MCHAD Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 SO, I am graduating before the years out...i'm about halfway through the clinical year and I am feeling very overwhelmed at the prospect of really practicing medicine. I work hard and I am making the most out of my rotations (70 hours in surgery this week!) but I honestly don't know how i will be ready for the "real world" not sure what I am looking for but maybe just some encouragement needed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynpac Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 There isn't one PA on this forum and not on this forum that didnt' feel the same as you are now. That's why when you do find your first job you're not thrown out there solo. Every now and then a PA will come on and say they are working alone but this should have been clarified in the interviewing process by the PA. It sounds like you're getting your surgery down pretty good. I only did four surgeries a week on my rotations.I wasn't even allowed to go to the office for the followups. By the time you graduate you will feel much better about where you are, what you can do and how you will do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 You're awesome man! If anybody can do it, you can. I would actually be worried if you didn't feel overwhelmed! The fact that you understand the great responsibility you are about to have is proof enough that you'll be an excellent PA. Continue to take it one day at a time... Put your family first... Always be thankful and prayerful. Good luck buddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyBoy Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Hang in there.... I'm less than 4 months from graduation and feel exactly the same way. I've found that when I've felt overwhelmed/burnt out/convinced I will be a awful practitioner out of school, I've done the same basic things to bounce back. Take time for yourself (I just caught up on Jersey Shore), make a list of thing's you need to work on/look up while on your rotation (ran into moyamoya disease the other day in the ICU?!), begin focusing on boards- even if it is only one subject a week (read a CME on common endocrinopathies or orthopedic issues, something superficial just to focus yourself for a little bit). What are you looking to do post-graduation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictoriaO Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hey fellow 2nd-years! I'm in the exact same boat, graduating in 5 months, scared to death of making a mistake, hemming and hawing about wanting to apply for residency. It's been "the real deal" here in the ICU, no room for error. Luckily I'm preceptoring with a fantastic PA trained as a new grad from my program, he gets to do LPs, chest tubes, run codes, line 'em up, intubate, all the exciting stuff I hope to be really proficient at someday. (As a side note, I did 6 central lines last week, felt pretty proud of myself!). It's not always the actual procedures in the ICU, more the "troubleshooting" when things don't go the way you expect that can get tough. One tidbit of advice I got that has been really helpful is to make yourself a word document of common problems in your expected area of work (hypertensive, hypotensive, A-fib, low Mag, Na++, K, etc), give a brief reminders (like check your mag if the K is low), and first-line drugs with the IV dosage mg/kg. It's one thing to go off "the way you've seen it done" which is what I've fallen back on, but it's nice to have just one sheet to get a more definitive answer. I've also been making up procedure notes, to remember all my checks and balances for intubation, vent settings, etc. Mikeyboy, I actually ran into MoyaMoya in my peds rotation! Got Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome and Tako Tsubo's last week which was cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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