The Rad Reality: Challenges and Triumphs of a Critical Care PA

In this episode of "So You Want to Work in Healthcare," host Leigha introduces us to Joseph Rad, a seasoned critical care Physician Assistant (PA) with seven years of experience based in Atlanta, Georgia. Leigha and Joseph delve into his journey into healthcare, discussing the motivations and experiences that led him to his current career. The episode also touches on Joseph's popular TikTok account, where he shares entertaining and insightful content related to his profession. Note that the views expressed in this episode do not constitute medical advice and do not reflect the opinions of their employers. Tune in for an honest review of a career in the ICU and a glimpse into the life of a healthcare professional.

Follow Joseph @theraddestPA

*Not Medical Advice. Our views do not reflect the views of our employers.*

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Transcript

Leigha & Joseph: do you have something happening in the background what is this can you hear that yes i was hoping you couldn't hear that wait is that your bird yeah that's my cockatoo oh my god i was gonna say just bring him over bring him onto the podcast he just gets really sassy around this time though

Leigha: So you want to work in healthcare, but you're not sure where to start. I'm Leigha your host of this podcast, and I'm bringing you the inside scoop on healthcare professions. From doctors to PAs to healthcare administrators and CRNAs, my goal is to let professionals tell their stories and give honest reviews of the careers they have chosen. So whether you're considering a job in healthcare or you simply have an interest in what we do, this show is for you. Welcome to the so you want to work in health care podcast today. I have the pleasure of welcoming Joseph Rad. He is a critical care P.A. He's been in the business seven years and he's based in Atlanta, Georgia. So welcome, Joseph.

Joseph: Thank you. I'm excited to be here.

Leigha: Me too. I'm excited to have you. And I should also mention that you have a very entertaining TikTok account, social media account, which is how we met. So we'll talk about that later. But yeah, I love I love your stuff.

Joseph: Thanks. Yeah, that's been a fun time. I'm excited to talk about that, too.

Leigha: Yeah. We start by getting into why you got into health care to give our viewers and listeners an honest review of what you do. But first, I just want to say real quick that today's episode and every episode on this podcast are not medical advice and our views do not reflect the views of our employers. All right. So why health care? Why medicine? Was there like one situation, a story that, you know, made you inspired into going into healthcare, or did you kind of just find yourself in PA school?

Joseph: Yeah, well, you know, I'm not going to answer with a cliche. I love helping people, and I want to be that person for other people when they're in need, which is ultimately true. However, that's kind of cliche, and it's not really at the root of why I went into medicine. I think First and foremost, growing up, I have a sister that was in and out of the hospital a lot for various reasons. Thank God everything's okay now, but being in and out of the hospital with her for several years when I was much younger gave me the first insight into and how the healthcare system works, how stressful that was for my family, and how important it is to have a good team. And then as I got older, I actually wanted to go into different things first. Medicine wasn't like my very first choice as a young freshman going into college. It was actually law. But then as I realized in law classes, I didn't want to do that, kind of brought me back to the medicine route. And I think it's a combination of I love science. I found that's really where I thrived in school and applying that to, you know, ultimately being a person in someone's most vulnerable time when they're sick and they need someone to help them, kind of marrying those two together, really what I found myself in medicine for.

Leigha: I mean, yeah, we all obviously want to help people, but it is the, I guess the cliche, the thing to say, or they tell us we just can't say it in our interviews, right? But like, it's true. We do want to help people, but yeah, you actually, you're not the first person to say that you had a family member. Actually, I think two other people on this podcast so far also had sisters that were in and out of the hospital as kids. So it's, it's a common story when we are exposed, I think, to healthcare at a young age and you either have a good experience or bad experience. And I think if either way, it could propel you into wanting to be in healthcare. So that makes perfect sense. When in your schooling or where in your schooling were you when you decided to do the switch from like law to healthcare?

Joseph: I think the first or second semester, so still freshman year, I started realizing there was far too much reading involved and politics involved and the branches of government involved that I quickly realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life learning all that stuff. It was very early.

Leigha: That's good. You didn't have to backtrack much. You just could switch and get all your prereqs in.

Joseph: That's right, yeah.

Leigha: Good. And then did you go straight from undergrad to PA school? How was that process?

