A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR PRACTICING PAs
You made it. Here is what we have for the PA-C side of the journey.
Most of The PA Platform is written for people trying to get in. This page is for the people who are already practicing: CME we actually use, conferences worth the PTO, and everything our team has written about the job search, contracts, specialties, money, and life after PA school.
CME
CME we recommend
Keeping up with CME should not mean sitting through content you will never use. These are the resources our team turns to for category 1 credit, board review, and staying sharp between PANRE cycles. Some links are affiliate links, which support the free resources on this site at no cost to you.
CME resource 1
Placeholder. Replace with the resource name, what it covers, how many credits, and why we recommend it for practicing PAs.
CME resource 2
Placeholder. Replace with the resource name, what it covers, how many credits, and why we recommend it for practicing PAs.
CME resource 3
Placeholder. Replace with the resource name, what it covers, how many credits, and why we recommend it for practicing PAs.
PANRE and PANRE-LA prep: the same review resources our students use for the PANCE hold up for recert. See the review course we recommend and a Picmonic PANRE study plan.
CONFERENCES
Conferences worth the PTO
The ones we attend, speak at, or send our team to. Dates and discount codes get updated here as they are announced, so bookmark this page before you plan next year.
Conference name 1 (placeholder)
Month, City. Replace with who it is for, what we love about it, and any discount code or link.
Conference name 2 (placeholder)
Month, City. Replace with who it is for, what we love about it, and any discount code or link.
Conference name 3 (placeholder)
Month, City. Replace with who it is for, what we love about it, and any discount code or link.
Tips for Your First Medical Conference
How to get real value out of the trip, not just the lanyard.
Conference Review: GDPA Dermatology Pearls
A recap from our founder, a practicing dermatology PA.
ENT PA Legislation Update
Why showing up to specialty organizations matters for the profession.
CAREER AND PRACTICE
The job search, the first years, and the moves that come later
From the first contract to switching specialties, written by PAs who have done it.
The PA Job Search: Where to Find the Jobs
Where the good postings actually live.
How I Landed My Dream Job (and All My Mistakes)
A job search told honestly.
What to Do After PA School Graduation
Licensing, credentialing, and the first-shift checklist.
Preparing for Life After Graduation
The paperwork nobody warns you about.
Should You Do a PA Residency?
The trade-offs, from PA Cents.
One Year Out
What the first year of practice really felt like.
The Hard Parts of Practicing
The things that stay difficult even when you are good at the job.
What Is Lateral Mobility?
Switching specialties as a PA.
Going Part-Time as a PA
What it looks like and how to negotiate it.
Non-Traditional Options for PAs
Careers beyond the exam room.
The PA Title Change
Physician assistant to physician associate, explained.
The Few Disadvantages of Being a PA
The honest downsides, so you can plan around them.
SPECIALTIES
Inside the specialties
What the day actually looks like, from PAs practicing in it.
What It Is Like to Be a Dermatology PA
100 questions answered by our founder.
Dermatology Resources
For PAs moving toward derm.
A Day in the Life of a Neurohospitalist PA
One specialty, hour by hour.
Informational Interview with an OB/GYN PA
The questions to ask before you switch.
Interview with Jorge Muniz, PA-C, Creator of Medcomic
A PA who built something outside the clinic.
Mission Trips as a PA
Serving abroad as a clinician.
MONEY AND LIFE
Loans, family, and staying well in a long career
The questions that come up once the paycheck starts.
How I Paid Off My PA School Debt
A real repayment plan.
Interview with Student Loan Planner
Forgiveness, refinancing, and repayment strategy.
PA Salary, Explained
How to think about compensation (older numbers, same principles).
When to Have Kids as a PA
Timing a family around a clinical career.
Staying Healthy in Medicine
Long-term habits for a long career.
Providers as Patients
When the clinician is the one on the table.
How to Survive the Night Shift
Sleep, food, and sanity on overnights.
Books for Medical People
Our running reading list.
Everything for practicing PAs, newest first
This page is the curated guide. Every post we tag for PA-Cs lands in the For Practicing PAs category automatically, and new conference and CME announcements go out on the newsletter first.
Precepting a student? Know a pre-PA?
Send them to the coaches, essay reviews, and mock interviews that have helped pre-PAs get in since 2015. Every coach on our team is a practicing or licensed PA.