Time To Step it Up/Good News

I've been studying for 6 hours; I need a break.

I got the fear of God put into me today. It seems that our class is not performing as well as we should at this point. One could say that enough time has not passed for us to hone in our study strategies, ingest the material, and feel settled in this new learning environment. Those would all be valid arguments. But when you're receiving over one hundred powerpoint slides per class, one month's worth of PA school equates to about three. And in three months, if you're not a master of the learning material then something is wrong; if you're not yet comfortable in the new environment, you never will be.

We got not one, but two, lectures on grades and our performances on tests so far. I don't think we would have gotten these pep talks if the overwhelming majority of the class was doing well. That worries me. It worries me because I know that I could have easily been on of the students with the pink slip attached to their scantron, and I don't want to experience that. I've done quite well so far, nevertheless, I aim to do better, and the pep talks we got today were precisely what I needed to redirect and study with a much sharper focus. I realize I can't know everything, but my attention to the details could definitely improve.

Next week is a whopper: 3 big exams, in addition to the start of projects and presentations. Talk about time management. I don't even think I should try to go salsa dancing this week, although it would serve as a great stress reliever. I certainly could use that time to study.

As far as the good news goes, I may have secured a pediatrics rotation in my hometown. One of my PA mentors has offered me a spot in her peds office and I have gladly accepted it! I can't imagine being able to go home for 5 weeks! I'm really excited about this prospect, and I will talk more about it as the details and dates become more solid.

Some kind of break this has been...there is no escaping school, ever! Back to the books!