Interview_with_Amanda_Brown

Monica Jakab March 7th, 2011 Dr. Doark Professional Interview Physician Assistant I have chosen to interview a Physician Assistant because that is what I am majoring as and it fascinates me to discover more about this profession. I interview Amanda Brown, she works in an outpatient clinic in Glendale, Arizona. The following questions are what I had asked her: o What is a typical day like' o What kind of problems do you deal with' o What are the duties/functions/responsibilities of your job' o What made you become a PA' o What do you like best about your profession' 1. What is a typical day like for you Mrs. Brown' I usually work from 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Usually, in the morning I review lab and radiology results from the previous day. And usually we get many walk-in patients which conflict with the scheduling of patients who did have appointments. So, it becomes very stressful sometimes because many of our PA’s work only 3 times out of the week. Towards the afternoon and lunch, I review more lab reports and examine more patients. We get patients with anything ranging from a common cold to physical exams, so basically nothing serious. I also order lab tests and I typically consult patients how to treat their health issues. 2. What kind of problem do you deal with' Like, I said before, the biggest issue I face is that we are short of staff and that it makes to work place a stressful environment because we always have random walk-in patients and it puts stress on all the doctors and PAs in our office. 3. What are the duties/functions/responsibilities of your job' Basically taking medical histories, examining patients, ordering and reading results of lab and ultrasound tests, I make diagnoses, prescribe medications, educate our patients how to treat their health issue and treat minor injuries such as casting. We get a lot of children with broken bones. 4. What made you become a PA' I originally wanted to be a veternian, because I had a heart for animals. But once, I started Vet school, I had to drop out because I couldn’t handle seeing injured animals. It just broke my heart because I have 3 dogs at home, so that is when I decided to become a PA because it was only a 2 year Masters programs and it was only a quarter cost of medical school. I am so happy about my choice, because this is such a great profession to get into. 5. What do you like best about your profession' My favorite part in being a PA, is that is so rewarding. I help over 200 patients a week! I just love being a PA because it makes me so joyful, because I am helping a patient who is need for medical treatment and I am using my knowledge to help them get well and heal faster! That is the ultimate reward for being a PA. Summary In this interview, I got experience the work place of a physician assistant. This was my first time speaking to a PA, in the actual work environment. I got to basically “feel” what Amanda Brown was “feeling” in the work place. I saw how the patient waiting room filled up within the hour that I was there. I could understand the pressure of how she was feeling when there was a line of patients waiting to be examined. However, I am the type of person that likes hectic environments. So I think I will be enjoying this profession very much. Another thing that I thought was interesting about PA’s is that I did not know that they were able to prescribe medications. Another thing that caught my attention about the interview is that Physician assistants can diagnosis and actual educate patients about further treatment. Overall, I know for a fact now that I want to become a Physician Assistant.