PA Like a Pro Webinar Series
Designed just for PA students and early career PAs, this webinar series is a quick and convenient way to get essential PA student information, tips, tricks, and advice. We’re bringing you experts on everything from student loans and passing PANCE to getting hired and beating burnout.
Check out the topics, speakers, and descriptions below. Sign up to watch live or replay a past webinar on your own schedule!
Webinar Replays
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Speaker: Kaci Hardsock, MS, PA-C
Are you ready for a fast-paced, collaborative, lifesaving specialty? Cardiothoracic surgery may be the right field for you. Join us for a webinar with PA Kaci Hardsock as she discusses the types of patients treated, surgeries performed, and variety of settings in which you can work. Learn how cardiothoracic PAs play a critical role from patient care to post-operative management.
Neurology
Speaker: Allyson Hamacher, PA-C
Fascinated by the brain and curious about a career in neurology? Meet PA and educator Allyson Hamacher and hear about a typical day in the field, the skills and knowledge you need, and explore case studies in this rewarding specialty.
Orthopaedic Surgery
Speaker: Dan Coll, PA-C, MBA, DFAAPA
Learn more about the orthopaedic surgery specialty! An experienced PA talks about a typical day in practice, explores case studies, and gives advice for clinical rotations and job search.
Surgery
Speaker: Samora Charles, PA-C, MPH
Learn more about the surgery specialty! An experienced PA shares a typical day in practice, explores case studies, gives advice, and more.
Dermatology
Speaker: Laura Bush, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA; and Kristin Rygg, MPAS, PA-C
Hear more about the dermatology specialty! Experienced PAs will share about a typical day in practice, explore case studies, get advice, and more.
Mental Health and Psychiatry
Speaker: Sarah Scantamburlo, MSW, PA-C
Explore opportunities in mental health and psychiatry! Meet an experienced PA and hear about a typical day in a psychiatry practice, explore case studies, get advice, and more.
OB-GYN and Women’s Health Care
Speaker: Jacquetta Woods Melvin, MPH, PA-C
Explore opportunities in OB-GYN and women’s health care! Meet an experienced PA and hear about a typical day in an OB-GYN/women’s health care practice, explore case studies, get advice, and more.
Primary Care
Speaker: Matthew Mancini, PA-C
Do you want to develop a wide and general medical knowledge? Do you enjoy a fast-paced environment where you will see a variety of patients and cases throughout your shift? Do you want to be able to build relationships with patients over time? Primary Care may be the right specialty for you.
Emergency Medicine
Speaker: Brian Palm, PA-C
Do you thrive under pressure, enjoy solving puzzles, and prefer to have a wide range of generalized knowledge? Becoming an Emergency Medicine PA may be right for you!
Back to the Basics: Why Mentorship Matters and Strategies on How to Create and Maintain a Successful Mentor/Mentee Partnership
Speaker: Jacquetta Woods Melvin, MPH, PA-C
Seeking guidance on your path to becoming a PA? Our guest speaker, Jacquetta Woods Melvin, MPH, PA-C explores the benefits of mentorship for your professional development and strategies for initiating and cultivating a partnership for success.
Contract and Salary Negotiations
Speaker: James R. Kilgore, DMSc, PhD, PA-C, DFAAPA
Unsure how to get the pay and benefits you want from your first PA job? Watch this webinar on negotiating a contract and salary. Our guest speaker will explain the basics of healthcare provider contracts and the extras you can expect, so you’ll be prepared for success.
“How I Paid Off $150K in Less Than 5 Years”: Extreme Budgeting for PA Students and New Grads
Speaker: Sami Ngo, PA-C
Worried about the enormous student loans you’ve taken out for PA school? Learn how one savvy PA managed to pay off her loans in just five years. Sam Ngo, PA-C shares tips for how to live frugally, pay down debt, and achieve financial independence.
On-Ramp to Advocacy
Speakers: Kristin Butterfield, MA; Cooper Couch, PA-C; Camille J. Dyer, MS, PA-C, AACC, DFAAAPA; and Matthew Mancini, PA-C
Are you fired up about the many issues facing the PA profession but not sure where to begin with getting involved and making an impact? Learn about the many paths to advocacy for students and early career PAs. Our speakers will share about their own experiences with grassroots involvement and suggest opportunities available to you.
Conquering Imposter Phenomenon
Speakers: Stephen Lewia, DMSc, PA-C; Menerva Lobe, MPAS, PA-C; and Raquel Padilla Moore, PA-C
More than a third of PAs suffer from imposter syndrome, and even higher numbers of PA students and early career professionals are affected. Join AAPA for this FREE webinar on the problem with imposter syndrome, it’s impact on PA mental health and burnout, and ways to combat it.
When Good Intentions Go Bad: Stories in Medical Ethics
Speaker: Janelle Bludorn, PA-C; Assistant Professor, Duke University School of Medicine
Ethical issues may arise with each patient encounter, whether you’re a student or a clinician. Join AAPA for this FREE webinar on what to do when the ethical choice isn’t clear. This session will provide an overview of medical ethics including case studies you may not have considered.
Navigating the Job Search as a New Grad
Speaker: Kaci Hardsock, PA-C; Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic
Finding your first PA job is challenging enough, and even more so during a pandemic. Join AAPA for this webinar about navigating a job search as a new grad. You’ll learn how to identify jobs, prepare for interviews, and network — all in a virtual environment.
Putting on Your Oxygen Mask: The Importance of Taking Care of Your Mental Health to Succeed in PA School
Speakers: Stephanie Neary, MPA, MMS, PA-C; Assistant Professor and Director of Didactic Education, Yale University and Chris Roman, PA-C; Associate Professor, Butler University
Mental health affects everyone from PA students to practicing PAs. Join AAPA for this webinar featuring a discussion on mental health.