Joseph: No, I didn't. I took some time in between. I did a lot of traveling. I did a lot of volunteering, both domestically and internationally. And then I also got another master's degree in a different semi-adjacent field. So I did all of that, went back to school before I felt like I was ready and qualified to apply to PA school.

Leigha: What was that? What was your master's in?

Joseph: Homeland security with a focus in public health preparedness. So kind of like the public health realm, but more of the emergency, bioterrorism, disaster, kind of emergency preparedness side.

Leigha: That's cool. What made you want to do that? Just get more experience or?

Joseph: You know, I think it was the public health side of me that was interested, but also kind of knowing that PA school was very early on in college, knew it was always the end game, looking at how I can make myself more marketable, but also looking at what can I do if I marry the PA profession with something else and kind of working maybe down the line for a government organization that could kind of put those two things together. Going through, in my generation, all of the terrible things we've gone through in America like 9-11 and COVID, I think being a part of that disaster relief effort is really intriguing.

Leigha: I really haven't talked to anybody who's had this kind of past. It's super interesting to me and I've never even thought about that. I'm glad you are because we definitely need people to help when there are disasters. I'm sure it heightened your application and people are always asking me and I'm sure you're getting these messages too on social media now. What can I do to stand out with my resume or like, how do I get my patient care hours or whatever it is? But how long did it take you to do that first master's?

Joseph: It took a little over a year. I was able to expedite it and get it done within three full semesters.

Leigha: And then that was before or after you traveled and volunteered?

Joseph: After volunteering.

Leigha: Okay. And then did you from there apply straight to PI school? Yes. How was that? Did you have to apply to a lot of schools, or did you know where you wanted to go? Because I only applied to three schools, but this was back in the day.

Joseph: Yeah. I applied to, I think, seven, and I didn't actually get in my first time.

Leigha: Oh, wow.

Joseph: Okay. Yeah. I don't even think I got an interview the first time. Really? Yeah. It was kind of a struggle in the beginning. You know, looking on paper, I felt like I was a pretty strong candidate. You know, I had, I had above average grades, I had different kind of curricular activities, I had a lot of healthcare experience. But for whatever reason, the cookie kind of crumbled in the way that it did. You know, PE school is very difficult to get into, as you know. So it wasn't until I applied the second cycle and kind of looked at my application, found where the weak spots were, poked some holes in those. I went back and I took a couple of science classes over again that I got like a B- and that I went back and upped that back to, you know, a more competitive grade and I think did a couple different I took another job in the healthcare field, so it was strengthening my application. That is what a lot of people looked at and said, I see you applied last year, and I see what you applied this year. I compared the two, and I see you did the work to improve yourself. They took the time to tell me that was one of the biggest factors that impressed them the most. Then I got into my first choice, which was Penn State. It worked out. It just took a little longer than I wanted.

Leigha: Wow. Yeah. I mean, I, sorry for assuming, but like I, with that other masters and your experience, I would just have assumed it would, they would have all wanted you right away, but like, it is so random how this works. I, I've talked to people who had what I thought was stronger than applications than I had. So, and, and they had a harder time getting in, but it might just be the year. It might just be that, you know, pro particular program, but, um, Side note, I spoke to Savannah from the PA platform and she actually told me recently that you could, if you don't get in, and this is for people applying to PA school or maybe having a hard time, if you don't get in, you can actually call the program and ask where your CV was lacking or where your application was lacking. Most of them will tell you. I thought that was cool. I never even thought that would be an option, but it's awesome that you You were like, okay, this is just a little roadblock. You went back and you fixed what you needed to fix and you got in the next time. That's cool.

Joseph: Yeah. I knew that there was really no other opportunity or any other option for me. So it just had to make it work.

Leigha: Yeah, exactly. How was Penn State?

