. The majority of PA grads obtain meaningful, full time employment after graduating from a Canadian PA program.
For example, if PA school is done in August (like it does for Canadian PA programs):
Example #1: PA Grad 1 starts working in September (immediately after graduation) . In this example, the PA may have applied to a position while in the process of completing PA school, or hired through a preceptor after completing a rotation. The PA student may have been a strong clinical clerk during that rotation, and the department had some funding to hire a new PA and opted to go with the student they had completed a rotation with them.
Example #2: PA Grad 2 starts working in October (2 months after graduation) completes PA school, and after spending several weeks submitting cover letters, and resumes and attending interviews to jobs found on LinkedIn and Indeed has received 4 competitive job offers. The PA grad is able to leverage a job offer from one job, to negotiate a higher salary in the #1 job of choice. This PA may start working in November.
Example #3: PA Grade 3 starts working in December (4 months after graduation): waits for Ontario PA Career Start funding jobs to be released, which is in November of this year which is more numerous than the jobs that are found on LinkedIn and Indeed.ca for their province. This PA Grad applies to Career Start and LinkedIn and Indeed, and is able to leverage job offers from other jobs to accept a competitive compensation package from a Career Start Employer. As per Career Start guidelines, the PA starts working in December.
Through these examples, you can see that ALL PA grads in all circumstances obtained meaningful, full-time employment, but may have started at different times. There are pros and cons to starting employment right away, versus waiting until more jobs are released.
Applying for PA jobs while studying for the PA Certification Exam
PA Certification exam for Canadians to be board certified falls on October of each year. PA Students spend months leading up to the exam date studying for the exam, as well as preparing for PA job applications. This can be a lot to juggle all at once.
Do I have to pass the PA certification exam to apply for PA jobs?
You can apply to and accept PA jobs BEFORE you have passed your exam. PA employment is usually contingent on you passing the Canadian PA certification exam, and submitting proof to your employer once you receive it from the PA Certification Council of Canada.
What resources are available to PA students and new grads for job hunting?
Over the years, the Canadian PA programs and the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants have added more resources for students and new grads. Here are some of the helpful resources you can expect.
Resume and Cover Letter Writing Session - In the second year of PA school, students get to participate in a workshop run by each of the PA programs on how to write effective resumes and workshops. There is also another session that is also offered by the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants.
PA Job Interviewing - Another session that is offered to PA students in their second year by PA programs on how to approach the PA job interview. Each PA Program approaches their session differently.
PA Contract Negotiation - This is a session offered to PA students from the PA programs on how to negotiate terms of a contract (e.g. salary, benefits, CME funding, education days, vacation days, liability insurance, professional fees, etc.).
PA student advisor/alumni mentor - PA students are paired with a PA program alumni (someone who has graduated form the program). Feel free to ask your mentor for tips on resume and cover letter writing, the job hunt, or interviews. You can also ask them to review your resume/cover letter.
Physician and Clinical Assistants of Manitoba: Collective Agreements PDFs
Canadian Association of Physician Assistants:
Canadian PA Facebook Groups - Here you can ask other practicing Canadian PAs any questions about the PA Job hunt. This can include questions around compensation, benefits, CME, vacation days and more. If you aren’t comfortable using your name, there is the option to ask these questions anonymously. Find your local Facebook group (e.g. Ontario PA Facebook Group, Manitoba PA Facebook Group, etc.).
Final Notes
Landing my first PA Job right out of PA school felt like an overwhelming process because I was embarking on my PA job hunt while also studying for the PA certification exam. I was successful in both endeavours. I had prepared at least 6 months ahead of time before the PA certification exam. I also took intentional, methodical approach in crafting each cover letter and resume for the job I was applying to, approaching my references, and my preparation for the PA job interview.
I hope this post has given you the tools to help you in your efforts to land your first PA job.
