A day in my life as a PA student.

I had a request to share what a typical day is like for me being in PA school, so here it goes...

7:00am-wake up get ready for school

8:35am-catch train headed for school

8:50am-arrive at school, prepare for class starting

9:00am-class starts (usually lecture) 15min breaks between each hour of lecture. 

12:00pm-break for lunch (depending on the day, get 15-20 min of reading and reviewing morning lecture

1:00pm-lecture starts again, 15min breaks between each hour of lecture. 

5:00pm- class ends for the day, catch train home.

5:30pm- Workout for 30 min and eat dinner, relax by possibly watching some TV shows. (again depending on impending exams... this can change dramatically!)

7:30pm- stay at home and study in office, or go back to school and study in a group. 

9:50pm- (if at school) catch the train home.

11:00pm- get ready for bed

11:30pm- sleep

This is a typical day, however the schedule is always changing, and each module is significantly different. Activities happen in the afternoons sometimes which breaks up the constant lecturing, but those depend on the module and the amount of info we need to cover. 

Most modules we have time set appart to learn the physical exam skills for the specific organ system. 

 The time set aside for skills during class is usually not long enough to memorize the entire physical exam and have it down for the test, so part of my evening study time involves practicing with classmates. 

Funny Story... So picture a classmate and me practicing our cardiac exam just yesterday evening... I was feeling for his PMI (Point of Maximal Impulse) for the gentle tapping of the apex of his heart. 

It involved him laying on his left side, lifting his shirt up and me pressing the palm of my hand just under his peck pressing firmly to feel for the soft pulse. The table was tall and it was difficult to get my hand over him and in the right place, so I got on the exam table on my knees and honestly- it looked like I was wrapping my arms around him... ha ha. 

It made me think think that it takes some really manly men to be able practice on each other in these awkward positions... not only that, but I could just imagine someone walking in on us and wondering what we were doing! ha ha 

I'm deep in cardiology and will give an update on how the module wen't after I (hopefully) pass the exam... wish me luck!

Nephrology... "when good beans go bad"

Alright so Nephrology is over and yes of course after every module I explain how this module was the hardest one so far... I don't want to make a habit of doing that, however... the kidneys are SO complex. If anything this module has given me respect for those nephrologists out there who do this everyday. Acid/base balance is NOT easy, and neither is all the conditions that have almost the same symptoms. The exam seemed to have the same symptoms for almost every case! 

Lets see... Patient presents with: Flank pain, dysuria, hematuria, proteinurea, oliguria, azotemia. What is the most-likely diagnosis? 

Ok so it wasn't that way for every question, but it really seamed that way. Acute Kidney Injury (aka failure) can manifest itself quickly and in so many ways, even in patients who are being seen for a different condition involving another organ system! 

Here is a pretty interesting disease we learned about... Polycystic Kidney Disease. If this dosen't get your attention than nothing will! 

Polycystic Kidney Disease

The next module is Cardiology, and although it is easily one of my favorite topics of medicine, it scares the crap out of me! ECG is something that takes a lot of patience and practice to learn, and its really not easy. Plus all the thousands of diseases of the heart and what is affected by it just seems overwhelming! Oh and to add to the intensity, instead of the usual 2 week module this one is 3 weeks (one week in our module system is seriously like a normal semester's worth of information!) It's like getting butterflies before going on a crazy-huge roller coaster... here goes nothing!

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.