Joseph: Penn State is great. I'm an undergrad and my other master's in Penn State, so I'm a trifecta hat trick of Penn State. I owe them a lot of student loans. But Penn State's great. As an undergrad, it's a very different experience. social heavy but Penn State PA program I was a second class that they had so it was a fairly new program but our program director was very experienced she came from another very successful program before she came and started Penn State's but it was a It was very difficult. It was probably one of the most challenging things academically that I've done. And, you know, didn't think I was going to get through it all the time. You know, there's a lot of ups and downs. You know, they pride themselves on pushing people through and making sure they get it. So they don't like to not graduate people. But I think there's some PA schools that kind of almost say, well, we admit 30, only 20 graduate. And they almost say that with like a little bit of pride to be like, not everybody makes it. We only like push through the creme de la creme. Yeah. Which always scared me because I was like, I don't want to start this and not go through. But our program director was very much like, no, if we think you can get in, we're going to do everything we can to make sure that you graduate. And that, yeah, that always felt really reassuring.

Leigha: Yeah, I went to Pace and they were the same way. They did everything they could to keep somebody in the program and make sure that they were going to pass. I think we had a pretty big class. I think it was like 50 or 55 and we only lost one. I mean, we didn't lose if it sounds like they passed away. But we only like one person decided to leave the program after the first semester. I've heard that like other programs kind of almost like boasting about how it's hard and like it's so easy to get kicked out. I don't know. I don't think that's the way to go. But I'm glad you got into your number one pick. I almost went to Penn State undergrad and like really almost went. And I was there for my like pre orientation orientation. I don't know what happened. But I was like, I want to go to College of Charleston," and I just like canceled. I had like my deposit was in and everything. I applied to College of Charleston. I got in like four days later and I went down there and then I ended up leaving there. I always wonder what would it have been like if I went to Penn State, but everybody that has gone there, like all my friends who went to Penn State absolutely loved it.

Joseph: Yeah, it's a little bit of a cult. It's a little bit of a cult. There's a Penn Stater everywhere you go. It doesn't matter if it's in the US or across the country. Somebody's wearing something Penn State and you hear, we are. So it's a good sense of community.

Leigha: I will admit, I did not know they had a PA program. So thank you for teaching me that. How long ago was that?

Joseph: I started in 2015. So the first year must have been 2014.

Leigha: Okay. Yeah, so it is fairly new and it's a two-year program.

Joseph: That's right.

Leigha: Yeah 24 months and then after PA school, did you start working right away?

Joseph: Yeah, I took my first job in Oregon in critical care and So I moved completely across the country You know I'm not entirely too sure why. I mean, I don't have children or a partner at the time, so I didn't have any reason not to go explore the world. And I always had an interest and I felt like a calling to the Pacific Northwest. It's a beautiful place. And I just happened to start looking for jobs out there. And I found the one that I took, and it seemed like a great gig. It was a great gig. And I just said, if not now, when? And why not? So I moved.

Leigha: Oh, I love that. That first job was in what field?

Joseph: Critical care.

Leigha: Critical care. So you've been in critical care your whole career so far?

Joseph: The entire time.

Leigha: Is that what you wanted to do from the beginning? Did you know that or is it something that you found out during your rotations? What made you want to go into critical care?

Joseph: I found out I liked critical care in my very last rotation. I was going into PA school with EMS, ER Tech background, so I was like gung-ho ED. I was definitely that guy that was like, oh, he's going to go into ED. And I did my extra rotation in emergency room. I was networking, already looking for jobs before the end of school in the emergency room. I thought there was no other place for me, but I did a CT surgery rotation as my final elective, which was my very last rotation. The surgery part I enjoyed, but it was very long, started to get kind of boring, especially as a student. But the ICU part of it really piqued my interest. And it wasn't until then that I was like, I never really thought of this before. Let's look into it. And the more I looked into it, and it networked in that field, I was like, I think I want to do it. And especially because I was, I was definitely more naive in that area where I was kind of felt like I didn't, I didn't know that it kind of scared me, made me want to do it more, put an ADG in front of me before I would have ran the other way. And now it's like, you know, no big deal. So I, whenever that happens where I feel scared of something, I feel like I have to do it. So that's, I think kind of what switched me last minute.

Leigha: Oh God, ABGs, you just gave me a real crazy flashback. I was so bad at them. I know. They were so hard. I still don't think I could do what, like an ABG, but I admit that I'm an ortho, so we're like- Yeah, so why would you? Yeah. Like Dr. Calendine said, we're the dumb guys of healthcare. But um, no, it's, it's really, it's really commendable what you do and how you just kind of went right into that I definitely would have been scared, but it's so cool that you see it as like a challenge rather than run the other way.

