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5 Unique Skills That Can Get You Hired as a Physician Assistant

Posted on October 8, 2022

Job searching can be an overwhelming, frustrating experience. If your job market is demanding candidates, however, you are in a unique position where you have more leverage over the people hiring you. Because physical assistants are in such high demand, their job searches become much simpler. Making your resume impeccable and unique will make your ability to find your dream job even easier. To assist you, here are five unique skills that can help you get hired as a physician assistant in 2022: 

1. Diagnostic Experience

Physician assistants are often heavily involved in the diagnostic process. While other medical professionals may end up determining the final diagnosis, the work that physician assistants do lays the crucial foundation for making an accurate diagnosis. Showcasing that you’ve had experience helping with x-rays, laboratory studies, and other diagnostic work will greatly boost your ability to succeed in this year’s physician assistant job market. Highlighting the way you’ve interacted with diagnostic procedures in detail during your interview will prove highly useful. Due to the high demand that exists for qualified physician assistants, you can search Practice Match for PA jobs that will help you find your dream PA job. It’s easier than ever to find a PA job that fits your personal, financial, and professional needs. 

2. Experience with Physical Exams 

A major part of your job as a physician assistant is doing physical exams. To properly diagnose and treat a patient, medical professionals have to do lots of different physical exams to gain as much relevant medical information as possible. As a physician assistant, you’ll be both performing physical exams, and writing down information about prior physical exams the patient has had. This phase of patient care can help you determine where a patient needs to be sent to your facility as well. Patients with chronic diseases, or who require acute or emergency care may need specialized care depending on the results of their physical exams and current physical condition. Due to this, having experience with physical exams on your resume is crucial. 

3. Acute Care Experience

Acute care is a secondary healthcare branch that focuses on providing short-term care to patients who are suffering, and recovering, from severe injuries and/or urgent medical problems. These acute skills are most often deployed in pre-hospital care, trauma care, critical care, urgent care, and emergency care settings. When providing acute care, you focus on preventative care, the physical state of the patient, and on communicating essential information to other clinical staff members. Many PAs who work in Military and VA facilities will spend a lot of time providing acute care experience. Not all PAs are experienced with many acute care scenarios, so if you do have this experience, you can stand out from other PA candidates easily. 

4. Outpatient Clinic Experience

Many physician assistants start their careers doing outpatient care. Outpatient clinics are a branch of hospitals and other urgent care facilities, that are set up to treat patients who require treatment or diagnosis but do not require overnight care. The demands and skillsets of outpatient care can often differ significantly from PAs working inside of the facilities that are providing an outpatient clinic. This experience can demonstrate that you’re hard-working and ready to learn as you work as well. Additionally, these outpatient clinic positions may fit some candidates’ personal needs more effectively (since the workload is not as intense in most cases). 

5. Fantastic Interpersonal Skills

Perhaps the most important resume item on this list, fantastic interpersonal skills can skyrocket your physician assistant career. Thankfully, during your interview, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your interpersonal skills. By being social, friendly, and professional during your interview, you will make the interviewer see that you’re a high-quality candidate for the position. If you can think of a quality anecdote that presents your ability to connect and communicate with patients and clinical staff effectively, you’ll impress the interviewer even further. Make sure you always tell your anecdote in a way that feels both sincere, and professionally relevant. Understanding how to present your interpersonal skills in a professional, clear fashion is crucial and can make or break your ability to land your dream job. 

Unlock Your Dream PA Position in 2022

With these unique, and valuable experiences/skills on your resume, you will quickly stand out from other PA candidates. Medical work requires that you constantly educate yourself, and refine your skills on the job. As you gain a wider variety of experiences in the PA field, your ability to unlock your dream position in 2022 will significantly strengthen.