Research Assessment #1

Date: October 13th, 2016

Subject: Pediatric Physicians Assistance
MLA Citations:
TexasChildrens. "Day in the Life of a Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant Fellow at Texas
Children's Hospital - Texas Children's Blog." Texas Childrens

Blog. Texas Children's Hospital,

11 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.texaschildrensblog.org/2015/09/day-in-the-life-of-a-pediatric-surgery-physician-ass
istant-fellow-at-texas-childrens-hospital/>
Assessment:
In the article written by the Pediatric Surgery Physicians Assistant Fellows at the Texas
Childrens Hospital, a summary of a day in the shoes of the surgical PA is given. We see that the
PA fellows get to work extremely early (before the residents) and begin their rounds. In this
article, the next thing the PA does is discuss the surgical cases of the week with her superior and
then go into surgery which takes about three hours. Afterwards, she goes to a lecture to listen and
learn from a world renown surgeon. Then, she goes to the clinic and has to write clinical notes as
a result of that. LAter the PAs go to the presentation of the attendings do discuss learning points
of recent surgeries. During this presentation, the PA gts paged to the emergency room and
schedules a surgery for the next day.
I chose this article because Ive always had in interest in surgery but I never knew (I still
dont know) if its the right fit for me. This article drew me in because my topic is Pediatric
Physicians Assistants but this was a Surgical Physicians Assistant which made me even more
curious. Along with this, I wanted to know what a day in the life as a PA looked like, even
though it will obviously vary depending on the work place.
In the article written by a fellow, I saw that many times the PA does the physical exams
by herself then later goes to her superior and they come up with a plan together. I love this
because I enjoy getting the opportunity to be independant but also having someone there for
guidance and reassurance. I also noticed that the job of a PA also includes lots of paperwork and
notes. The writer mentioned how she had to log everything into computers after rounds, take
clinical notes (which she didnt have time to take in the clinic so she did them late), put in
hospital admission orders, and schedule the surgeries. This showed me that PAs do a lot more
regarding charts and paperwork that I didnt know about, making them play an even bigger role
in the hospital than I thought.

We see that the work day of this Pediatric Surgery Physicians Assistant Fellow was
about nine hours long. Though to some this may seem like a long time, I was honestly expecting
the work day to be longer. I understand that it will vary from day to day, but I was pleasantly
surprised about the fact that she got home around 7:20PM. Im interested to see if fellows are
required to work different shifts (maybe the overnight shift) as part of their training.
Another thing I noticed in this article was how packed this day was for this specific PA.
She was doing something constantly throughout the day. Because she is a fellow, she has to
attend lectures to gain for information from experienced surgeons. Along with this she must
attend the presentations by the attendings to further her understanding of surgery. I like the fact
that in this field you are constantly learning and theres always more information that will be
valuable to you and will help you be a become a better Physicians Assistant. Seeing how this
Surgical PA Fellow was constantly on the move got me excited because that is the kind of
environment that I love because I enjoy being busy.
Reading this article really gave me a better understanding of what a day in the life of a
Pediatric Surgery Physician's Assistant Fellow looks like and how much work they really do.
They play a lot bigger role in the hospital than I thought and that makes me want to pursue the
career even more. This article has gotten me more interested in learning about Surgical Pediatric
PA rather than just Pediatric PA. I will continue to conduct research on Surgical Physicians
Assistants so I know whether or not I want to conduct my independent study in the field of
Surgical Pediatric Physicians Assistant.
Article:
September 11, 2015 Physician Assistant Pediatric Surgical Fellows, Class of 2016

Day in the Life of a Pediatric Surgery Physician Assistant

Fellow at Texas Childrens Hospital
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Physician Assistant Fellow is like? Here is a
glimpse of a day in our shoes.
4:45 a.m.
I am awakened from my beautiful slumber by the sound I dread each
morning:BRRRRRING-DING-DO-DING BRRRRRING-DING-DO-DING I blindly
reach for my phone to pound the snooze button.

4:55 a.m.
BRRRRRING-DING-DO-DING BRRRRRING-DING-DO-DING
In a semi-lucid state, I conclude that the benefits of arriving to work on time do in fact outweigh
the benefits of ignoring the world for a little longer.
5:00 a.m.
After donning fresh scrubs, I glance in the mirror to begin repairing the damages my pillow
made last night. Thoughts of my schedule for the day start to seep back into my blurry mind.
5:15 a.m.
I arrive in the parking lot of the hospital and need to quickly decide if I need to take the shuttle to
The Pavilion for Women or the Feigin building. While we step off the bus a few minutes later at
Feigin, the driver wishes each of us: Have a great day!
5:30 a.m.
As I print off the patient list for the day and review my patients charts, the resident physicians
trickle in one-by-one. Its pretty evident who took call last night. I hand out a copy of our patient
list with updated information to each team member to review before rounding on our kids.
5:45 a.m.
We immediately start rounding on our patients on the floor. I knock on the door of my patients
room who is preparing for surgery later today.
Good morning! Can we come in?

