This is part two of a special three-part podcast series by Joe Gilboy PA-C on becoming a better PA.

Part one was all about building better relationships with our nurses and ancillary staff.

In part two we cover essential strategies on how to stay off the medical staff radar and get the medical staff, administrators, and supervisors on your side.

Let’s jump right into this special episode of The Audio PANCE and PANRE Podcast.

You can listen to the podcast below and read the summarized (and edited version) of the transcript or listen in your podcast player of choice.

The Audio PANE/PANRE Podcast Episode 86: How to be a Better PA (Part 2 of 3)

You can also click here to listen to or download this episode.

Episode Transcript and Summary

This episode was recorded by Joe Gilboy PA-C and edited for clarity and readability by Stephen Pasquini PA-C.

Welcome, everybody. This is Joe Gilboy, and this is a podcast to have a series of three podcasts on how to become a better PA.

Today, we’re going to talk about medical staff, our administrators, and our supervisors, whether a nursing supervisor, PA supervisor, or possibly physician supervisor.

What I will be teaching you here in this podcast is how to interact with them and how to deal with them. And most importantly, how to have you make a better reputation for yourself and how to make you a better PA.

• First, we’re going to talk about the medical staff, which is a big group of people.
• Second, we need to learn how to deal with administrators. These can also be the office managers at the clinics where you work.
• And then your supervisors, these are the people above you, whether a nurse, a PA, or a doc.
• Lastly, we will covering how to deal with (or leave) a toxic job

So, let’s talk about all these three people we’re going to have to interact with.

How to be a Better PA with Medical Staff

Let me explain who medical staff really are, not whom you think there are, but I’m going to show you who they really are.

I’ve been a physician assistant in the emergency room for 35 years. You would think that after 35 years, I’ve developed some tough skin. But there’s one group of people that I fear the most, and you will begin to fear them as well. Who are they? The medical staff!

Everybody has a boss. For example, you have a boss, and your boss has a boss, they have a boss, everybody has a boss. But there’s one person who’s at the very top of this pyramid. That’s medical staff.

So, when medical staff asked for something, when do you get it done? Now? Yes, right now, like yesterday was too late.

So, the medical staff has asked for your ACLs card, PALS card, NCCPA card, or DEA number. They want a TB test, a flu shot, or they want your antibody titer for chickenpox.

When are we getting it done?

Now! No, literally right now. Because you see, the last people you want to be on the radar is medical staff.

Let me share with you who medical staff really is.

What’s their job?

Are you ready for this? I hope you’re sitting down?

Their job is to fire you.

Yeah, you heard me. They want to find a problem. That’s their job.

So, when they start asking for things, they’re looking for a problem. So, let’s just say a young physician assistant is working in urgent care that we will call Betty.

So, here’s Betty, the new PA working at the urgent care. Medical staff wants something, and she’s like, well, you know, I’ll get to it tomorrow. I have a birthday party to go to this weekend. And you know, and then it’s my parents, wedding anniversary, I’m going to have that. And then my boyfriend’s taking me to this. And you know, I’ll get back to it when I get back in town. And as this time has gone by, Tick-tock, tick-tock. She’s getting these new emails in her inbox from the medical staff. They’ve sent one, they’ve sent two, they sent three. Now they send one to her, and they’re saying, hey, if you don’t get this done in 10 days, you’re on suspension!

Guess who gets the seat in that email? Your boss.

Let me explain to you how this plays itself out. You see, at the end of the year, when you’re up there for that yearly evaluation, they’re going to say, “Hey, so how’s our new physician assistant? How’s she doing?”

Well, they’re going to talk to a group of people. They’re going to talk to the nurses. They’re going to talk to the physicians. And guess who else they are going to talk to, folks? That’s right, the medical staff.

“Are there any dings with this person? Have they no gotten things done on time?”

Now think about what I’m saying hard.

So, imagine you’re the boss. And there’s these two PAs that show up. One PA gets everything done on time, and the medical staff doesn’t even know they exist.

They’re like, yeah, this person gets his TB test and flu shot and antibody titers done on time.

There’s this other PA. Well, we had him on suspension for a week because he wouldn’t get a TB test. And you’re the boss, and it’s time for her yearly evaluation. Whom do you want to give the raise to?

Yeah, let that bounce around in your head for a second.

Whom do you want to give the raise to? The person that medical staff has no idea that even exists in the department because they’re getting everything done on time or a PA that they had to put on suspension for ten days?

