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I'M ON THE BRINK OF FAILING- NEED HELP PREPARING FOR SURGERY EXAM


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If you read the title and thought, "Just go to YouTube, onlinemeded, or _____________, that's a great idea, and it will be incorporated into my study routine; however, I need some good old-fashioned one-on-one learning.  I'm sort of a slow visual/kinesthetic learner who [luckily] survived the didactic phase.  Despite the obstacles, I dodged the bullet and made it to clinical phase which is much better.   The problem now lies in the EOR exams.  Yesterday the clinical coordinator notified me about my Internal Medicine exam grade from last week which placed me on the edge of failing out of PA school.  This means no more failed EOR exams.  It only took ONE and I'm only on my third rotation.  To add more pressure to the situation, I'm in surgery this month so I'm dealing with an erratic schedule from 4am-6pm, Mon-Fri--sometimes later, that does not allow for much studying.   If you're a PA with some time on your hands and want to Skype with me during my off hours, or on the weekends in efforts to help me prepare for my EOR Surgery exam, it would GREATLY appreciated.  If you can offer nothing more than your two-cents about my predicament, spare me.  I need a motivated partner who can push me towards success. 

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You should really be asking your program for tutoring assistance.  You're not likely to find a random stranger on a forum willing to give up their valuable time to teach you what you need to know.

 

This is the wrong platform for your request.  Don't be surprised when you don't get any takers.

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It's hard to believe that being one exam away from failing out of PA school is somehow not enough motivation for you to study.

 

I would recommend using PANCE Prep Pearls. Read the systems that are on the Surgery EOR. There aren't as many as IM. GI itself is 50% of the exam.

 

I have also found Rosh Review questions to really help prepare for EORs.

 

This is a big deal and I would not trust anyone but myself to hold me accountable for passing so you're just going to have to buckle down and study. No one is going to hold your hand.

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Every program's EOR is going to be very different, so the highest yield thing for you to do would be to reach out to the prior class for advice on what things to focus on.  I found that small group studying with my classmates as we focused on the high yield topics to be the best way to prepare.  People on these forums probably wouldn't have as applicable of advice/tutoring - despite only being out of school for a year, I've already lost a lot of the traditional test taking method of thinking.  If you have made it this far, you can absolutely succeed on your EORs.  Keep at it.  

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Stop looking at your day doing clinicals (4 am to 6 pm as you say) as something that is keeping you from studying. Use that time more effectively.

Review your objectives for the subject matter that pertains to whatever type of surgery you are doing and try to learn while doing and use any down time to review the rest. If you have another student on your surgery team, you guys should work together to help one another review and quiz each other while scrubbing in, waiting for OR time, between rounds, etc. 

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I think this is the appropriate platform.  Unfortunately my program does not offer tutoring assistance but thank you for your kind advice.

 

You realize you are asking for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars of tutoring for free? With four posts... with an attitude of "spare me".

 

Kaplan is $800 for access to their online program. You should probably start there.

 

 

On a side note, I just took the PAEA surgery EOR on Friday. You should probably start studying now, it's not pretty....

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To Z-Pac, Serenity and Lolitz, thank you for your feedback.  Let me clarify something:   I'm not looking for ANYONE to "hold my hand," and I'm certainly not looking for a FREE handout. I was soliciting the help of anyone in the PA community who didn't mind doing a Q&A with me over different topics.  This request is largely due to issues with processing and short/long-term recall.   I didn't mention this earlier in the initial post because most people wrongly assume that I am either lazy, or that I use my condition as a crutch.  But I was diagnosed with a learning disability in 2012.   If you do the research on students with learning disabilities in grad school, you'll find that most of them don't make it past a bachelor's degree.  Suffice it to say, I'm not mentally handicapped and I've obviously made it this far but I've endured major learning challenges compared to my peers. 

 

-To Z-Pac's comment "It's hard to believe that being one exam away from failing is not enough to motivate you," on the contrary my friend.  I've been  motivated to finish what I've started since day 1.  And I've reflected on my unique situation, having weighed the "what ifs," the "whys," and "am I smart enough or competent enough to be a PA, alongside my peers, despite the odds" And the answers are YES and DEFINITELY!   I'm not waiting around on some miracle to save me.  I. HAVE. TO. SAVE. MYSELF and I'm keenly aware of that which is why I've been reading the literature and studying in between my surgery rotation.  With regard to your recommendations, I heard about Rosh Review so I'm going to look into that for help.  Thanks!!!

