Just Steve

I used the Kaplan question bank as my primary study tool to pass the PANCE. It's my only experience with the question you are asking.

Problems with education today? The belief that a person with no experience can enter a program and then graduate with enough competence to hit the ground running and not require a residency or prolonged OJT period. This talk of early integration into patient care while in school... here is an idea..how about integration into patient care before they ever start school? There should not be a former Navy Corpsman, Airforce/Army medic, a paramedic, a nurse, a respiratory therapist that does not have at least one or two schools calling them every few months to get them into a program. Tha

Every time I don't listen to my gut, I regret it.

http://www.togct.com/downloads/TOG_Articles/ortho-ob-dss-ultrasound-in-ortho.pdf I hear a lot about the assumed vs. true accuracy of joint injections. We use US guidance quite a bit.. almost exclusively, in my current practice for steroid injections. Yes, the reimbursement rate is nice however what is also nice is being able show proof that the injection was delivered to the appropriate structure instead of using "best guess". The enclosed link is to a collection of data comparing guided vs non guided injections performed by skilled experts. If I was going to let someone drive a n

Looks like I touched a sore spot. I share my experience and opinion and it's labeled overgeneralization. I call it anecdotal. It's not all doom and gloom. It's not all backbreaking work. It's not total immersion. It's not that difficult if you come into the program with a solid understanding of what you're getting into. It's just like any other project in life. Previous experience will aid in future endeavors. It allows your brain to sort through "I have seen this, it's already filed, move on" and "This is new, pay attention, dedicate some time to this". If it's all new, you will b

Class would get out between 4-5 pm. I'd goof off until 8 or so. Study until 10-11 pm. Bed until 7-8 am, lather, rinse, repeat. Home every weekend without my books through my didactic year (I attended about 3 hours away from my kids). I would return early afternoon on Sundays as they loved giving tests on Mondays. Bit of a refresh of material Sunday afternoon/evening. Stayed on the Deans list through the program. That's a benefit of having significant previous health care experience. It allowed me to absorb relevant information so much easier. My point is the fear of drowning is

Had three in my class of 25 students

Such a subjective question. So many variables. My first thought was "what's your background experience?" I ask because if PA school is the first time you have had to apply critical thinking skills regarding patient care and you are depending on those 24-27 months of school to prep you for super sick patients or a LARGE daily case load or both, then inpatient may be a bit much to chomp off on your first bite. Sure it's fun to be challenged and all that but if that institution is lacking in their training methodology you may get left in the breeze trying to train yourself at the expense of y

My old medic partner is my best friend. I helped him roof his place this morning. I get to hear the stories of the old job, he gets a knowing ear that he can download and de stress to. Personally, I know PTSD runs deep in EMS and we're not allowed to talk about it for fear of losing the trust of our partners and employers. Now that I am out of the business, I talk about it openly with my friends who still work in it, and give them a safe place to come talk and unwind. Imagine the darkest days as a medic... can't tell your family as that stuff is too dark for a civilian to be exposed to.. c

Oh I know I am going to get flamed for this but... OP, you posted that you failed the PANCE is Feb of 2013. Here we are in November of 2013 and you're diving into a job of Surgical ICU. Holy Cow...what is going on? What sort of perspective do you have on your skill set? Why are you applying for a job that is rigorous with a high potential of killing a patient (as they are pretty fragile in the surgical ICU)? Why are you not building up your base knowledge in a lower risk arena such as family practice (No offense to FP, don't get super excited, those patients will die too..just not as fa

Got into PA school without a Bachelors, graduated Aug 22, 2013. Took my PANCE Sept 16. Started first job Sept 17. Sure glad I passed so I got to keep my job. My point is this....if you prepare yourself in a manner of which the school is seeking, you don't need to sweat all the details. Read the website, make sure you meet that school's requirements, and move forward. Your degree should reflect your passion, not just be a check mark on a PA application

I gave up skim reading.... Sorry if this has been asked... How are you treating your ADHD? If you are not treating it, why not?

What level of the spine we talking? C 3-4 with some Botox?

PA school... The most expensive self study course you will ever do.

While you have no health care experience, you have at least 15 years experience working in a high stress environment with a focus in small team management, critical thinking, de-escalation tactics, situational awareness, personnel management, and overall life experience. These attributes will benefit your cause in your pursuit by letting the various AdComs that you have faced the real world, survived, and determined to improve your quality of life. Get some experience, but don't kill yourself for a couple of years waiting for the perfect job.