Now, do you get it, guys?

You see, I hate to say this, but getting along with the medical staff is not only the way to preserve your job. But it’s also the way to make more money.

Because when it’s time for that yearly evaluation, your boss is going to look at you like, “Hey, you show up to work on time, you get along with the nurses, and you get along with the medical staff.” They want to keep you.

That’s when you can turn the screw and say, okay, well, to keep me, I would like $10 more an hour, or more vacation time or whatever it is that you’re trying to angle at. That’s how this works, folks.

I get these new grads who get out of school. They tell their supervising physician that they want to make $80 an hour, right? And let’s just say the going rate is $65. And the doc will say, well, wait a sec, you know, I start new PAs off at $65. They’re going to go well; I’m a recent grad, and I deserve this. I deserve that. Or I went to some fancy, dancy school.

Now, can you understand that at the end of the day, your boss does not care where you went to school? It means absolutely nothing. That’s just a piece of paper. What’s going to mean everything to your boss?

Can you see 20 patients, not kill anybody, get along with the nurses, get along with the staff? And most importantly, doesn’t get on the medical staff’s radar.

This is about your reputation.

You want to be the PA that medical staff doesn’t even know exist.

You’re like, so when does this girl get her TB or guy get a TB test, always on time, gets his flu shot on time gets his antibodies done on time. I don’t even know his DEA numbers expire because he turns it in on time. That’s who you want to be.

So never, ever, ever get on medical staff’s radar.

I am going to give you a little inside story. I got an email. This was about nine o’clock in the morning. I got an email from medical staff, and they wanted antibody titers. They’re like, “you know, hey, Joe, we need your antibody titer, Hep B titer, measles titer, and chickenpox titer.”

So that was nine o’clock in the morning. I was in the walk-in clinic at noon, getting my antibodies, titer tests. And then the lady looked at goes I said, Yeah, there’s something about a DPT shot, and she goes, you know, our records down, we can’t pick them up. I said, just give them to give it to me. And lo and behold, they did my antibody titer. And they gave me a DPT shot. And believe it or not, guess who got two DPT shots last year? Yeah, that’s me.

The medical staff emailed me back that afternoon. I emailed them back within four hours. Everything’s been done. And they emailed me back saying, “Hey, thank you for getting things done so expeditiously.”

Does everybody understand my boss is looking at me like the medical staff doesn’t even know you exist? They’re kind of worried because you got two DPT shots. I’m like, you know, I got twice the amount of antibodies. I’m not really worried about it.

So now, at the end of the day, this is what I want to share with you. Don’t ever get on the radar. They want something – you get it done. Right. Now, if you do that, guys, he’ll do great.

How to be a Better PA with Administrators

So now the next group we need people we need to talk about is the administrators.

So, when the administrators come downstairs to your hospital, urgent care, walk-in clinics, surgery center, wherever it is, be polite, and be cordial. Be respectful to them. Say hey, it’s great to see you, how have you been you know, it’s you know, I hope all is well with you and sounds great.

So, if you’re cordial and polite with them and respectful, they’ll remember you. And then when that yearly evaluation comes up, the administrator can go to your boss (who’s your boss’s boss), and they go, hey, you know, I met one of your PAs the day ago, great guy. Very nice. He was very polite and very cordial, and very respectful to me. You’ve got a good kid on board.

And now your boss is going to go, “wait a second. I need to keep this new grad, maybe young pa, on board. That’s what you want to do.

So, in other words, be polite, be cordial. Be respectful to your administrators, and remember, they’re the ones that make policies.

I think it is kind of funny that everyone argues so much about who’s in charge of making policies. At the end of the day, guys, it all boils down to policies. That’s what you must play under.

These are the rules. They’re not the referees. You must play by these rules. You can get mad at the referee, but he’s just enforcing the rule.

So, think of administrators as the person who is just enforcing the policy. So, when you see the administrators, be polite, be cordial, be respectful.

How to be a Better PA with Supervisors

The last group of people that we need to be aware of is our supervisors. So, whether this is a nursing supervisor, PA supervisor, or physician supervisor, they are your supervisor. And I keep telling everybody this again: be respectful, kind, cordial, and very workable.

You want to be the PA that everyone wants to work with. You want to be the PA that when you walk into the OR suite, or you walk into the clinic, or you walk into the surgery center or walk into, you know, medical office or you walk into the ER, you’re going to be that PA.

