A PREFACE OF THE FIRST EDITION, AUGUST 2007
Look on this compendium as a toolbox. Its contents come from many sources, some official, most not. Like a tool box it may look like a jumble or, at first glance, it may seem that what you’re looking for is missing. However if you take the time to familiarize yourself with what’s here and then, with some situational awareness and creativity, start to work I’m convinced you’ll find the means to effectively deal with almost any situation facing you as an Air Force Physician Assistant.
It’s important that you know how you fit into the big organization because then you know not only what’s important but how and where you can meaningfully contribute. As in any organization with its own rules and culture you need to know your way around to be both effective and respected. As the journalist Martha Gellhorn wrote in 1984, “People often say with pride, ‘I’m not interested in politics.’ They might as well say, ‘I’m not interested in my standard of living, my health, my job, my rights, my freedoms, my future, or any future.’…If we mean to keep any control over our world and lives, we must be interested in politics.” Understanding your world teaches you how to best use the tools you have and it delivers you from helplessness. Beyond that, however, the real foundation of Success is doing the job that’s in front of you today well and not being resentful that you’ve not been entrusted with something “more important”. I’ve found that people who are always worried about the next move in the chess game of their life never quite get at that move. Avoid that thinking. If you’re always worrying about the next step it will compromise your ability to do your current job well. You don’t have to do this alone. There are many experienced PAs willing to help you if asked. The Consultant is always open for questions, counsel and rumor control. Feel free to contact him. He’s there for you (but attempt the homework before you go to the teacher!).
Above all, I’ve found that the big difference-maker is attitude, both yours about yourself and the one you project to others. Understand the goals of the Air Force and how it works and you can speak up with confidence when you see things getting out of line. If you are collegially proactive and constructively assertive you will be listened to. Your clinical expertise and experience in the Air Force are valuable and, you’ll find, unique.
So, this compendium is the book I wish I’d had; my brain dump for you of answers to frequently asked questions, of resources I’ve found essential in answering those questions, and a miscellany of other items that I’ve found helpful in my career. It is opinionated, biased and unofficial. Use it and enjoy it.
August 2007
Col John W. Bullock
Few things in life are sweeter than investing in the lives of others and then watching them grow and succeed as a result of your efforts.
