What is the typical daily/weekly schedule during first semester at your PA program?

[Britters2013]

Hello all!

 

I am curious how PA programs' daily/weekly schedules during first semester vary in terms of hours in class per day, average number of exams per week, number of classes taken at a time, etc.

 

For example, do you have class from 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday? How long is lunch break? Do you ever get off early for extra study time? Do you have exams every week and if so how many?

 

I'd love to hear from people in various PA programs to get an idea of how much variation there is in first semester schedules amongst programs.

 

Thanks so much!

[Z PA-C]

I'm in my first quarter of PA school

It varies from week to week for us but generally our schedule is
Monday 8am-3pm (one our lunch)
Tuesday 8am-9pm (one our lunch and one hour dinner break...)
Wednesday 8am-3pm (one hour lunch)
Thursday 9am-3pm (one our lunch)
Friday 9am-12pm

10 classes - 24 units

Around 2-3 exams per week

We usually use up all of our class time so no getting out early

[Timon]

Our schedules got increasingly more intense the further we progressed in our program. Our first session is heavy human sciences from the same professors who teach the DOs. We begin clinical medicine during session 2 and our didactic education lasts 16 months followed by a 12 month clinical rotation (28 months total).

 

Session 1

19.5 units

Classes 10:00am-3:00pm with 1 hour lunch at 12:00

 

Session 2

21 units

Classes 8:00am-3:00pm with 1 hour lunch

 

Session 3

19.5 Units

Classes from 8:00-3:00 or 5:00 with 1 hour lunch

 

Session 4

23 Units

Classes from 8:00-5:00 most days with 1 hour lunch

 

Total number of exams throughout all 4 sessions is 132. In session 4 we average 3 exams a week. In session 1 the exams (usually 6-7) are pretty stacked up over 2 weeks with a month of lectures between exams.