“Oh my gosh, it’s going to be a great day. Look who’s here.” So, when the nursing supervisor comes up and asks you a question, again, be polite, cordial, and respectful. The same thing with your peers. Most people have a PA supervisor, right?

Just be polite and cordial with them. Your MD supervisors, you want to be that pa that does everything?

No, listen to me. You see, you want to be the PA that the MD is like, oh, god, this person’s work with me today!

I know they’ll pick up the extra patients. They’ll pick up the pace. They’ll do better in the OR. They’re much more respectful. They’re much more cordial. This is the person I want to work with, that guy or that like that girl, that’s who I want to work with, it’s them.

And this is what you need. Because you see at the end of the day, guys, what I’m really trying to share with you. And I’m trying to tie this all in with you. This is about reputation.

You see, guys, at the end of the day, no one cares where you went to school. I mean, I know it’s a congratulation from whatever university or PA program you graduate from. Congratulations.

Okay. But no one cares. No one will care about your GPA. No one will care about your PANCE or your PANRE score. They’ll mean absolutely zero.

What will mean everything, your reputation?

What kind of person is this individual like to work with? Are they good? Are they bad? Do they get along with the staff? Do they get along with medical staff? Do they get along with the administrators? Do they get along with the supervisors?

That’s what’s going to count, folks. Because at the end of the day, let’s just say you leave your job and go to the next job. Who do you think they’re going to call?

Yeah, they’re going to call one of your supervisors. And what are they going to say? They’re not going to say where you went to school. They are not going to say what your GPA was, your PANCE or PANRE score was?

They’re going to say what kind of person you are to work with, which is based upon your reputation.

This is what I keep trying to hammer home is. So how does everyone understand where I’m trying to with this

In other words, the medical staff wants something. When am I getting it done? Now?

How am I going to be to the administrators when they come downstairs? I’m not going to be afraid of them. I’ll walk up to them and shake their hand. I’m polite cordial respectful.

My supervisors, what am I going to be? Polite, cordial, and respectful.

I’m going to be that workable PA? Hey, can you go see these extra four patients? Do you mind staying an hour later? I’d love to. I’d love to stay 10 hours later. Thank you. Can I have another?

That’s who you want to be. Not the person who is like, “well, I need to leave a half-hour early, and can I get my hour lunch? No, I want a two-hour lunch. You know, I just don’t feel like coming in today because I just I’m not feeling it. You know, my chakra’s not in line. You know, I’m just not feeling it.”

Yeah, this is not who you want to be. This is not who they want to hire.

They want the person they can rely upon. They want the person that they can trust the reputation on, and this is what I’m trying to share with you.

The Toxic Job

One other little piece here because I know many of you guys are going to ask this question. Hey, Joe. I’ve got this really toxic supervisor. I got this toxic nursing supervisor, I’ve got this toxic PA supervisor, or I got this toxic physician supervisor, so just say you’ve got a toxic person in your crew, right?

And trust me, I’ve been here, guys; I have Pandora’s box full of bad memories here. I just want to keep this box closed. So, I’m on your side here.

So, what do you do with the toxic nursing supervisor?

Two things. So, whether it be a toxic nursing supervisor toxic, physician assistant supervisor, toxic physician supervisor? So what do I do?

Okay, so this is the way you get out of this. This is how you thread the needle.

One, you go up to them directly. So, let’s just say you have a toxic nursing supervisor, right? So, you go up to whoever this nursing supervisor is and say, “listen, I find some of the things you inappropriate, I don’t find this working for the best interest of the department.”

And remember, that’s a buzz word, best interests of the department or the office, the surgery center, or the ER, this isn’t serving the best interests of our department.

“So, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it, if you change your policy or attitude towards me or to the group of people.”

So, the first thing you do is you confront you lay down your complaint.

You also followed it up with an email.

Dear nurse supervisor or PA supervisor, or MD supervisor. The other day, we spoke about (x,y,x). Thank you for your time consideration. Sincerely, Joe.

You have verbally stated this to them. And now you have an email, which is very important.

Now, let’s say that they continue to be toxic. Now, what do you do?

Everybody has a boss. Now, you go to their boss’s boss, except this time, you’ve got documentation.

And you say, “so, I presented this to my nursing or physician supervisor, and this is what I presented to them, and they continue this behavior.”

