Farns.PA Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I am a PA student toward the end of my didactic phase at a relatively new program. Every now and then I feel like the medicine I am learning is somewhat lacking. I understand that there is a massive amount of information that is jammed in such a short time in PA school, but this fact is starting to terrify me for clinical rotations....and practice. Is this a normal feeling? Do most PA students feel like they are not even close to being prepared for practicing medicine? Will it all come together? Is the 'didactic' portion just something that needs to be "gotten through"....and you do most of your 'learning' during clinical rotations? I sometimes find myself thinking "this is it? this can't possibly be it!" Why would somebody come see me if they can go see a "doctor"? Plus, I have been reading a lot of discouraging stuff regarding PA practice, politics etc... on here and other areas that dont instill a ton of confidence in our direction....ANY insight would be helpful.:saddd: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 This belongs in the PA student or Clinical rotations forum I believe...But just curious, what did you do before PA school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Completely normal.....you should be scared. Medical Students are too. I precept MS IV's, and teach interns all the time, they are all scared. In fact, I don't worry about the one's who are scared..it's the ones who act like they know everything are way too cocksure that worry me. To be honest, you should be scared for at least the first 2 years or so of practice too. If you're not, than you aren't thinking through everything. In short, it get's better, but it'll take a few years. By year 5-6 of practice you start to really rock and roll. It's just the nature of medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialMedicine Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 Why would someone see you and not an MD? Well, why would they see the MD in your practice and not the MD across the streeet? I come from a physician and PA saturated location and have realised (quit dissapointing) .. it is a business. People will see you becase you are friendly, professional, effecient, timely, and know what you are doing. If you feel PA education is lacking? Then go beyond your schooling. I didnt learn much about HIV medicine in PA school yet went into that field. I have read 100s of article and chapters on HIV medicine ... I am certified as a specialist by the HIV medicine academy and attend conferences. And this is exactly what you will do when you get established and work hard. Certain aspects of being a PA are negative ... same with all other professions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbellin Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 The reality is that PA school as stated by previous posts does not give you a "turn key" preparation to build a medical career. The truth is is that the didactic year of PA school gives you bricks of knowledge with which to build your medical skills but the mortar which allows you to put the bricks together comes from clinical experience. You start building with the bricks during your clinical year and on through your entire career. You will have "aha" moments during clinical experience when you see how the bricks of knowledge fall into place. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted February 18, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 18, 2011 You start building with the bricks during your clinical year and on through your entire career. You will have "aha" moments during clinical experience when you see how the bricks of knowledge fall into place. . ideally you start "stacking bricks" before pa school with relevant hce.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbellin Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Agreed, the more bricks stockpiled the better the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farns.PA Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 This belongs in the PA student or Clinical rotations forum I believe...But just curious, what did you do before PA school? Well....before PA school, I got my undergraduate degree in laboratory science and medical research (focus on genetics) from a medical university. Then, I spent 3 years working as a neurogenetics consultant...working with neurologists and their patients. WHY??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain1028 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Errrr Emed, relevant HCE is not really needed that much anymore.... Farns, you were a lab rat, did you ever suction a trach, change a bed pan in a code brown, do compressions in a code, put a baby on a ventilator? Well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farns.PA Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 I was a "lab rat" in education only....I spent all my free time shadowing PAs and surgeons in many different specialites as well as working in the PACU....ANYWAY...I'm not posting on here for this. I'm extremely concerned about the direction the PA profession is going in (or not going in) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatcat Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Plus, I have been reading a lot of discouraging stuff regarding PA practice, politics etc... on here and other areas that dont instill a ton of confidence in our direction....ANY insight would be helpful.:saddd: I think anyone entering the medical profession right now would feel like you do...there are abundant unknown issues facing medicine as our government struggles with the issue of health care reform. The good news is that PAs are going to be part of the solution of manpower with these changes in medicine. There will always be challenges and our profession certainly has our set of ongoing issues to face. However, after several decades in this profession I can honestly tell you that PAs have a much better footing in medicine and are enjoying employment opportunities that many of us never encountered when we entered the profession. The growth and utilization of PAs has been quite a success story in medicine.:smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Once again Chatcat you nailed it. The PA profession is growing leaps and bounds. I posted on another thread about the premeds and med students are also worried in which direction that medicine is heading, it's not just exclusive to the PA profession. Just look at the interview Dr. Sundwall gave about health care reform. It was the premeds and med students response that was surprising, it's not just us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