 

-To Serenity:   I have reached out to my colleagues since day 1, and unfortunately, it's every man for himself.  No student wants to meet up except for one guy who appears to be overwhelmed with his own rotation at this time. Therefore group study is on hold.  Earlier in the week I tried to get some insider information about the EOR exam.  Having looked at the PAEA EOR breakdown, I gather that it's mostly diagnosis and treatment with respect to GI and Cardio which will have more bearing on the test than anything else.  Thank you for reminding me that I've come this far and can do it.  Words of encouragement are much obliged. :-)

 

-To Lolitz: My 11-12 hour schedule does not dictate whether I study.  As I stated with Z-Pac, I try to study in between patient cases throughout the week, even when I can hardly keep my eyes open.  I have looked at the objectives and since the rotation started, I've been reviewing them in small chunks.

 

To anyone who's reading this thread, I appreciate the positive feedback and advice---especially in a situation like this where it's do or die. There is no doubt that I can and WILL finish strongly, as long as I continue to thread away at the objectives.   I'm not surprised when people say, "Why don't you find a job that's not as mentally challenging?" or "Perhaps you're not cut out to be a PA." I like to think of this in terms of the film, Gatacca where the protagonist  aspires to perform the one job that  he's exceptionally good at; he stops at nothing to achieve it even when the world dares to confine him.  So how does this apply to me?  I'm a great student.  There's no doubt that I'll make a great PA. (I can't imagine doing anything else). Compared to the didactic, I'm soaring in clinical rotations and I'm SOOO close to having my dream job. The problem lies in the EOR and previously stated, I'm slowly but surely chiseling my way through the objectives.  Am I capable of doing this own my own?  Yes.  But in my case it takes much more time to absorb the material than what I have which is why I've asked for help to crack away at the objectives in an organized and expeditious fashion.  So yes,  I need a little help preparing for the exam and I'm not ashamed to ask, even if the world feels that I should be.  As the saying goes, "If you never ask, the answer is always no." 

 

Thank you for your support!  :-)

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Ask your preceptor to pimp the sh*t out of you. Go in and say, I was reading on "X" last night, hit me. Get it on the job. He or she can drill you on direct vs. indirect hernia, what side is artery of Adamkiewicz usually on, etc. They love it. And it may be painful. But humiliation is a powerful teacher.

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To the OP: I know this post won't really help you and I apologize for that.

To anyone reading this this thread who is applying to PA school and has a known learning disability: Please inquire as to whether your prospective schools offer tutoring before classes begin so that you do not find yourself in a similar situation.

 

Best of luck.

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I tutor PA students FOR a PA Program.

 

This program grabs students who are in jeopardy and PUTS them into tutoring. The school pays me - a measly hourly stipend of no real benefit - but I enjoy the time with the students and it keeps me fresh as well after all these years. 

 

Your main staff person at your program should be able to guide you as well.

 

Don't panic yet - Keep reaching, keep asking.

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EVERY time you hear or learn something write it down and make a flash card out of it

 

Ask your program for directives on what you should learn on the rotations

 

Make many many flash cards out of the objectives

 

Carry said flash cards with you

 

Go over, over and over them

 

Write more flash cards off what you should be learning

 

 

Repeat....

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I wouldn't go with Rosh Review yet if I were you. Go with Pance/PANRE Prep U as it match the PAEA EOR best and it's only $80. You are only on your third rotation, Rosh Review will crush your confidence. I used first Aid surgery only and got a raw score of 82 on PAEA. And Don't forget pance prep pearls.