I’ve been at some toxic jobs. I just look back, and I find it amazing that I ever survived. So, what do I recommend when people are in a toxic job?

You’ve completed the steps above. You’ve politely confronted them and verbalized this in an email, and you went to a higher source, and nothing got done.

So, when you leave this toxic job, how do you do it?

You be polite, be respectful, be cordial.

“This is my two-month resignation. Thank you for your time consideration.

You don’t even bring it up. You just exit.

Okay. So, can we all agree that most of us sleep 6-8 hours a day, which means we’re awake for 16, right? Eight to 10 hours is going to be at work.

My wife’s a writer. So, she’s off doing her writer stuff, right? I might see her for a couple of hours. I don’t see her that much.

But my nurses, are you kidding me? I see them eight to 10 hours a day. So, you see, the people you work with are your family. You’re going to spend more time with these people than your own family.

If you have a miserable family at work, you will take home a miserable attitude and then take it out against the people you love the most.

So, these toxic jobs that you sometimes get yourself into. Get out. Get out as soon as you can!

This will literally ruin your soul. And then you’ll take it home to the people you love the most.

“But I’m making so much money.”

I see this all the time; I hear this from all my students all the time.

“But Joe I was making such good money.”

One of the things you learn about life as you get older, it’s not always about money. I agree that money helps. It helps pay off your student loan, mortgage, car payments, bills, etc. I get it, I’ve got the same things.

But at the end of the day, I’m happy with the family I have in my ER. I get along great with everybody. I get along with the medical staff. I get along with the administrators, and I get along to supervisor. I get along with almost everybody. It’s my family.

And so now, when I come home, I’m not in a bad mood. I don’t have any toxic stew on me. So, I can spend time with my wife and my daughter, and my dogs. And I’m just Joe. Nothing came home with me.

Your Reputation Matters

And this is what I keep trying to share with you guys. This is how you develop a good, healthy reputation as a PA.

And now if you go to the next job, what’s your boss going to say?

Oh, this guy is great. Or this girl is great. I don’t want to give her up. She gets along with everybody. You’re the luckiest person in the world to get her. Get him.

That’s what you want to do.

So, listen, guys, it’s been enjoyable. I hope this podcast has helped you out. And this is podcast two or three. The third and the final podcast is getting ready to come up. And at that podcast. We’re going to wrap the first two podcasts up. And what are we going to talk about? Your reputation.

Take care, guys.

Joe Gilboy PA-C

The post How to Be a Better PA Part 2: Medical Staff, Administrators, and Supervisors appeared first on The Audio PANCE and PANRE.

This is part one of a special three-part podcast series by Joe Gilboy PA-C on becoming a better PA.

Part one is all about building amazing relationships with our nurses and ancillary staff.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Hey Stephen, I thought this podcast was about the PANCE and PANRE.” “How does talking about nurses and ancillary make me a better PA or help me pass my boards?”

If you asked this question, then you have come to the right place.

Because as anybody who has ever worked as part of a healthcare team can tell you, the key to your success as a PA has little to do with you and a lot more to do with how you treat other people.

So how do you become a better PA?

Let’s jump right into this unique episode of The Audio PANCE and PANRE Podcast. You can listen to the podcast below and read the summarized (and edited version) of the transcript or listen in your podcast player of choice.

The Audio PANE/PANRE Podcast Episode 86: How to be a Better PA (Part 1 of 3)

You can also click here to listen to or download this episode.

Episode Transcript and Summary

This episode was recorded by Joe Gilboy PA-C and edited for clarity and readability by Stephen Pasquini PA-C.

I’ve been a PA in the emergency department for 35 years. And you can imagine, I’ve had a lot of interaction with nurses and ancillary staff. I want to pass on some wisdom and guidelines to help you deal with the nurses and ancillary staff.

This will help you become the best PA you can become and help you immensely in your career and, most importantly, with your reputation.

Become Best Friends with the Nurses

The first group of people we’re going to talk about is the nurses. And this is a big one, folks, my God, how big is this!

So, to all my new graduates out there, I really need you to listen to me, stop what you’re doing, and let this bounce around in your head for a second. As a new graduate, your nurses will know more than you. That’s right, you heard me, they will know more than you.

So, let’s say you’re working at an urgent care family practice clinic or working in a neurology clinic. There you are seeing your patients, and the nurse will know more than you on how this patient needs to be worked up, which labs or imaging tests to order, and what the doctor likes.

