Going Part-Time as a PA: One Mom's Honest Decision

After graduation, I went straight into working in dermatology, which was my dream job. My husband was in medical school at the time, so vacations weren't really an option and I just needed to get out there and start earning. I started at four days a week, Monday through Thursday, and I was usually home or leaving the office by 5pm. Eventually they asked me to add Fridays, which worked out fine since my husband was busy with med school anyway.

Dermatology is a busy specialty. A lot of days I was seeing 30 to 35 patients, and I was okay with that because I like working hard and staying busy. I would rather be busy than bored. For a long time, full-time felt completely right.

I always assumed I would go back to work full-time after having a baby and not cut my hours. I have friends who are PAs, friends with other jobs, and friends who are stay at home moms, so I had seen all sides. I honestly thought I would be bored at home. Then I had my daughter, and it is hard to explain how much everything changes until you have lived it.

I took 11 weeks of maternity leave, which I highly recommend using as much of as you can. I had some postpartum complications and ended up back in the hospital for a week, so I really only got about nine weeks with her. When it was time to go back, I was a mess. The morning I returned, I stood at the door sobbing and begging my husband not to make me leave her. That was not who I expected to be, but there I was, just wanting to sit on the couch with my baby.

For about the first six months back, I was balancing a lot: full-time work, figuring out the mom thing, and still running The PA Platform, often feeling like a single parent with my husband in residency. We talk a lot about the flexibility and work life balance of being a PA, but what I found is that there is no perfect balance. Something is always pulling more of your energy. You have to decide what your priorities are.

The turning point came after months of weekly anxiety driven fits. My husband finally said he didn't know how else to help, but something had to change. When my nanny gave notice and my husband finished residency to a seven on, seven off hospitalist schedule, the math just did not work. If I kept working five days a week, we would only have a couple of days together every other week, and that is not the life I wanted. So we looked at finances, childcare, and our schedules, and decided part-time was possible.

Telling my employer was hard. It was the only job I had ever had, five years with a supervising physician I loved and learned so much from. There was nothing wrong, I just couldn't do full-time anymore, and they needed a full-time PA. We tried to find a compromise, but it didn't work out, so I put in my resignation, which was really emotional.

What happened next showed me how much demand there is for experienced PAs. Before I even turned in my resignation, my practice had four resumes. I started putting out feelers with drug reps and other PAs, and within 24 hours I had a new derm job with the freedom to make my own schedule. My patients were incredibly supportive when I told them I was going part-time to be home with my baby more. I now work about two to two and a half days a week at a family oriented practice, and I can never see myself regretting more time with my family.

If part-time is even a flicker of a thought for you, explore it. Put the numbers on paper, talk to your employer, and see what is out there. Going part-time was not an easy couple of months, but I am so glad I did it. If you have questions about navigating PA life and career decisions, feel free to reach out, that's what we're here for!