Did you know you can specialize when you work in primary care? As a surgical PA, I’ve worked in various surgical subspecialities, but the concept of primary care subspecialities was brand new to me. My guest today, Alex Childs, shares his story of specializing in pharmacogenetics as a primary care PA.  

Alex is a PA with a Doctor of Medical Science degree working in family medicine in Utah. Alex’s doctorate research focused on implementing genetic testing in primary care. In practice, he has done this with hereditary cancer risk testing and pharmacogenetic testing. 

In today’s episode, Alex shares what he loves about working in primary care and gives actionable tips on how to thrive as a primary care provider. Alex also explained what the heck pharmacogenetics is and how he uses it to provide high quality care and early interventions with his patients. He also describes how he began working as an medical science liaison (MSL) in industry while still working as a family medicine PA. 

I think my favorite part of our discussion was talking about how every medical provider can get their joy back when it comes to practicing medicine. Press play to learn how to find your passion for medicine again if you’ve been feeling burned out. 

SPONSORS

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REFERENCES

1. Fred HL, Scheid MS. Physician burnout: causes, consequences, and (?) cures. Tex Heart Inst J. 2018;45(4):198-202. doi:10.14503/THIJ-18-6842

2. Samuel D. Who Are Medical Science Liaisons? THE MSL. March 27, 2020. Accessed February 3, 2025. https://themsljournal.com/article/who-are-medical-science-liaisons/

3. Carrau D, Janis JE. Physician burnout: solutions for individuals and organizations. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2021;9(2):e3418. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000003418

CONNECT WITH ALEX

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-childs-565b4884

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Keywords: Pharmacogenetic testing, Hereditary cancer risk testing, PA career growth, Primary care subspecialties, Doctor of Medical Science PA, Physician assistant career paths, PA industry jobs, PA professional development, Genetic testing in medicine, How to thrive as a primary care PA.

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