Joseph: Yeah, yeah. Now, I still work in the ICU, but I I'm in charge of people's onboarding. So I give them a very nice kind of walk in the park entry into critical care. The job I had first, I was the first PA they ever hired. It was a very unique hospital in that it was the only one within like a 60 mile radius. So we just had sheer volume. And as a result, our community hospital was very high-functioning. But it was just me and the physician, the ICU, attending overnight. And we had a total of up to 48 ICU beds. So it was wild. It was my first job, my first real taste of it. So I was like, this is normal. And they gave me five days of training. It was on day shift. Five days? Five days. They gave me the pager at night and said, try to find the answer before you call me. So I was quite literally like pushed right into the deep end on in a pool of fire. Fortunately, I was able to figure it out. And I know that people that have come after me have realized very quickly that it was not a sustainable job and had left. So I feel like people kind of almost have to sometimes come to that sink or swim where you either going to do it or you're not. And it's either for you or it's not. And that may probably be made me fall in love with critical care even more.

Leigha: Wow. That's amazing. You're also not the first person to tell me they were like the first PA in their job. And it seems like Number one, you're like the guinea pig, right? They don't know what to do with you. So they either like, don't give you enough autonomy, or they expect too much, right? So and then they just kind of like see what you can do. And they take that and then they like increase it if that makes sense. It's interesting how a lot of these hospitals like high volume centers will just hire a new grad as the only PA like, I don't know. I don't really understand that. I'm glad it ended up working out for you, but it just seems like they're just trying to save money or something.

Joseph: I don't know. I don't know. Maybe it's a save money thing. Maybe we're not really sure, so let me dip my toe in the water to see how this works, see if it's something we want to invest in or not. None of the physicians that were And I had a group of nine or ten of them. None of them had even worked with PAs before, even throughout training and residency.

Leigha: So how was that for you, though? Were you respected? How did it work out?

Joseph: It was tough at times in the beginning. Some of the more cutthroat ISU positions were much less likely to either be invested or let me do my thing. Others were very invested in my training and knew that if they got me to a place where I could function, um without being having my hand held then that meant that they could go to bed and sleep um so it was like a little bit of it depended on who i worked with but they more more than not once they realized they their quality of life improved drastically and patient care improved and the nurses were happier and you know everybody just really seemed happier that there was another body there helping then they kind of were like we can't we now can't function without you So it was a little bit of a road to get there.

Leigha: Did they have more than one PA now working there, as you know?

Joseph: They had, at the height of us, they had three or four. Awesome. And now I'm not sure what their census is like, but I know it's not more.

Leigha: Okay. And then what brought you to Atlanta? Did you just want another new experience?

Joseph: Well, I'm from Pennsylvania originally. And so when I went to Oregon, it was pre-pandemic. And working through the pandemic was obviously hard for a lot of reasons, but one of the hardest parts was not being close to my family and not being even within like a few hours or even a half of a day, like it would take me a full day to get back to where I live. then it would come times where I'd be like, oh, there's a little bit of a lull in the cases. Let me go home. And then we get spiked again. So then I'd have to, you know, not go. So I was, I didn't really get to see my family for a very long time. So I was like, I need to, my parents are getting older. I, you know, never was a homesick kind of person. And I guess I'm really still not, but I wanted to be within a quick shot home. And I wanted to go closer to home. I just didn't want to go all the way home because Pennsylvania is cold and there's a lot of snow. And where I'm from, there's not a lot that goes on. So I wanted to go closer, but not quite there. And then I found this job in Atlanta and I said, why not?

Leigha: How do you like Atlanta?

Joseph: Atlanta is pretty cool. It's a huge city. It is definitely the biggest city I've ever lived in. There is so much to do. There's so much to eat. There's so much to drink. There's just like a ton that goes on all the time. And the airport is amazing. And I'm a huge traveler. Yeah. Like you, I love to travel. So the fact that I can drive 15 minutes to the airport and get anywhere almost within a direct flight, It is awesome.

Leigha: Yeah, I never really thought about that. It is like a big hub. I think I've flown through there. I don't really remember, but yeah. Yeah, it's 15 minutes to the airport. Oh my God, I wish. I mean, it should be 15 minutes to the airport because I can basically see it from my window, but it's always at least an hour. It's insane. But yes, love to travel. You said the job that you're in now is a little bit different. You're doing onboarding.

