A Week in Review

What they say is definitely true. PA school is like drinking from a fire hydrant!

Honestly, this past week feels like 5 weeks rolled into one. The amount of information and the pace at which classes are conducted are astounding. Prior to the start of school, I was constantly trying to figure out a way to better prepare myself. The truth is, there is no way to prepare for this kind of experience. You have to jump in feet first!

I am by no means overwhelmed at this point. On the contrary, I am inspired to spend a great deal of time reading and absorbing as much as I can. Every book on the book list is important, and every class counts. There are no fillers in PA school. Everything matters, and everything is done for a purpose.

Here are a few things I've picked up during the first week that I feel will be paramount to my success:

1. Study daily: Due to the amount of information thrown at you from day one, there is no possible way to learn what needs to be learned unless you give each class a bit of attention everyday. The key to daily study is to add to your notes, even if it is two or three sentences. This is the meaning of integration. What are you learning in your other classes that you can relate to the class you are studying for.

2. Study in groups: I'm not really a group person, but already I can see how valuable they are. The key for me is to study the lectures and read the book on my own first, then get together with the group to hammer it all out and make sure we all are on the same page. Study partners make you think about topics in different ways, and some of the mnemonics they come up with are really helpful.

3. Read: Sounds simple enough, but I think lots of people just focus on the notes and neglect the text altogether. This doesn't work for me. I love to read, and I learn well just by reading the text. If a topic in the notes just doesn't make sense, go the text and get clarification. Typically the text will give you detailed information about a certain topic. And in medicine, it's all about the details.

4. Attend lecture, always: Avoid missing class if at all possible. Attending lecture keeps you on top of your studies. Missing lecture guarantees that you'll get behind. There is no substitute for being in class and taking your own notes.


I'm really enjoying this process so far. I'm expecting the workload to increase as we move along, but I am pleased with the results of my study techniques. Two tests tomorrow...already! I'll let you know how it goes.

Study Methods

As we draw closer and closer to the beginning of the didactic portion of my program, I find myself going back and forth between strategies I've come up with to tackle the massive amounts of learning material that's headed my way. I'm not quite sure how to format my studies and organize my binders. I'm not even sure if I should get binders for each class.

I've never really been an in-class notetaker. I've always thought that class time should be spent listening and absorbing as much information as possible. I usually reserve notetaking for private study sessions at home, and in turn, my notetaking becomes a form of study. I don't know how that strategy will work here, but I'm willing to give it a try. I only know that time is of the essence, and I can't waste it sifting through multiple study strategies. I need to do what works NOW!

Today was a busy day, but it was enjoyable. We got a bit of insight on the classes we will be taking this semester. It seems like gross anatomy will be the toughest of all. I was happy to hear that we are taking the same anatomy class (with the same instructors) that the medical students up the road take. I want to be challenged, and I know this class will push me to my limits. Perhaps this class will push me past my limits! Even better.

The most resounding piece of advice our academic coordinator has given us so far is to never fall behind. I think the best way to avoid this is to visit and revist the material as often as possible. If I can read and review the material daily then I should be able to retain it easily.

We conclude orientation tomorrow and then its time to hit the books. But before Monday, I plan to party like a rockstar one last time!!!

Orientation

So far, so good!


There are 40+ students in my class, many of whom look like they just graduated from high school! At this point, I am the oldest person in the class, although there are a few that I have yet to talk with that look around my age. I managed to have some meaningful conversations with a few people, and even found a group of older classmates who seemed to have some life experience! How refreshing!

The day ended rather early. We started by filling out lots and lots of paperwork, meeting the faculty and staff, and going over our admission packets with our advisors. I love my advisor! She seems to be a no nonsense type of person, and I like that! We have two more days of orientation, and we begin classes on Monday morning. It's interesting...I'm finally here, settling into graduate studies, living on my own, pursuing the thing I've dreamt of for 2 years. Officially a PA-S!! I must say, it's gratifying to see the fruits of my labor.

I'm so happy to be here, and I'm looking forward to developing as a person and a professional. I'm looking forward to being the best PA I can be.

My Circadian Rhythm

It's pretty much shot to hell. One day I'm up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 7am, and the next day I'm dragging myself out of bed at 12 noon. It hasn't been easy transitioning from the night shift schedule to a "normal" day schedule, but it must be done. In two weeks I'll have to be up by 7am every morning in order to be in class on time.

I'm still tying up loose strings here in preparation for relocating. Salsa dancing has been priority, of course, and as I see friends and favorite dance partners, I am bidding them farewell. A lot of them had no clue I was going anywhere. I will miss them all dearly! I'm hoping to come back a better, stronger follow, and I hope to master the on2 style while I'm away. My winter wardrobe is complete, and I'm almost done packing. All that's left to do is drive off into the sunset!

For over a year I've been waiting for this blog to trasition to one of a pre-PA to that of a PA-S. I won't claim PA-S yet until my fanny hits the seat on the 20th, but I'm excited to have the opportunity to give future readers an idea of what PA school is like from my perspective. So, my school has been in contact with us regularly since last October. The orientation packets we received gave us a glimpse of what's in store for the next 2 years. We hit the ground running on the 20th with an orientation that lasts 3 days. On the first day we will meet with our advisors to go over any provisions that exist, and we will meet and greet, have lunch with faculty and students, tour our learning facilities, set up our student email accounts, complete a PACKRAT computer lab assignment, get parking decals, complete an overview of clinical rotations, and purchase books. The second day consists of a diversity exercise and study strategy workshops. And the final day will consist of a didactic year overview, a simple group project, and the PACKRAT entrance exam. We officially begin classes on the 25th.

I hope to write one more entry before moving next Friday, and my goal is to update this blog often once I begin school.

So Much To Do

My list of things to do just keeps growing and growing. I'm not complaining, though; I've always enjoyed having lots and lots to do. However, as I mentioned before in a previous post, I had no idea the amount of "housekeeping" that needed to be done prior to the first day of class. I imagine it's a lot of work for students who live close to their respective programs. But for those of us traveling cross country, there are added stressors that make the process much more time consuming.

I've finally finished packing my clothes and shoes. That alone took two hours. I didn't realize how clutered my closet was! I can't let that happen in the new apartment. And the shopping lists...it's funny when you're looking it over and you've got the common sense items on there like soap, shower curtain, and towels, but then you later realize you forgot to put an iron on there! What I don't want is to get snowed in without all of my necessary items. Let's just say I'm glad soap is on the list. I can't go to class funky, but I have no problem wearing wrinkled clothing for a day or two!

The cop has another long stretch of off days. That makes for lots of "us" time, and I'm looking forward to it! He's been so supportive of me, and I appreciate him for that.

Well, my goal this week is to get back on a normal sleeping schedule, so I guess I should retire for the night. Till next time...