mattinthehat250 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I'm a first year DO student and have thought about switching to a PA program (my school has a PA program also). I don't even know if this is possible, and I'm sure I would have to start at year one. I have barely any HCE, didn't take A&P in college. I'm doing fine academically, the reason I'm thinking about this is that I am beginning to realize that I can't really function well on less than 7 hours of sleep, and have no idea how I would survive residency. Any advice on this situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discogenic Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Stay in DO school. Zillions have gone before you and survived on reduced sleep; you too can do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICRob0351 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I'm a first year DO student and have thought about switching to a PA program (my school has a PA program also). I don't even know if this is possible, and I'm sure I would have to start at year one. I have barely any HCE, didn't take A&P in college. I'm doing fine academically, the reason I'm thinking about this is that I am beginning to realize that I can't really function well on less than 7 hours of sleep, and have no idea how I would survive residency. Any advice on this situation? If you think you're going to average 7 hours of sleep in PA school you have been terribly misinformed. You will get even less sleep as a PA student. I'm a second year PA student right now, and I am currently averaging 100 hours a week on my surgery rotation. Stay in med school. It'll pay off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMD16 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Stay the course. OMS 1 & 2 are brutal. Once you survive basic sciences which are OMS 1& 2, OMS 3 & 4 aren't bad at all. Is like going to work except for when you'll be studying for the steps. For residency training, PGY1 & 2 are brutal. PGY 3 & up aren't bad. PGY 3 up - you're senior resident & responsible or helping to train intern/junior resident. The 60 + mandatory work hrs per wk doesn't apply across the board. It's important to note that it's residency program dependent (surgical vs non surgical specialty). Believe me, you'll be glad you stay the course at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 Oh, good grief. Put your big boy pants on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrsmurf Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I got plenty of sleep most nights in pa school. Some people function well with little sleep, some do not. I think it is a legitimate concern as you will have to do at least 16 hour shifts as a pgy1 and beyond. Potentially 2.5 years of poor sleep vs 7+ Years, up to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwells78 Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 I am beginning to realize that I can't really function well on less than 7 hours of sleep Wow. Just wow. Maybe you shouldn't open up to people you don't know about your lack of intestinal fortitude and fear, then suggest that it precludes you from becoming a doctor but will be just fine in PA school. I can guarantee you from personal experience, you would be JUST FINE on 7 hours of sleep in an entire WEEK, let alone a NIGHT. Suck it up already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2013 stay the course and do an easy residency like fp. I would love to switch places with you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator LT_Oneal_PAC Posted December 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2013 stay the course and do an easy residency like fp. I would love to switch places with you....With all these recent posts about people wanting to drop out and go to pa school, maybe we could start an exchange program ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timon Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 1st year PA student here... I've had 5 hours of sleep everyday since July. Sleeping 7 hours is considered sleeping in now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 10, 2013 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2013 as a PA STUDENT on surgery and ob rotations I took night call and rarely slept. surgical rotation was > 100 hrs/week(same as md). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsfelder0417 Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 If you really want to peg the FUN-O-METER at max, have your first child during the first semester of PA school like I did.... I gotta say though, as difficult as that was, It was and continues to be a walk in the park compared to my time deployed in the middle east. Dig in brother (or sister,) and you will do fine. Remember why you went into this, and take it one day at a time. Before you know it, you'll be hamming it up as an OMS IV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoRyou Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Sleep? What is sleep? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulfari Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I'll sleep when I'm dead, for life is far too exciting to miss out. You've cleared the hurdle that thousands of people get caught up on, and you're officially on track to be a Doctor as long as you don't royally screw up. Godspeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db_pavnp Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I would suggest considering how you can make your sleep more productive before considering more life altering alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epangerl Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 I'm only pre-PA, but I have had a sleep disorder diagnosed and successfully treated before. A lot of people don't know how hard it is to function on poor quality sleep. Most people assume that you're lazy and have a grand time insulting you - apparently, even medically trained folks here - not that they would do that if you were a patient presenting with excessive daytime sleepiness... I would strongly recommend that you see a medical professional - get a physical (are you anemic? low vit D?), sleep study (apnea, RLS, narcolepsy?), nutrition consult (poor diet?), etc. and do what it takes to get this addressed by a medical professional who will take you seriously. Keep a sleep and diet diary and take it in with you. I function regularly on <4 hrs now when 12+ wasn't enough before treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted December 11, 2013 Administrator Share Posted December 11, 2013 Prioritize sleep over studying, you'll study more and better if you're "that guy" who doesn't work well on less than a full night of sleep. There's a lot of machismo about sleep deprivation around here and in medicine in general, and PAs are as infected with it as physicians. When you get into residency, and you can, be sure to log your hours carefully and make it clear you won't put up with violations of conditions of work that the program has agreed to. No, you won't see as much as those who ignore the safeguards, but you will be able to live with the amount of sleep you get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyM2 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Good luck getting into PA school by explaining how you wanted to be a DO but just needed more sleep so decided to take the easier route. PA schools don't think of the profession as a good career for physician wannabes who couldn't hack it. It's time to grow up, grasshopper. Buck up, and get back to work. You are burning daylight with this post when you could be studying, or sleeping. Sent from my KFAPWI using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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