USPHS SRCOSTEP: Why Every Student Needs to Know This Alphabet Soup
Speakers: LTJG German S. Herrera, PA-C, LCDR Sherray Holland, PA-C, and LT Chelsea Makowicz, PA-C
Learn about the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the eight uniformed services. Then hear from a recent student and officer’s experiences in the Senior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (SRCOSTEP). Finally, learn how to apply for this elite paid internship for graduate students!
Study Less, Remember More
Speaker: Ron Robertson, Co-Founder and CEO Picmonic
Are you stressed from struggling to retain the massive amount of information you’re learning in PA school? Join Ron Robertson, Co-Founder and CEO of Picmonic, for a presentation and demo of this mnemonic study aid! Learn three techniques to boost test scores, how to efficiently prep for lectures, and how to maximize your study resources.
Financial Fundamentals: Tools for Pursuing Financial Health
Speaker: Nicole Urbano, CFPTM, CRPCSM, Investment Analyst, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
This session provides a basic overview of saving, debt management and use of credit. The presenter will offer insight, strategies and tools to help you accomplish your most important financial goals.
Protecting Your Assets and Your Career
Speaker: Gary McCammon, President Professional Risk Advisor
Learn basic concepts of medical malpractice law, how they apply to PAs, and how you can transfer malpractice risk away from the PA’s personal assets. Typically, this is through employer-provided malpractice insurance. But not all insurance is created equal; PAs should be aware of how their insurance works, especially when transitioning between jobs. After this session, participants should be able to: understand that PA practice and malpractice risk are necessarily intertwined; understand that PAs are personally liable to patients regardless of who provides malpractice insurance; know how employer-provided insurance varies from individually obtained insurance and the pros and cons of each; and what to “nail down” regarding malpractice insurance when changing jobs.
Surviving and Thriving in Your Clinical Rotations
Speaker: Cynthia Booth Lord, MHS, PA-C, Associate Professor and PA Program Director at Case Western University School of Medicine
Lifelong learning is the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge. It not only enhances personal development but also employability. Clinical rotations have a significant impact on a student’s lifelong learning process so it is important to thrive, not just survive. Get an overview of helpful tips and pearls of wisdom for students entering the clinical phase of their education. Learn how to study during clinicals, how to elicit and act on feedback, and ultimately maximize the clinical experience.
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Drinking From a Fire Hydrant: How to Study Effectively in PA School
Speaker: Savanna Perry, PA-C, a dermatology PA and the founder of The PA Platform
Everyone talks about how difficult PA school can be, but no one directly addresses how to study effectively. By focusing on the finish line from the very start, developing strong personalized study skills, and maintaining a willingness to adapt, students will learn how to feel confident on test day through both didactic and clinical years.
Missing Out Because You Aren’t LinkedIn: What Every PA Student Should Know About This Powerful Platform
Speaker: Krisi Gindlesperger, MPAS, PA-C, Vice President, National Director of Advanced Practice Providers, US Acute Care Solutions
Don’t overlook the importance of a professional profile on LinkedIn while you are a PA student. This powerful tool can assist you in securing clinical rotations, help you polish your resume, search for jobs and connect you with thousands of potential colleagues across the country and around the world – all while you are worrying about passing the PANCE and getting your license. Krisi will share how recruiters, employers and PA leaders engage LinkedIn to meet their needs in the rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Beating Burnout and the Viability of Locum Tenens as a Solution
Speaker: Thomas Massing, DMSc, MS, PA-C. FAPACVS CAQ Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Mike Freeman
Burnout among PAs is not limited to a specialty or setting or based on tenure. Some of this is due to the culture that has traditionally surrounded front-line providers of medicine. The idea that PAs are so focused on helping others they never stop to care for themselves. Thomas Massing, a Locums Tenens PA, and Mike Freeman, a dedicated staffing professional, will share with you what causes burnout among PAs and how locums can be a viable solution and how to capitalize on this opportunity.
Getting Hired for Your First Job: Secrets From a PA Employer
Speaker: Rev. Josanne K. Pagel M.Div., MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, Executive Director of PA Services at Cleveland Clinic Health System
Learn the top ten “secrets” to getting hired for your first job out of PA school, including the what to do and what not to do list.
Zip Up Your PANCE
Speaker: Katie Iverson PA-C, MPAS Hippo Education Medical Editor, Assistant Clinical Professor, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services
Come hear tips and tricks as you prepare for the PANCE. From study hints to day-of pointers, this session is for all the test takers… the cautiously optimistic, the nervous wrecks, and all those in between.
Student Loan Repayment During Uncertain Times
Speaker: Alex Macielak from Laurel Road
In these uncertain times, you may be wondering what options PAs have for paying back their student loans after graduation. Join Alex Macielak from Laurel Road for an interactive session exploring different options available including the federal aid provided in the CARES act, federal loan repayment options, and student loan refinancing and get a better understanding about what may be best for your unique situation.
What I Wish I Would Have Known: Surviving the Transition From PA-S to PA-C
Speaker: Hillary Bennett, PA-C
PA school teaches us the science and medicine required to take care of patients. However, we are often not educated on the red tape we must cross in order to begin treating patients. PA Bennett discusses the strenuous process of hospital credentialing and the transition from PA school to real world medicine. Participants are provided a checklist and tips to ease the suffering through this process.
We hope all PA students join in on these learning opportunities. Being a part of AAPA’s nationwide community has never been more important, and AAPA is here for you every step of your journey from PA-S to PA-C.
Looking for unlimited access to these webinars, exclusive PA student tools, and more? Visit our Student Resources page to see how AAPA membership can support you – and join today!