After 13 years of practicing medicine, I’m not here to pretend I have it all figured out. I am here to share what experience has quietly, steadily taught me.

In this episode, I’m reflecting on 13 lessons I’ve learned in my 13 years as a PA—from why people and schedules matter more than specialty, to how burnout isn’t something you beat but something you learn to monitor, to why there is absolutely no award for doing it the hard way.

This isn’t a how-to episode or a deep clinical dive. It’s an honest, human reflection on what it takes to build a career in medicine that actually lasts. Consider this an invitation to pause, reflect, and ask yourself: what have I learned in my own years of practice?

Inside this episode, we talk about:

• Why culture, autonomy, and respect matter more than we’re taught

• How your real legacy lives outside the hospital or clinic

• Why medicine is an Ironman, not a sprint

• Burnout as a chronic condition—not a personal failure

• The power of mentorship, sponsorship, and turning around to help others

• Negotiation as a skill we were never taught—but desperately need

• Why part-time practice still counts

• And the truth about martyrdom (spoiler: there’s no prize)

Reflection isn’t indulgent. It’s how we make this work sustainable—for ourselves and for the clinicians coming behind us.

SPONSORS:ADVANCED PRACTICE PLANNING, LLC: advancedpracticeplanning.com/fi

SERMO https://app.sermo.com:443/?sermoref=39d97a2c-f699-4f8b-b2f9-1eb131e18c75&utm_campaign=tell-a-friend

CONNECT

⁠FREE 30-MINUTE COACHING CONSULT⁠ ⁠⁠https://calendly.com/the-pa-is-in/gen-call⁠ ⁠

⁠1-ON-1 NEGOTIATION CONSULT ⁠https://calendly.com/the-pa-is-in/negotiate⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH TRACY 🤝

⁠LINKEDIN ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracybingaman/⁠⁠

⁠INSTAGRAM ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrstracybingaman/⁠⁠

WEBSITE⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tracybingaman.com⁠

🎁 Bonus Freebie: Grab your free guide with 48 healthcare-specific side hustle ideas at 👉 tracybingaman.com/gig

Keywords: PA career longevity, lessons from practicing medicine, healthcare burnout recovery, physician associate career advice, sustainable medical careers, clinician burnout prevention, work life balance for PAs, part time medicine, negotiation in healthcare, PA mentorship, healthcare boundaries, career reflection medicine, avoiding burnout in healthcare, clinician identity, long term medical careers, PA professional development

Most clinicians don’t need to work harder to earn more — they need better strategy.

In this episode of The PA Is In, Tracy breaks down three proven ways clinicians can increase their income without adding more clinic hours or sacrificing their sanity.

Whether you’re stuck with tiny annual raises, feeling underpaid for your productivity, or craving more financial flexibility, this episode gives you practical steps you can take right now.

• Why negotiating where you already work is one of the most overlooked income strategies

• How to advocate for higher base pay, clearer bonus metrics, and better schedules

• When commission-based or productivity pay can work in your favor

• How to diversify income with side gigs that don’t require more shifts

• Real-world examples of paid surveys, advisory panels, remote work, and flexible clinical roles

• Why strategic job changes often lead to the biggest pay jumps — and how to negotiate them properly

• What to negotiate beyond salary (spoiler: it’s not just money)

• Free Side Gig Guide (48 ideas for clinicians): www.tracybingaman.com/gig

• Negotiation Consults: www.tracybingaman.com/negotiation-consult

• Clinician Income Lab (self-paced negotiation course): www.tracybingaman.com/CIL

You don’t have to pick just one strategy. Many clinicians combine all three — negotiating where they are, adding flexible income streams, and making intentional career moves — to build income that actually supports their life.

If you found this episode helpful, leave a review and share it with a clinician who needs to hear it.

SPONSORS: ADVANCED PRACTICE PLANNING, LLC: advancedpracticeplanning.com/fi

SERMO https://app.sermo.com:443/?sermoref=39d97a2c-f699-4f8b-b2f9-1eb131e18c75&utm_campaign=tell-a-friend

CONNECT

⁠FREE 30-MINUTE COACHING CONSULT⁠ ⁠⁠https://calendly.com/the-pa-is-in/gen-call⁠ ⁠

⁠1-ON-1 NEGOTIATION CONSULT ⁠https://calendly.com/the-pa-is-in/negotiate⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH TRACY 🤝

⁠LINKEDIN ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracybingaman/⁠⁠

⁠INSTAGRAM ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrstracybingaman/⁠⁠

WEBSITE⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tracybingaman.com⁠

🎁 Bonus Freebie: Grab your free guide with 48 healthcare-specific side hustle ideas at 👉 tracybingaman.com/gig

In this episode, you’ll learn:Resources mentioned:
Keywords: clinician income strategies, how clinicians earn more money, physician assistant salary negotiation, PA pay raise, clinician negotiation tips, healthcare salary negotiation, side gigs for clinicians, paid medical surveys for clinicians, CERMO surveys, diversify clinician income, clinician side hustle ideas, remote work for healthcare providers, part time clinical work, job change salary increase healthcare, negotiate clinician salary, RVU bonus negotiation, commission based clinician pay, financial flexibility for clinicians, clinician burnout finances

Most PAs don’t wake up one day hating medicine.

Instead, they wake up tired. Numb. Disconnected. Still competent. Still caring. Still showing up — but quietly wondering where the spark went.

In this episode of The PA Is In, Tracy speaks directly to the clinician who didn’t fall out of love with medicine, but feels weighed down by how it’s practiced today. She reframes burnout as information — not failure — and explains why self-care, PTO, and vacations can help temporarily, but won’t fix a career that’s structurally misaligned with your life.

Tracy walks through the invisible work that drains clinicians, how values drift over time, and why so many PAs internalize system-level problems as personal shortcomings. She then offers a grounded, realistic four-step process to help you begin redesigning your career without blowing up your life, quitting tomorrow, or burning bridges.

This episode is a reminder that you’re not broken — and that you’re allowed to evolve. You can love medicine and love your life. And you can practice in a way that feels like you again.

Mentioned in this episode:Find Your Why by Simon Sinek

SPONSORS:

ADVANCED PRACTICE PLANNING, LLC: advancedpracticeplanning.com/fi

SERMO https://app.sermo.com:443/?sermoref=39d97a2c-f699-4f8b-b2f9-1eb131e18c75&utm_campaign=tell-a-friend

CONNECT

⁠FREE 30-MINUTE COACHING CONSULT⁠ ⁠⁠https://calendly.com/the-pa-is-in/gen-call⁠ ⁠

⁠1-ON-1 NEGOTIATION CONSULT ⁠https://calendly.com/the-pa-is-in/negotiate⁠⁠

CONNECT WITH TRACY 🤝

⁠LINKEDIN ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracybingaman/⁠⁠

⁠INSTAGRAM ⁠https://www.instagram.com/mrstracybingaman/⁠⁠

WEBSITE⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tracybingaman.com⁠

🎁 Bonus Freebie: Grab your free guide with 48 healthcare-specific side hustle ideas at 👉 tracybingaman.com/gig

Keywords: PA burnout recovery, physician associate burnout, loving medicine but burned out, healthcare burnout not personal failure, PA career redesign, values drift in medicine, portfolio career for clinicians, reigniting passion in medicine, sustainable PA careers, clinician burnout coaching