monk1280 Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I have just completed my second quarter of my program and things are progressing ok. As I go through my program, I can't help but sense a disconnect between what I'm thought and what I actually see by healthcare providers in the real world. I feel as if we are taught in an "ideal" manner and not how things are truly done. Is this correct or have I just been observing others PAs that abbreviate things? For example, in listening to the chest for respiratory or heart sounds, we are taught to check multiple areas. It is taught as if this is how you perform this portion of the exam for even general practice. I have NEVER had any provider perform it that way on me. lol. Maybe it's too early but I wonder if this is a trend that I will see the rest of my didactic year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicalRN Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Thats normal. As an RN we were taught everything by the book, but no one did it like that in practice. Real world is very different from the perfect scenario set up in books. It will all make sense in clinical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHU-CH Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 Our goal in PA school is to teach you the "best" way of doing things. We are hoping to help you fill up your professional toolkit. Some things will be like a screwdriver - you will use them almost every day. Some things might be like a strap-wrench - great when you need it, but not used much. If you used Bates or Mosby in your physical diagnosis course, they probably had you listen to 14 places on the posterior thorax. For a patient who presents with a respiratory complaint this might be appropriate. For a patient with no complaints, no history and no family history presenting for a routine physical it it might be reasonable to abbreviate this somewhat. Learning what can and cannot be safely abbreviated takes judgement, and judgement takes experience. Keep practicing the way your instructors taught you. You will learn "your" way of doing things down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patachok Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 You are correct in your thoughts. We are taught in PA school by the book, and not how things are done in real practice. However, do not be discouraged. We learn the best technique which is unfortunately not often used in practice due to lack of time. We learn it so we can pass multiple exams, tests, OSCEs, and ultimately PANCE. Once you start clinicals, you will learn things differently, regarding both technique and medicine. I am sure it will be fun, and having finished my didactic year I am so looking forward to it. Good luck in your studies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 A bit different once you are out of the ivory tower. This said.....I worked many years in healthcare before school and I always noticed that PA's did the most complete exams. Docs were the laziest and NP's were a little bit better than the docs. Were the PAs doing the type of in depth exams we did in school?....No. Purely anecdotal, but there you have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk1280 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thanks all for the feedback. Yes I definitely have to develop a rhythm to doing everything. I just did my second OSCE and the physical exam was not done fluidly as I did not have much time left once completing my interview. I will say that I can't wait to finish this didactic year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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