Hematology/Oncology finished and onto Nephrology...

So I was lucky enough to squeeze by Hematology/Oncology and not have to retake the test again... and its a good thing too, that was a REALLY hard test. 

I am slowly finding out that due to the limited time we have in PA school, every second counts... The balance of material studied is so important. It is so important to learn to balance where you will spend the most significant amount of time studying, and memorizing. I am still learning this skill, and i'm guessing that when I get it figured out... I'll be moving on to my second year! Then of course when I get that figured out... i'll graduate! But that's what life is all about!

 I heard a quote today... yes its from extreme makeover weightloss edition (don't judge me, It inspires me to want to work out hard and work harder in school, ha ha) anyway here it is: 
             

"life starts at the end of you're comfort zone"

Yes, PA school is a lot of reaching the end of your comfort zone and stepping off into the wild unknown! It's hard, its fun, its scary... it's life! 

So today we had our first cadaver lab, and it was really a lot of fun. Putting what I saw in pictures and drawings into a 3-D image, then being able to hold it my hands just helped to put two and two together. Interesting fact: I didn't expect the lungs to feel so cool... its a weird spongy feeling that is hard to explain. You'll know what I mean when you get them in your hands. 

Off to digest everything renal... wish me luck!

studying my Friday night away...

Yes... I should be studying, but instead I am making an excuse by updating the blog. Before I started PA school, I would read other blogs of PA students doing this exact thing and thought to myself "I would never do that, studying will always come first"... boy was I off! It really takes a lot of dedication and stamina to keep up with all the hard work of PA school... Of course it will be rewarding in the end, however now, i'm just trying to muscle my way through it. 

One of our professors this morning mentioned a disease or some physiology we learned during the summer semester... and I was really scared to discover that I didn't remember it at all! 

There is so much information!! 

I keep hearing... trust the system, just get through it, you'll be surprised at how much you remember when you're out on rotations. And while I can recall a lot of info... its going to take a lot more exposure to get it stuck in my brain... everything is just flying by so quickly. I am loving the school process, yet every once in a while I have moments of frustration wondering if i'm really going to remember all of this stuff.

Ah the joys of PA school... surviving learning one disease at a time.

By the way, for this module "Hematology/Oncology" I feel like I have about 1000 new terms and acronyms to learn just to understand what is being discussed... but one day at a time...

back to the books... 

Derm, eye, ENT and Pulmonary modules...done!

             If you are anything like me and have ever thought to yourself "I can't wait to get into PA school, I wonder what it'll be like"... well here is a good comparison: grab a few rocks (the bigger and bulkier the better) lay them on the ground in an uneven pattern, and then lay on them for a while... then hours later get up and enjoy how GREAT it feels to not be in that extremely uncomfortable position anymore!

While I do feel lots of knots in my back from the stress... it is such a great feeling to pass modules and know that all of my studying paid off! One of the great things of PA school... you get a giant obstacle in front of you and then you climb it and feel way better about yourself! (until you look at the rest of the mountain you have to climb... ha ha but thats another story) right now i'm enjoying looking down at how far i've come and soaking in the days off, and small breaks I get to enjoy. 

The BIG derm, eye, ENT test I had been studying for is over...  and I was lucky enough to pass! I also finished the Pulmonary module which of course, was really hard also! Here are a few pictures of derm...

Actinic Keratosis 

Bullous Pemphigoid

 The Pulmonary medicine module was a lot more work than I originally thought. It took a lot of time to remember the different conditions that are obstructive and restrictive and how they would typically be treated. The most difficult part was that almost every condition had the same signs and symptoms! "Pt presents with  cough and dyspnea (difficulty breathing)" 

I learned how important it was to get a good thorough medical history in order to get a good idea of what could be causing the symptoms. Otherwise you end up with 50 different diseases on your differential diagnosis with none rising to the top! 

A few highlights of pulmonary...

Clubbing from chronic hypoxia

Tension Pneumothorax
(notice the clear/transparent right lung, it is air pushing the lung towards the middle)

Pleural effusion
(All the white in the lower left lung is fluid... it is a LOT of fluid, possible 2 liters worth)

For the pulmonary module we were able to do our physical exam skills test on Standardized patients! Which was scary and exciting at the same time. 

We practice on each other, and for our exam in Derm, eye, ENT we were tested on each other... but in pulmonary it was fun to have a patient that we had never seen previously, it made it seem like a real patient (besides having a professor sitting in there grading you). 

For those of you waiting to get into PA school, it is worth the wait, it is worth the time you sacrifice, it is worth all the obstacles you will encounter. The work is hard, the learning can be frustrating, but these experiences are amazing, and it is shaping me to be the best provider possible. Pacific University is an amazing PA school, and for those who are applying... for what its worth, it comes highly recommended by me. 

Next week is onto my next module and adventure... Hematology/Oncology. 

Rural health care track for Pacific's PA program

Pacific University school of Physician Assistant studies now offers Rural Health Track for PA students! Pacific was awarded a $1 million grant to provide this track for 5 students each year. This is really exciting!

It provides a certificate for students after they graduate on top of their PA completion certificate and Masters degree. Students in the track may also qualify for help with funding their clinical rotations! It's worth mentioning, so I thought I would post an extra little bit about it.

Click here to read more about it

White Coat Ceremony and Summer Break!

Finally got the white coat!! I wont lie it felt really cool to finally be donned with the white coat, and have the graduating class, and the class before us congratulating us on making it here. It really feels good to make it here after all my hard work, even though I know there is still a LOT more work ahead... It still feels great to celebrate little victories, I guess thats a little tip about surviving PA school.

Getting my white coat!               

Pacific's white coat patch

             

So with all of the hard-studying that came with my first semester in PA school... I get a short week (of course much needed and appreciated) of hard-playing! My wife and I have been enjoying all that Portland and the surrounding area has to offer. Its really has surprised me at how much there is to do here! (Another reason why I have LOVED being at Pacific University!)  

Punch-bowl falls 

Punch-bowl falls 

alotto gelato in Portland

I saw this in downtown Portland, thought it was cool

Multnomah Falls

                 

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls

My wife and me at Multnomah Falls

This is the Alpine Slide at SkiBowl on Mt. Hood 

My wife just finishing up her ride on the Slide

The view from the lift

My first time wakeboarding!

Fall semester starts next week, and we are finally getting into the meat of everything! Ear, Nose, and Throat and Dermatology is our first module, and while its going to be a lot of work, its very exciting to get out of fundamentals and onto more in depth material. We also get to use the sim lab for this module as well, this will be our first experience with the sim lab to date and it is really exciting. I'll be sure to tell all about it.