So, what I always tell my new graduates to do, and what you need to do, is become best friends with the nurses because sometimes (a lot of times), they’re going to know more than you!

As time goes on and as you become more experienced and more seasoned, yes, you will know more than the nurses, which is just a byproduct of time and experience. I can’t fast forward time, but I can tell you that the nurses will know more than you initially, so follow them.

They’re going to point you in the right direction. They will say, “Hey, you know Dr. Smith likes it this way, or Dr. Jones likes it that way or, whoever the person that you’re working with, this is how I like to work with them” Follow them, and if they like you, they will lead you in the right direction. 

Make the Nurses Part of Your Team

The second thing you need to understand about the nurses is that they like to be part of the team. They like to feel like they’re part of the team and know that you recognize their experience and expertise when working up the patient.

The worst thing you can ever say to a nurse is this: “I’m the PA; you’re the nurse; you must do what I say.”

As soon as you say this, there are two things you should do:

1. Sign your organ donation card
2. Pick up the phone and call The Legacy Group, you know, that’s the organ donation team that we have here in California, and they’re going to come and harvest your organs, and you will be dead.

And that’s what’s going to happen. Don’t ever say that to the nurses!

What should you say instead?

Ask for Input from the Nurses

What you should say to the nurses goes something like this: “hey, so what’s your input?”

It’s that easy!

Honor Input from the Nurses

There will come a time, and it’s going to happen to you, where the nurse is going to want to order something that you may not 100% agree with. What should you do then?

If it’s not doing any harm to the patient or it is something that’s no far outside the standard of care, your interaction should go something like this: “Okay, I see your point, I agree with you, let’s add this lab test (or this other study) that we may want to do.”

Now let’s say the recommendation made by the nurse is way outside the standard of care. For example, let’s say you have someone with an ankle sprain and your nurse wants to order a CAT scan of the head. And you’re like, “okay, this is not going to work out well.”

So now, at that point, what’s the best way to disagree with nurses, but do it politely?

You can say this: “I hear you loud and clear. However, I think that what’s going to serve our patient best is not a CT of his head, but let’s x-ray his ankle.”

“I hear you!” This is the magic word. This is what they need to know: That you hear them, you respect them, and that they are part of the team. 

Embrace “The Doughnut Theory”

The doughnut theory works like this: You bring doughnuts to your clinic or hospital department once a week, then watch what happens!

That $7 worth of doughnuts is going to change everything!

The nurses are going to be like, “who brought the doughnuts?” “Oh look, you know the new PA Allison over here she brought the doughnuts, and we love Alison.”

Suddenly, PA Allison is a superstar! Like, oh my gosh, we love Alison! And every Wednesday, they’re going to be looking at the door like, hey, did Alison bring the doughnuts?

Feed the nurses! I know this sounds crazy, but feed your nurses, and they will love you!

Another thing that you should bring the nurses once a month is pizza. I know this sounds crazy. Again, you’re like, what’s Joe talking about? But trust me when I tell you that you should buy the staff pizza once a month. Pizza is a universal food. I even think aliens from other galaxies like pizza!

We are Family . . .  All the Nurses, MAs, and Me!

The nurses need to feel like you are part of the community. You’re part of the family. Because what this is about is family.

They did a recent study in the ER about how much time we spend with the nurses. Do you realize that I spend more time with my nurses than I do with my wife?

This is a well-documented fact. Because anybody who’s been married knows what I’m talking about. When you come home, what’s going on? You’re doing this, and your spouse’s doing that. They’re picking up the kids, and you’re going to Costco. You’re over here, and they’re over there.

But to have quality time with your spouse? That’s exceedingly rare!

How many times are you two feet from your nurse? Discussing issues? My nurse is my spouse!

I tell everybody I have twenty-seven work spouses at my job. I’ll be talking to my wife on my cell phone, and the nurses show up, I will hang up on my wife to talk to the nurse.

Their Opinion Matters

At the end of the year, when you show up for that evaluation with your boss, do you know who she’s talking to? Yes, that’s right, the nurses!

Your supervisor will ask, “So what’s Allison like to work with?”

And if you have implemented the above tactics correctly, the nurses go, “Man, we love Allison! she brings doughnuts, she brings pizza, she talks to us very respectfully, if we disagree, she’ll listen and talk to us.”

You need to treat them with respect and treat them like family members. Because that’s what they are. If you feed them, treat them like family, and treat them with respect. Oh, wow. Watch what happens.