Joseph: Yeah, so I'm the lead of my unit now. So that's another part is that I was able to find kind of leadership opportunities in this new role where there wasn't really, there's so few of us, so there wasn't really leadership opportunities where I was. So I was able to become the lead of the ICU where I am now. Part of that is onboarding new, new hires, new grads, making sure that they're able to practice, you know, to their best ability and managing my team.

Leigha: That's great. That's awesome. Do you like it?

Joseph: You know, I do. I like it a lot, but there's always – when it comes to management and leadership, there's a lot of things I didn't realize about it that are a lot harder than I thought.

Leigha: So you're managing, you're leading people, you're sometime getting new grads, you said, and kind of making sure they're ready. Do they have more than a five-day orientation process?

Joseph: Yeah, they do. They definitely do. It's more like five months.

Leigha: Okay, good.

Joseph: As happy I am for them to make sure that they get through that five months. We have a big team, so there's always someone around. People usually do pretty well, but there's always a little part of me that's like, I didn't get this, so maybe I should just push you up orientational earlier and make sure you can do what you can while you don't have as much support. Because if I can do it, you can do it.

Leigha: Real quick, I'm just curious, and if you're comfortable talking about this, or if you're not comfortable talking about this, it's okay, but I think it's important. How is the pay in Oregon versus Atlanta in this kind of situation?

Joseph: You know, my job was unique in that I was the first one that got hired. There weren't many of us. They didn't really have a lot to compare it to. It was a private practice that was contracted by the hospital, so they kind of had a smaller leadership team that decided these things. And I didn't have a lot to compare it to, and I was a new grad. So looking back now, I think I was grossly underpaid, and it was a night shift and a sheer amount of responsibility. But coming to Atlanta, I'm now making a fair amount more than I was in Oregon. Cost of living probably is maybe about the same, maybe a little bit higher. It's good that I was able to make that transition, but I also consider I don't work nights anymore and I'm still making more. So comparing those two jobs, I definitely make more now. But as far as some of my other colleagues in Oregon that were doing similar things, they probably were making similar amounts. I just think my personal job was being underpaid.

Leigha: I'm really big on people understanding what a good salary is. I think so many PAs, especially in the beginning when we're new and we just don't know what to expect and we just want to get a job, we take jobs that are grossly underpaid or overworked or whatever it is, or both. Yeah. salary transparency is very, very important. I mean, I've been in situations with people here in New York City, which in my opinion, when I started as a PA was probably the most underpaid city based on compared to cost of living. My roommate from PA school got hired straight out of school in the ED in Michigan and was making a little bit more than I was making in my first job as a PA. Things have changed. It has gotten a lot, a lot better. I'm real big on like knowing the statistics like what know what the average is ask around talk to your friends Like it is not illegal to talk salary your your hospital may try to tell you that but it is not illegal to talk salary So that was my little tangent. I just need to put that out there What do you think is the hardest part of working in the ICU? Because you're in the thick of it. You went through COVID in the ICU. I cannot even imagine what you went through. But is it understaffing? Is it lack of support? I don't know. What is it?

Joseph: I think it's probably an inculmination of those things, and really anything you can think of can make the ICU difficult. The pandemic really, I think, broke us as a healthcare system, and it broke us as ICU providers in a lot of ways. Tons of nurses I know have stepped away from the bedside to different roles. Physicians and APPs that I've met have done the same thing. So staffing is certainly an issue, and it's probably going to be an issue for a long time. The resources and support, of course, is going to vary from place to place, but that's always something that we struggle with because, you know, there's always a million reasons why you can or cannot have something. You know, the logistics are always going to be there that make it difficult. I think, however, when it comes to answering the question what is the hardest part of working in the ICU, I think it's not necessarily the acuity, it's not the death and dying rate, it's not the family conversations, it's actually the times where we have to prolong life without a good means to an end, and keeping people physically alive longer than what maybe they should be. and doing what's right by family members or doing what's right by the patient's wishes, knowing that people like us have seen this a hundred times over, it's not going to end well. And using life support, life support has like, the variations of life support that exists now are incredible from, you know, just not even ventilators, but ECMOs in different you know, assist devices, keep people alive for so long. And there's a line there, there's a line between keeping them along, because the end of this looks like recovery. And then there's a different path where we're keeping them along, and there is no hope for recovery. And the way we can do that is wild. And the ways that we can do that is honestly, sometimes, if you take a step back and look at it, almost a little morbid and being able to keep you full. like with a heart rate and a blood pressure does not necessarily mean they're alive and does not necessarily mean they have a good quality of life. But who defines what a good quality of life is? So it's kind of like this constant inner dialogue, constant inner struggle to, you know, do what's right, do what's right by the people that you are taking care of and their loved ones and kind of struggling with how you feel about that.