The resident physician and I answer the familys questions and ensure everything is in order for
the day and that nothing has changed overnight.
6:15 a.m.
My stomach rumbles and I think everyone heard it. We still need to see three more patients
before attending morning report. We are all so grateful for the lady who delivers coffee to the
Operating Room lounge at 6:30 each morning, hopefully I will have a spare minute to grab a
cup.

7:00 a.m.
With coffee in one hand and a pen in the other, I settle into my seat as we get ready for the
morning report in the office. We begin to discuss the surgical cases of the week and our current
admitted patients. I love learning about the ground breaking surgeries that are performed at this
hospital on a daily basis!
7:45 a.m.
Im looking forward to assisting in surgery this morning. Should I wear my barn animal scrub
cap or the one with polka dots? Its important to make the patients feel comfortable when we

walk them back to the operating room. My patients seem to like my barn animal cap best, Ill
wear that one today.
8:10 a.m.
As I pull my patient in a red wagon towards the operating room with the team, we look back and
wave to mom and dad. Prior to our wagon departure, the surgeon and I were able to sit down
with the family and discuss the procedure in detail and answer any final questions. We assured
them their child is in great hands and we would come out to discuss the case as soon as we
finished.
8:15 a.m.
[Once in the operating room I turn to the Scrub Technician]
Good Morning! Ill be scrubbing in. Can I grab my gown and gloves from you?
I begin to gear up for the case. Prior to any surgical procedure, it is crucial to prepare the sterile
field and scrub in. Keeping this in mind, I walk into the hallway to begin the scrubbing ritual.
11:15 a.m.
Woah, what a great learning opportunity! The strength and courage of these patients never ceases
to amaze me. The patient did great and the family was updated on the surgery. Now I need to
find an available computer so I can put in the hospital admission orders for my patient.
11:50 a.m.
Time for the fellowship lecture series. Im really looking forward to todays lecture on transplant
surgery. Its pretty amazing that world-renown surgeons take time out of their busy schedules to

lecture to us, and other providers throughout the hospital, every week. Over the course of this
year I will receive over 40 lectures just from this lecture series alone.
12:45 p.m.
The lecture comes to an end.
Do you have any questions?
The presenter answers our questions and further explains the intricate details of the topics hes
been presenting.
1:05 p.m.
Time to head to clinic. I review the schedule for the afternoon and prepare so I can be a
productive member of the clinical team.
1:30 p.m.
I knock on the door then walk into an exam room. My patient is a 5-year-old female who is
coming into the clinic for hip pain. We discuss how long she has been experiencing pain, then I
perform a physical exam. I step out to discuss my patient with the attending surgeon. After
formulating our treatment plan, we go back into the room to talk with the patient and her family.
4:45 p.m.
Whew, clinic was so busy I didnt have time to complete my clinic notes. Thankfully I can head
back to the office to add the finishing touches after our quality improvement conference.
4:47 p.m.

As Im waiting by the elevators, I see one of my patients walk by with a bright smile. She runs
up to give me a hug and says, Bye, Bye! Thanks for the sticker!
4:50 p.m.
I punch in the door code and burst into our office to find two other PA fellows typing away

at their own notes.

Hello! How was your day? Who has snacks? I might go down to the surgery office to get a Rice
Krispies treat, do you want anything?
I either need to stop eating all the delicious snacks in the surgery office or find time to work out.
Wait, who am I kidding, I wont have time to work out until the fellowship finishes next year.
5:00 p.m.

I settle into my seat at the conference, watching all the resident physicians in light blue scrubs
and white coats find a place to see the projector screen.
Is everyone present? Then we can start.
I take out my notebook to take notes while the attending surgeons start to discuss learning points
of recent surgical cases. The surgeons offer suggestions on upcoming surgeries to ensure every
patient we treat receives the best care possible.
5:26 p.m.

BEEEEP-BEEEEP-BEEEEP
Everyone in the room pats their waistbands to find the source of the disturbance. I quickly realize
my pager is the one going off and step out of the room as discretely as possible to return the
page. It is the emergency room consulting surgery for a patient after recent imaging has revealed
the need for surgical intervention. With these new results, I need to head down with the attending

surgeon to examine the patient and confirm the diagnosis. We then talk to the family about the
procedure their child will be needing tomorrow, explain the risks and benefits, and get their
consent. Now, I will schedule the surgery for tomorrow with the surgery schedule coordinator.
6:40 p.m.
Okay! I finished my last clinic note, logged my surgical cases from today now I need to print
articles to read for my case presentation next week. Am I forgetting anything?
6:46 p.m.
Nice, the shuttle is here [Begin walking briskly]
ITS PULLING AWAY! My power walk turns quickly into a jog.
7:19 p.m.
To my delight, I sit down on my living room couch. What a day. I cant help but reminisce about
todays events. Who knew being exhausted could be so satisfying! The fellowship has been such
a rewarding experience, I feel so fortunate to be taking care of children at Texas Childrens
Hospital.

Time to relax and review for

tomorrow, so I can do it all over again!