andrew2393cns Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I am thinking about getting a parakeet as a pet before school starts. I figure it will give me something to bond with during the intense coursework. I had parakeets all of my childhood and know how to handle them and take good care of them. Any thoughts on whether I should get one or two or do you think it will be to much to handle during school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Really? You guys all know that PA school isn't some underground cave where there is no sunlight and people turn feral due to lack of socialization, right? I know we all like to make it sound like that, but come on. If you want to get a bird/dog/car/spouse/baby/house/trampoline [insert normal life thing here]... evaluate your priorities and do it. Or not. No one on an internet forum can tell you what you can manage. And what is "too much" for one student might be a walk in the park for another. I wouldn't get the bird because I don't know how to take care of one. And I like my cat. But you're in a different place with different background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatChecko Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 You can do it and I agree it would be nice to have something to bond with. Plenty of my classmates had pets, dogs and cats mostly. They also made sure they could either handle being on their own for the long days, especially in clinical year, or had people nearby that could take care of them when they weren't around or something unexpected popped up. Sometimes, even other PA students helped out too and it wasn't too big of a deal. The name of the game in PA school is flexibility. Things pop up, schedules change, preceptors forget to tell the program they are on vacation the month you are assigned, etc. As long as you can roll with the punches and still take care of your parakeet, it's definitely doable. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew2393cns Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Greenmood and GreatChecko, thank you for your answers. They were both enlightening and diverse. I know the question may have sounded dumb, but put yourself in my shoes, I have no clue what it's like. I am just asking this question to enhance my knowledge of what this ride will be like. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cg02186 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 We've had like 5 or 6 students get dogs since starting the program and me and wife actually had a baby the week before finals week. All of us are still doing really good in school. lol PA school is really really hard but it doesn't mean you have 0 interaction with the outside world for two years like people make it seem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovelost Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Really? You guys all know that PA school isn't some underground cave where there is no sunlight and people turn feral due to lack of socialization, right? I know we all like to make it sound like that, but come on. It's not? :o that's what I've been mentally preparing for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taotaox1 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Birds are pretty low maintainence but you will need to figure out how to handle away rotations during your second year. If you have a plan for that it sounds like a wise choice in pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ap1249 Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I had my cat (which I had already had for 11 years) with me during the didactic year, and that was absolutely no problem since he can be left all day (or even for the weekend). 2nd year was a different story, though. I had to move literally every month for rotations and had various housing situations, making it impossible for me to have my pet. I was lucky that my fiance watched my cat that year. So it will really depend on how stable your clinical year is, and also have a backup plan in case something changes at the last minute. Other classmates with pets, especially dogs, had their spouse/partner in town. I loved having my pet with me during didactic! It was great to come home to him, and have someone to 'talk' to in my apartment. Missed him a lot last year, but glad he & fiance got to bond, so it all worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyNameWasUsed Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Really? You guys all know that PA school isn't some underground cave where there is no sunlight and people turn feral due to lack of socialization, right? I know we all like to make it sound like that, but come on. Are you able to go out on weekends frequently? Like bars and such? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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