Leigha: Yeah, I can't imagine it sounds it's not something I ever have to experience like in my field. So it's very far into me. And I again, I commend you for doing it because it I'm sure it takes like a whole other level of like emotional intelligence to you know, it's just I can't, I don't know, I can't imagine being in that position. So thank you for what you do. That being said, could you give our viewers and listeners, maybe somebody who's going to PA school now wants to become a PA or even who wants to become a physician in the ICU, one piece of advice that you can give somebody trying to get to where you are now?

Joseph: I think I would say, make sure you take the time to do your research. make sure you actually know what you're getting yourself into. And that research can be shadowing, it can be talking to multiple people, seeing things firsthand, really understanding what it is that happens on a day-to-day, what's the good, what's the bad, what's the ugly, and trying to really fully grasp what that looks like and how you would react to it as a person. Because there can be some really nice fluffy things that are around saying, oh, yeah, I'm a health care provider in the ICU. That comes with a certain level of prestige where people will almost always be like, oh, wow, that's great. That's really wonderful. Thank you for doing that. But that is really just mere words as far as what can actually affect you and what can actually drive you to keep going or halt you in your path. So really understanding what the ins and outs are before going into, whether that's PA school, physician school, nursing school, ICU, whatever it is, really understand. Don't just say it looks nice on paper and go for it. Really do your research.

Leigha: Yeah, totally agree. Couldn't agree more, actually. I think you really don't know what it is until you're in it. And you could say that for probably any experience or profession. But I wanted to go, I thought, I wanted to go into general surgery or actually cardiac surgery. And I was so set on it. And then I wasn't able to get a rotation in it. So I never actually did get to experience it. My rotation in orthopedics was so much fun. I immediately was like, oh, this is what I actually want. This is what I want to do. You really don't know until you get there. I think a lot of us do change. It was your last rotation and then now it's your career. I think a lot of people end up on that path where you think you have an idea, but you really don't know until you experience it firsthand.

Joseph: It's like that old TV show. Remember that old MTV show? It was like, you think you know, but you have no idea. This is the story of Jennifer Lopez. What show was that?

SPEAKER_01: I can't remember. What the heck? No, I know the show. It was Behind the Music. Behind the Music?

Joseph: Yeah. Yeah. I think so. I think so.

Leigha: Right? Yeah. Something like that. Yeah. Good. Now, what do you love most about your job and what do you hate about it? So let's start with what you love about being an ICU physician assistant.

Joseph: Yeah. I think what I love about doing what I do is the kind of critical like care, the critical thinking side, which really makes my mind just think in ways that I feel like are growing my intellectual ability and being able to think through really difficult cases. And then as far as I love that, I love the procedural aspect just as much. And I'm sure you can understand that being in surgery, using your hands, doing The procedures we do in the ICU, which are central lines, arterial lines, intubations, chest tubes, LPs, all of those things really excite me. I really like to be able to accomplish that task and do it well. So I think kind of the merriment of those two things really keep me going. And the things I don't really love so much, apart from what we were talking about earlier with like the kind of death and dying part of the ICU and what that looks like for each patient. The other part that is kind of a bit of a struggle for me is, and this kind of lends itself to the PA profession in general, is that I would say 90% of my colleagues respect us as APPs, just like anybody else in the healthcare team. But there are always going to be people in the healthcare field, in my opinion and experience, that are going to be a little bit backhanded, that are going to be a little bit not as respectful to us because we're PAs. I think as generational turnover happens, that's a lot less. But I think there's always going to be a little bit of the, I want to talk to your attending instead of you kind of mentality, which is fine. That's okay. They're there. They're allowed to do that. I don't need to have these conversations all the time. But just kind of that feeling that people sometimes give us in the ICU, which is like, You know not who I want to talk to when most the time I am the one you want to talk to so Exactly, that's just kind of the things I don't really love about it Yeah, I think we all deal with that.