Your nurses will look at you like, “Oh, man, Allison’s here today!” And this is what you want to be the PA that everybody’s excited to see when you walk through the clinic door, the OR door, the emergency room door, the urgent care, or wherever it is that you’re working. It’s like, “Oh, my gosh, Alison’s here today.” “All right, this is a great shift!” And when you showed up, you brought doughnuts.

And that is the sweet spot. That is where your reputation really starts to grow.

When you apply to a new job, what do they always ask for? Your background and experience! And when they call your boss, it’s about your reputation.

One of the questions they always ask is, “What is Allison like?” “Oh, Allison’s great, and the nurses love her!” And that is a slam dunk! Once they hear that, their next thought is, “Oh, wow, we want this person!”

Think about it for a second. Really pull back and give this some thought. Imagine you’re a physician hiring a PA. Imagine that the other previous employer tells you, “Well, you know, he’s had some run-ins with the nurses.” And then you call the other applicant who’s applying for the same job, and their supervisor is like, “Oh, he’s great, and the nurses love him.” Which PA are you going to hire?

Exactly, the one that has a good relationship with the nurses!

What I’m really trying to encapsulate here is this:

1. Always be respectful to the nurses.
2. Understand that sometimes the nurses will know more than you, and that’s OK.
3. Feed the nurses doughnuts and pizza
4. Treat them like a family member – like your mom, dad, brother, or sister.

And you will see how well this works! Make no mistake, in my 35 years as an ER PA, I’ve seen so many PhDs who’ve been disrespectful to nurses, and what has happened to them? It’s not good!

Remember, at the end of the year, this is what your boss is looking at. And then if you have a good relationship with the nurses, guess who gets to ask for more money? That would be you. And guess whose reputation just grew? That would be you.

Love Your Lab Techs

The next group of people you need to be nice to and get to know very well are your lab techs.

As you go through your PA career, make sure you become very friendly and are exceedingly kind to your lab techs. Let me tell you why.

The lab techs have an important job that often goes unseen. They come, they draw the blood, do the cultures, etc. etc. They do much of their work behind the scenes. You don’t see it. You see the results.

When you’re nice to the lab techs, and you treat them with love and respect, one of these days, you’re going to have trouble ordering a specific test. There you are poking around your EMR, maybe you are in Epic, and you can’t figure out what to order.

Then lo and behold, you call the lab to ask their advice, and they’re going to say, “Hey, you know, this is Allison. And we’re good friends with Allison, and she’s nice to us, right?”

Then suddenly, when you call down to the lab and say, “Hey, guys, how do you put in the order for this specific test?” And what’s going to happen? They’ll walk you right through it, and they’re going, “Hey, no problem, we’ll take care of it!” “And you know what, Allison, we’ll put in the order for you? No big deal.”

When you are friendly with the lab techs, they’ll draw extra tubes of blood, saying, “Hey, you know, just in case Allison forgot to ask to order this, we’ll have it done for her.”

Or say you’re working at a family practice clinic, a neurology clinic, or an OBGYN clinic. And there you are, it’s 4:30 in the afternoon, and you want to get off at five. You just sent down a urinalysis and a pregnancy test, which usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour to result.

And there you are, waiting to meet friends at 5:20, and it’s 4:30 pm, and you are thinking, “How am I going to get this done?”

Well, if you’re friendly with the lab techs, and you call down and say, “Hey guys, is there any way we can rush this pregnancy test and urinalysis?” And they say, “Oh, for you, Allison, anything!”

And there it is!

So, in other words, they will help you get things done on time and make you a better PA.

The lab techs are some of the most important people you’ll meet in the hospital, not hospital administrators.

So, as you go through your PA career, get to know your lab techs. Be friendly with them, get to know their first names, and take time to understand how they do things.

X-Ray Technicians

The last group of people we’re going to talk about is our X-ray department, including our X-ray techs, our ultrasound techs, CT techs, and even the radiologists.

When you’re working your patients up, you must wait for your labs, you must wait for your nurses to do their work, and then you’re waiting for the X-ray tech or CT tech, or the ultrasound tech to get that imaging study done. And what I’ve learned in my 35 years is that the radiology department can slow you up the most.

I agree; sometimes, the lab can slow you up. But what you’ll find out nine times out of ten, when you get to the end of the day, what was really the thing that took the longest? Your radiology imaging test.

