One more notch in my belt

Just completed ACLS training this afternoon, and now I am ACLS certified! And I feel like I know absolutely NOTHING.

Perfectly normal feeling, right? Many of you who are well into PA school can attest to this, I'm sure. The more you know and learn, the more you realize just how little you do know. Today as we ran mock codes, I found myself stopping and thinking about the algorhythms (which have recently changed a bit), second guessing my choice of drug and doubting that the intervention I suggested was correct, all while the "patient" lay there dying. Talk about pressure. It didn't help that the instructor at my station was sharp as a tack and tough as nails. I always manage to get the BEST instructors who give just a little bit more education that what is called for.

Again, it's all about integration. How can I take this piece of information that I learned months ago and apply it to this new information today. It's like building blocks, really. This is when medicine becomes fun! I have some fun moments. Moments when answers to questions just fly out of my mouth without a thought. And then I have not so fun moments when the only words that come to mind are, "I don't know."

I have many reasons for being so excited about clinical year. First, I'm tired of the classroom. There's no real fun in learning lots of medicine if one can't practically apply it. I'm a hands on type of person, and I learn by doing. Second, I miss the patients. I love the interaction with patients and I miss talking with them and hearing the stories they tell. Third, I love to travel. I love moving around. I look forward to being in a new environment with new people every 5 weeks! We will see if I eat those words 2 months from now.

Good night, folks!