Thomas Patrick’s Path to Physician Assistant

A patient came into the practice. He was an active gentleman in his 50s and an avid hiker, but was experiencing severe pain in his SI joint (where the spine connects to the pelvis) that began radiating down his legs. He was no longer able to enjoy the outdoors he loved so much. The medical team recommended and performed an SI joint fusion, which drastically reduced his pain. Recently, this patient sent a postcard to the practice. He had become part of the 4,000 mile hike club and was hiking mountains throughout New Hampshire. He was extremely grateful to his PA and surgeon for helping him to regain the aspects of his life that brought him happiness. Tom shared this story as an example of the great impact he can have on patients lives in his role as a PA.

Thomas Patrick, PA-C, knew from a young age that he wanted to build a career in medicine. With his original intention of attending medical school, he began his undergraduate degree at Quinnipiac University. However, after being introduced to the PA profession in his junior year, Tom ultimately decided to pivot from his original plan.

Following the completion of his bachelor’s degree in Health Science Studies, Tom began working as an EMT in order to gain the clinical experience hours required for applying to PA school. After about two years of this, he began his Masters in Physician Assistant Studies at Bryant University. Once he completed his master’s degree, Tom interviewed for a position as a PA for an orthopedic spine surgeon. He received the job offer and accepted the position.

Because Tom works under a surgeon, he has both office days and operating days. During a typical week, he’ll spend Monday and Thursdays in the operating room. On these days, he operates in either the hospital or in an outpatient center, both starting around 7 am. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Tom is typically in the office, which starts at 8 am. However, prior to reporting to the office, he will perform rounds on his patients in the hospital, write orders, discharge patients, pull their drains, change their medications, and check their lab work, all of which he begins around 7 am.

When in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Tom shares a schedule with his attending physician, seeing about 30 to 35 patients in a given day. Of these, Tom sees many patients on his own, coming up with his own plans, prescribing them medications, and ordering tests. If he sees a patient that wants surgery or sees a complicated case and has questions, Tom will present the case to his attending physician to get his input.

On Fridays, Tom is also in the office, but only works in the mornings. On this day, he is often there by himself and has his own schedule.

Throughout his time working as a PA, Tom has developed a love for certain aspects of his job. For example, one of his favorite surgeries is a lumbar fusion. When completing this procedure, Tom’s attending gives him the opportunity to start the exposure. This is one of his favorite parts of the job because he gets the chance to both participate in the surgery and have some autonomy in the operating room.

Aside from surgery itself, Tom has also developed a love for the patient interaction aspect of his job. He loves getting to see patients before and after their surgery, seeing how their pain subsides. He is fortunate enough to see these patients get their lives back.

Although Tom is extremely passionate about his job and doesn’t believe there to be many downfalls, he mentioned that the biggest struggle is that not all patients understand a PA’s role. Some patients will ask when he will finish his training or if he will be going to medical school. They don’t always know or appreciate a PA’s knowledge and capabilities. However, when this happens, Tom gets the chance to educate and inform the patients about what his job entails and the training he completed before starting his career. While this is what he would consider the most negative aspect of his career, Tom also feels as though there is not much negative involved with his career as long as you are okay with your role (working under the attending physician).

After going through this process himself, Tom recognizes that a path to medicine is not always easy. He says that while you need to work and study really hard, you also need to get out there and be a little more forward. It is important to talk to health professionals, learn about their careers, and find out which one is best for you. Lastly, he says that even though some days can be hard, it is important that you don’t give up, as reaching your goals and working in medicine is extremely rewarding.