Neurvous Neurosurgery

The latest segment of my unemployment saga has taken an interesting turn. Received a call for an interview from Continuum Health Partners (an umbrella service for some of NYC's largest hospitals). The woman on the other end of the phone wasn't able to specify which position this was for, indicating it was for the "Physician Assistant position." Which one of the 200 I've currently applied for, I wondered? So off I went to interview for the PA position without any knowledge of which medical specialty.

After filling out my umpteenth 10 page paper application, I found myself sitting across from an effeminate one-eyed Filipino man who cut me off during each response to his questions. After a flurry of odd comments regarding PA positions, he picked up the phone and within 5 minutes I was hustled down the street to St. Lukes- Roosevelt hospital to meet with a Neurosurgery team who had posted a job announcement 10 minutes prior.

I felt like someone had conked me on the head, when I came to I was sitting across from a maniacal looking man dressed in scrubs whose eyes appeared to be closer to me than the glasses on his face. This particular man couldn't seem to complete any sentence he decided to start. I knew I was in an neurosurgery team's office, right? Well, it appeared this man had been one of the team's experimental patients who now was on the payroll so they could avoid a malpractice suit. This guy was WEIRD. Needless to say, he couldn't provide me with much confluent information. I later learned he was one of the team's 3 PA's.

Then a very rotund 60'ish looking fellow bumped the office door open with his protruding abdomen. He apparently was interested in only one thing about me. "So, you're from New York?" Umm, no, I am from Wisconsin (to me this sounds less remote than Oregon or Maine). He then asked me the same question again, about being from New York. His Russian accent was very thick, almost as thick as his dark beard, which appeared to cover his entire body. I don't think he new of any other part of the US than NY. He then followed his belly out the door. I learned he was another one of the 3 PA's.

Next through the door was the straightest shooter of the bunch who through down every salient detail I needed to know in all of 3 and a half minutes. Apparently, I sat in the office of New York's preeminent Intervential Radiology/Neurosugery team who specialize in AVM's and Brain Aneurysms and they were looking to fill a position for their 4th PA on the team. Skeptical of new grads based on their dearth of knowledge and likelihood of leaving after one year, yet enticed by their assumed 'clean slate' marketability -- they've asked me to come back to meet the Surgeons (3) on Monday morning. I must admit, I'm a little nervous about this one. I was hoping for a little remote primary care office nestled in a fishing village somewhere near the ocean. Somehow, I find myself a few blocks from Times Square potentially peering into people's cerebral cortex with the million dollar machines. What to do? What to say? Anyone? Anyone?