Leigha: But it is cool that you get to use your brain in Critical ways and you get to be hands-on because I'm a very hands-on person so in my job so that would I definitely fulfill me I think if I could get over the the scariness of being in the ICU. But I love what you're saying. I love what you do. Tell me about your social media agenda. Did you just get on like TikTok to provide some comical relief like I did? Or are you kind of like out there to spread the word about being a PA? Like what is your goal here?

Joseph: You know, I started my TikTok. Actually, I was kind of anti TikTok in the beginning. And I was more of like Instagram. It's just kind of how it was. And TikTok, I was like, that's not for me. That's not for my generation. But in the middle of the pandemic, when you really only have like your cell phone, I was like, you know what, let me just kind of see what this is all about. And you know, it's so easy to get down the hole and tick tock and and kind of get consumed by it. And I was one of those people that got consumed by it. And then I was like, let me try making some videos. And it was fun. It was creative. It was a way for me to kind of have a fun creative outlet that I wasn't getting in the middle of the pandemic from like other personal interactions. Yeah.

Leigha: And then I need to stop you. Oh, um, what is, do you have something happening in the background? What is this?

Joseph: Can you hear that? Yes. I was hoping you couldn't hear that. My, my, uh, hold on one second. Okay. I'm sorry about that.

Leigha: It's okay. It was actually a good timing because my camera just overheated and shut off. So I had to change to my webcam, but it's fine. Um, wait, is that your bird?

SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's my cockatoo.

SPEAKER_01: Oh my god. I was gonna say just bring him over bring him on to the podcast.

Joseph: I should have I just put him to bed. Oh, he this is about his time seven o'clock is usually his bedtime. So he starts flipping out if I don't put him in his cage.

Leigha: Oh my god. I was saying like, what is your social media agenda? Basically?

Joseph: Oh, right. So I was actually never really interested in TikTok in the beginning. I was more Instagram. And then when in the middle of the pandemic is when I started it. And I, you know, we really didn't have anything other than my phone. So I decided to kind of download it and see what could happen. You know, download it. At the time, it was kind of like the only thing of its kind. Now we have Instagram reels or whatever. But at the time, it was new, unusual. It was easy to grab your attention and hold it for a very long time. And I said, why not just do some of these weird videos that everyone else is doing? And I started it. And then I started using my creative side. And I started saying, how good can I get at this? Or how I wonder if people will find this funny. And you find out very easily that you might think you're funny, but the internet will tell you if you're funny. And what you think is funny is not necessarily funny to other people. And I love to laugh. I love to have a good time. And that is like the, I really believe, and it's cliche as it sounds, laughter is the best medicine. It always fixes my day. So if I can find, and I appreciate it when videos come across my feed that just like make me stop and I'm rolling. Like that makes my day. So if I felt like if I could bring that joy to somebody else, and bring that moment of laughter to somebody else who might be having a bad day, it was really worth it to me. And it was a great way for me to be creative, kind of have that outlet, connect with people in a time where you couldn't even connect with your neighbor, and make someone laugh, make someone's day. So that was kind of what started it. Now I'm just continuing.

Leigha: That's awesome. Same. I like I think we need humor as healthcare workers. We need healthcare humor because we can get so lost in the seriousness of our jobs. it can easily spiral downward. Like, I mean, there's times where I've felt just like so sad after a tough day at work. And I'm sure you do. Obviously, you deal with even more heavy stuff. But I think it's so important to have this like humor in our lives, even if it's just like a 10 second video. So I love your videos. Keep doing it. I think you're funny.

SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_01: It's so weird, though.