physasst Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I was a "lab rat" in education only....I spent all my free time shadowing PAs and surgeons in many different specialites as well as working in the PACU....ANYWAY...I'm not posting on here for this. I'm extremely concerned about the direction the PA profession is going in (or not going in) There's always concern about the PA profession, and yet, 40 years later, here we are, almost a 100k strong. The PA profession isn't going anywhere. Neither are the NP's. Heck, if the results from Australia, Scotland, and Ireland are any example, we are going to be found in every country soon. I attend a lot of high level policy and research meetings, and the two top questions I get asked when others find out I am a PA..1. HOW do we get more PA's? 2. HOW do we get more PA's into primary care? Don't worry about our profession it's going to be fine. Worry about your schooling right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farns.PA Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 Thanks guys! I appreciate it! That whole Tenessee thing and the CMS issue with mandatory vs. optional provider was a little shocking. I'll just focus on my education right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 This belongs in the PA student or Clinical rotations forum I believe...But just curious, what did you do before PA school? Well....before PA school, I got my undergraduate degree in laboratory science and medical research (focus on genetics) from a medical university. Then, I spent 3 years working as a neurogenetics consultant...working with neurologists and their patients. WHY??? I think that Prior HCE can help a PA student adjust to clinicals from didactic, at least for me. It didnt make me feel i was ready for solo practice but i wasnt a wreck when i saw patients. I studied my butt off for the technical stuff but procedural stuff came well, naturally if that makes sense. Just my opinion.... I guess what i am saying is that regarding the second paragraph of your Orig post here, I didn't feel as improperly trained as you described because I fell back on my prior experience. Good luck in clinicals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Febrifuge Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Yeah, I'm with JoelSeff there. My time "in the trenches" as a maybe-more-motivated ER Tech really saved my bacon in PA school and especially in rotations. Even just in little things like knowing how to speak to people in the hospital, or understanding when it's not a good time to ask a question. It's cultural as much as anything. A decent attitude and a good work ethic do wonders; once people realize you're not bulls**ting them and you want to do good work, most of the time they'll bend over backward to help you do it. That, and having experience with my own learning. Just like I did as a tech, every day I'd think about one thing I did well, and (at least) one thing I totally biffed, or just could have been better at. Day by day, I improved because I already knew the secret: avoid making the same mistake more than once. Do that, and you can't help but make mistakes that are more interesting and instructive. It's nice to have a few things you're confident about... and being confident about rote memorization of facts means not very much when you're actually doing the job. Facts can be learned, forgotten, re-learned, and looked up again. Skills need to be worked on and honed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I am a PA student toward the end of my didactic phase at a relatively new program. Every now and then I feel like the medicine I am learning is somewhat lacking. I understand that there is a massive amount of information that is jammed in such a short time in PA school, but this fact is starting to terrify me for clinical rotations....and practice. Welcome to the forum. I am a PD beginning my 25th year as a PA with a good portion in PA education. You should be scared period. Because you can seriously do some damage. What makes you think you are not prepared? Are you meeting the academic benchmarks and standards of the didactic phase? Here's a quick test. Compare the NCCPA Blueprint and your didactic year: http://www.nccpa.net/ExamsContentBPOrgans.aspx If your program exposed you to the majority of information during the didactic year you have been give a good foundation. Is this a normal feeling? Do most PA students feel like they are not even close to being prepared for practicing medicine? Will it all come together? Yes, it happens all the time you are not alone. Or, you might just be experiencing something called the imposter syndrome. Is the 'didactic' portion just something that needs to be "gotten through"....and you do most of your 'learning' during clinical rotations? Didactic portion was a cakewalk for you was it? You didn't need any of the "didactic" portion? Really? Really? Wow. Just something that needs to be "gotten through" you say. You could have jumped right into clinic seeing patients day one? All kinds of patients, in different specialties day one? Wow. Sorry if I sound harsh, but I guess I'm just thinking of the didactic faculty member, coordinating instruction, writing test, proctoring checklist, tutoring when needed, who wants you to succeed. If this isn't the case then I apologize, but the majority of my colleagues pretty much fit that description Were they really wasting your time? I sometimes find myself thinking "this is it? this can't possibly be it!" Why would somebody come see me if they can go see a "doctor"? I don't know how to answer this question. I have never had a student or a graduate ask this. Plus, I have been reading a lot of discouraging stuff regarding PA practice, politics etc... on here and other areas that dont instill a ton of confidence in our direction....ANY insight would be helpful. This is nothing new. Please. Do a lit search you'll see discouraging stuff regarding PA practice, politics ect dating back to Dr. Stead. Yet we are still around. Chill out okay? This is one of those Cher slaps Nicholas Cage up side the head and says "Snap out of it" moments. Dated reference but I'm old and it is a classic...lol. Take a deep breath. You'll be okay. Lesh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddoc Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Spot on, LESH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Spot on, LESH Thanks eddoc, I have my moments...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdavis Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Why would someone see you and not an MD? Well, why would they see the MD in your practice and not the MD across the streeet? I come from a physician and PA saturated location and have realised (quit dissapointing) .. it is a business. People will see you becase you are friendly, professional, effecient, timely, and know what you are doing. If you feel PA education is lacking? Then go beyond your schooling[i didnt learn much about HIV medicine in PA school yet went into that field. I have read 100s of article and chapters on HIV medicine ... I am certified as a specialist by the HIV medicine academy and attend conferences. And this is exactly what you will do when you get established and work hard. Certain aspects of being a PA are negative ... same with all other professions. THIS is a excellent post, and spot on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdavis Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thanks eddoc, I have my moments...lol. Yes, you do les. I used to have them also. Now they are fewer and fewer... And certainly less bright than before. I wish there was a Viagra for the brain ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LESH Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Yes, you do les. I used to have them also. Now they are fewer and fewer... And certainly less bright than before. I wish there was a Viagra for the brain ... Sir it is good to see you posting. How ya been? I do understand the fewer and fewer. Still every once in a while something from the Brave New PA world sparks a response..lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Well said LESH. Farns- Start reading/studying on your own. Didactic provides with you a rough outline of general medicine, but you need to go above and beyond that on your own. Read 5 pages of Harrison's each day, and read all the pertinent CME articles that come your way. What your feeling is normal, don't worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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