So please get to know your X-ray techs or your CT techs, and get to know the girls or the guys in the ultrasound department, get to know them on a first-name basis.

Because soon, the day will come that you’re working in the ER, the urgent care, family practice, or in the surgical suite, and you need the X-ray tech to come and perform a chest X-ray or bring in the CRM fluoroscope. You need this done quickly because you’re in a rush, or the patient is in critical condition.

Or maybe you’re reducing a fracture, and you want to see what the post-reduction looks like before you even put in the splint.

This is when knowing the folks in the radiology department are going to serve your best interests.

So, let’s say you’re ordering a post-reduction study on a wrist fracture. So, there you are, you have reduced the fracture, and before you place the patient in the splint, you need the post-reduction study.

Now, since I’m good friends with the X-ray techs, I can give them a call and say, “Hey can you guys come over here and take a post-reduction x-ray really quick?”

And they’re going to be like, “No problem, Allison, we’ll come over and take it because it’s you, you’re the one that’s nice to us, don’t worry, we’ll put the order in for you.”

And then everything goes nice and smooth.

One of these days, it will be 4:30 in the afternoon, and you’ve got a patient with a finger fracture. Your patient is the fifth one in the row, which means you’ll be there for the next hour.

But you’ve got to go to your kid’s soccer game in an hour. And now you’re like, “Man, I wish there’s some way I could get this x-ray done quickly.” This is when knowing the x-ray techs becomes valuable.

Be Nice to Everybody

Be nice to everybody!

This entire podcast episode is about building your reputation. This is about you as a PA. If you follow this advice, your colleagues will start viewing you as the nice PA that’s always respectful, knows everyone by their first name, and is always polite. And as a byproduct, everyone will be more than happy to do something nice for you.

It’s a human behavior thing; it’s not a medical thing; it’s a human thing. When human beings are nice to you, you’re more likely to be nice back and do favors for them in return.

That’s exactly what this boils down to. And I’m trying to make your job more efficient. Most importantly, I’m trying to get you to work on a better reputation, and this is what’s going to carry the most weight because every job you apply for, what do they ask for? Your references!

And what are they going to do? They’re going to call your previous employers. What is their conversation going to be based upon? It will have nothing to do with where you went to PA school. It will have absolutely nothing to do with your PANCE scores. It’ll have everything to do with your reputation.

Podcast two, which is coming up next, will be all about medical staff, administrators, and office managers and how to handle them. And that one is a big one, folks. So be your best, do your best. And try to build a great relationship with everybody you work with!

I’ll see you soon for podcast number two.

– Joe Gilboy PA-C

The post Podcast Episode 86 – How to Be a Better PA Part 1: Nurses, Lab Techs, and X-Ray Technicians appeared first on The Audio PANCE and PANRE.

Today we welcome back PA board review expert Joe Gilboy PA-C as he covers the exceptionally important topic of cardiac pharmacology.

Below you will find a downloadable audio version of this podcast as well as links to resources mentioned in today’s episode. Members of Smarty PANCE can sign in and listen to the second half of Joe’s lecture as well as part two of this high-yield cardiac pharmacology lecture series by clicking here.

Not a Smarty PANCE member? You can gain instant access to this lecture as well as all the Smarty PANCE resources instantly by clicking here.

From today’s episode:

• To listen to the second half of this lecture as well as cardiac pharmacology part 2 with Joe Gilboy sign in to Smarty PANCE then click here.
• Listen to Joe’s previous podcast episodes:
  • How to Answer The Hardest PANCE and PANRE Test Questions Part 1
  • How to Answer Tricky PANCE and PANRE Test Questions Part 2
  • How to Study for Your PANCE
  • Podcast Episode 65: Hepatitis B Breakdown
• Content Blueprint PANCE/PANRE Review Course and EOR (Rotation) Courses

The Audio PANCE and PANRE Board Review Podcast Episode 84: Cardiac Pharmacology

I hope you enjoy this free audio component to the examination portion of this site. The full board review course includes over 2,000 interactive board review questions and is available to all members of the PANCE and PANRE Academy and Smarty PANCE.

• You can download and listen to past FREE episodes here, on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or just search “The Audio PANCE and PANRE” in your favorite podcast listening app.

If you can’t see the audio player click here to listen to the full episode.

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The post Cardiac Pharmacology Part One: The Audio PANCE and PANRE Episode 84 appeared first on The Audio PANCE and PANRE.