Leigha: And it's so hard because like, I'll do a video that I think is like, I'm cracking up making this video. And it's just like, doesn't get much attention. And then I'll do like kind of a cringy video where I'm like, I don't know if I should post this and I'll post it and people are like loving it. And I'm like, God, people are so corny. Like this cringy stuff. Yeah, but it's it's still so fun. And yeah, it's really cool that I'm meeting like people like you on tik tok and Instagram, because a lot of my guests have been people I've met on TikTok. I have friends like in the city here now that I hang out with in person because of TikTok. Like, it's really amazing. It's gotten a little weird, but the height of the pandemic really was the best time for TikTok. But it was, you know, it's still fun. So where can people find you? What is your handle?

Joseph: My handle is the raddest PA on both Instagram and TikTok.

Leigha: It's the coolest name.

Joseph: Well, you know, I wanted to do the rad PA, but that was taken and by somebody that works in radiology, that's PA. And so I was like, well, if you're the rad PA, I'm going to be the raddest PA. My last name is rad. So yeah.

Leigha: It makes perfect sense. I like it better. The raddest PA is the best. Is there anything that you would do differently in your course to becoming a physician assistant or, you know, getting to where you are today?

Joseph: Um, you know, I, if anything, would have done differently. I would have just started earlier. As much fun and how much I was able to learn and grow as a person after college, like taking those years to travel and volunteer and even get my other masters. I look at some of the PAs that went right after graduation of high school, right into it, or did the five-year program. I'm like, well, it would be nice that at 35 right now, soon to be 36, I could have even more experience and I could be even farther in my field and I could probably be just a little bit farther along. Starting late makes me feel like I'm 35, I only have seven years of experience. Do people take me seriously? Am I too old for this? Those things sometimes cross my mind. Although I truly feel like those experiences I got after college, before PA school, did help me grow as a person and those are invaluable. It would be nice to be, you know, 15 years into my career versus seven.

Leigha: Well, I will say that while I understand what you're saying, I am 12 years into my career and I feel pretty burned out. I didn't get to travel and I didn't get to take time off. Well, not that I didn't get to, I chose not to, but I will just try to help you see that I think the decision you made was probably for a good reason. I'm a big believer in everything happens for a reason. Um, you know, I for one, I'm just jealous of the top of you for taking the time off. But I see what you're saying. Like it is that the age thing, especially we're the same age, we just found out. It's weird. It's definitely like, am I sometimes I feel I don't know if I'll put this in the podcast. But between you and me, sometimes I feel like Am I should be a PA forever? Like, am I supposed to be an old PA? Like, because it's you know what I mean? Like it's it feels sometimes it feels like a career where I'm like, I feel like a little kid still I have to ask people for permission for things and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna be 40 in a few years. I don't know. Do you know what I'm trying to say?

Joseph: I do. No, I completely and totally know what you're trying to say.

SPEAKER_01: I'm like, am I going to be a PA for life? I don't know.

Joseph: Yeah. It's a weird thing to think about being like an, you know, an old, an old PA. I'll have to change my handle to the oldest PA. And it's yeah. Cause I've seen the, you know, people that are ready to retire in our role. Um, But it's a weird dynamic to think about because I'm starting to get to the age where new attendings are coming out and that are younger than me. Yes. And, you know, I have to, like you said, sometimes ask for permission or get trumped by, you know, their decisions, which again, I understand that sometimes just how it works. But it's like, I'm older than you.

Leigha: I know it just started happening like this year last year where like the fellows are younger than me and I'm like what I don't know what to do with this. But yeah, is there anything else you want to talk about or anything you want to say?

Joseph: You know, I think he has some really great questions. I think we talked about some really fun and also heavy things. Yeah, sorry, Zeus was wanting to be part of the podcast, too. I should have brought him up. That would have been fun. He gets really sassy around this time, though. So usually he's pretty quiet. But when he's not, he

Leigha: All right, so thank you so much. This has been really, really great. Thanks for taking the time out of your day, out of your Friday to do this podcast. This will air on YouTube and all listening platforms. So if you're listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please don't forget to give a five-star review. It takes two seconds. And then afterwards, it'll be on YouTube. And if you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to subscribe. This podcast is the So You Want to Work in Healthcare podcast. So that's where you can find us across all platforms. Thanks for listening. And can't wait to see you guys in a couple weeks. This is the So You Want to Work in Healthcare podcast with new episodes every month. Don't forget to subscribe to stay up to date on the latest releases.