 

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

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To the Petty Officer Third Class Corpsmen named "hmmmm3,"

 

 I looked into tutoring long before applying to schools.  Because PA programs are designed to be a fast-track, condensed version of medical school, they generally don't offer tutoring services for students with LD, nor will they set aside their own time to help.  I discussed tutoring resources during my interview with the faculty prior to being accepted, and the answer was "No.  You have to do it own your own."  At the most, they'll advise you to outsource tutoring services at your own expense.  If the program has been long established---10-20+ years, they MIGHT have some connections but it's unlikely.  The most help that anyone with LD is likely to get are  accommodations,  but that's the extent.  PA programs are dog-eat-dog.  If you're not with the elite group of "bright students" who can keep up with the erratic pace of the program, you'll probably get left in the dust. Trust me on this. 

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To the Petty Officer Third Class Corpsmen named "hmmmm3,"

 

 I looked into tutoring long before applying to schools.  Because PA programs are designed to be a fast-track, condensed version of medical school, they generally don't offer tutoring services for students with LD, nor will they set aside their own time to help.  I discussed tutoring resources during my interview with the faculty prior to being accepted, and the answer was "No.  You have to do it own your own."  At the most, they'll advise you to outsource tutoring services at your own expense.  If the program has been long established---10-20+ years, they MIGHT have some connections but it's unlikely.  The most help that anyone with LD is likely to get are  accommodations,  but that's the extent.  PA programs are dog-eat-dog.  If you're not with the elite group of "bright students" who can keep up with the erratic pace of the program, you'll probably get left in the dust. Trust me on this. 

 

  Getting into PA school is dog-eat-dog - but once you're in, you should all be in it together.  

 

It's unfortunate that your program is unable or unwilling to help students but I'd say it's definitely not true of all programs.  Students applying to programs should be on the lookout for programs that seem to want their students to succeed vs ones that adopt a 'sink or swim' attitude.

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To the Petty Officer Third Class Corpsmen named "hmmmm3,"

 

I looked into tutoring long before applying to schools. Because PA programs are designed to be a fast-track, condensed version of medical school, they generally don't offer tutoring services for students with LD, nor will they set aside their own time to help. I discussed tutoring resources during my interview with the faculty prior to being accepted, and the answer was "No. You have to do it own your own." At the most, they'll advise you to outsource tutoring services at your own expense. If the program has been long established---10-20+ years, they MIGHT have some connections but it's unlikely. The most help that anyone with LD is likely to get are accommodations, but that's the extent. PA programs are dog-eat-dog. If you're not with the elite group of "bright students" who can keep up with the erratic pace of the program, you'll probably get left in the dust. Trust me on this.

I had one quiz under 80% and was sent to talk to our education specialist who meet with me one on one for test taking strategies, and went over my study strategies to help me refine them. My class receives monthly emails about tutoring resources and my peers share resources and study together almost daily.

 

I'm sorry about any experiences that you relate to from your post, but they are far from universal.

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To the Petty Officer Third Class Corpsmen named "hmmmm3,"

 

 I looked into tutoring long before applying to schools.  Because PA programs are designed to be a fast-track, condensed version of medical school, they generally don't offer tutoring services for students with LD, nor will they set aside their own time to help.  I discussed tutoring resources during my interview with the faculty prior to being accepted, and the answer was "No.  You have to do it own your own."  At the most, they'll advise you to outsource tutoring services at your own expense.  If the program has been long established---10-20+ years, they MIGHT have some connections but it's unlikely.  The most help that anyone with LD is likely to get are  accommodations,  but that's the extent.  PA programs are dog-eat-dog.  If you're not with the elite group of "bright students" who can keep up with the erratic pace of the program, you'll probably get left in the dust. Trust me on this. 

I just want to be clear that I didn't mean any disrespect by my statement, but thank you for clarifying. That is unfortunate. Best of luck.

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I feel for you, really do, wish I could do more to help. Without getting into details, is there any way you can get testing accommodations?

 

One of my good friends was having a heck of a time with exams and ended up having a learning disability. He did have to go get a private assessment due to the next available appointment at the university being too far out, but once he had the dx, he was able to get a different testing environment. He then started passing all his exams and is now a successful PA. There is hope.

 

As an aside, my program paid for tutoring and for test prep programs who needed it. Their goal was to get everyone they accepted through to the other end. You had to know your stuff and at the end of the day it was up to the student, in other words, the faculty didn't make it any easier, but they gave you every resource they could to help you succeed. So no, every program is not "dog-eat-dog." We have a very high graduation and PANCE pass rate for a reason.

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