I had such a fun time chatting on the phone with Dan about medicine.  Total recorded time was 2 hours that I had to edit down to this current episode.  His story from childhood to how he became one of the administrators for a surgical group in one of the biggest hospital systems in California is enriching.  He is a true inspiration.  Thanks Dan!

Physician Assistant Stats:*

Physician Assistants practice medicine on teams with physicians and other healthcare workers. They examine, diagnose, and treat patients autonomously and as part of a team in all various specialties of medicine.

 

2017 Median Pay: $104,860 per year ($50.41 per hour)

 

Educational Degree: Masters Degree

 

Number of US jobs in 2016:106,200

 

10 Year Job Outlook: 37% growth, much faster then avg.

 

 

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Physician Assistants (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm), (visited August 5, 2018).

 

 

Terms Covered in Episode

Navy A School (https://www.usmilitary.com/what-to-expect-at-navy-a-school/)

 

Corpsman (https://www.navy.com/careers/medical-support) - Enlisted medical specialist

 

Lipoma - Overgrowth of adipose tissue (fat) creating a benign tumor often located between skin and muscle layer.

 

Eugene Stead Jr. MD (https://pahx.org/assistants/stead-jr-eugene/)

 

CT Surgery - Cardiothoracic surgery deals with issues of the thorax, generally the heart and lungs.

 

Trauma Surgery - Surgical field dealing with acute traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle crashes, gunshots, blunt and penetrating injuries, etc.

 

ICU (Intensive Care Unit, Critical Care Unit, or Intensive Therapy/Treatment Unit) - Part of the hospital with the sickest patients requiring the most intervention from both staff and equipment.  May consist of intubated, sedated, and ventilated patients.

 

Call - To be available on your “off time” for phone calls, patient visits, surgeries, emergencies, etc that varies by job.

 

Open Surgery - Traditional way of surgery going through the layers of the body to operate.

 

Endoscopic Surgery - Surgery utilizing cameras, smaller openings and temporary ports in the body to pass through instruments in a tight space allowing for less pain and quicker recovery.

 

Vein Harvest - Generally endoscopic removal of a vein to replace a coronary artery (cardiac bypass)

 

Bypass - Surgical procedure to restore blood flow to the heart after an obstruction occurs.