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Sitting around and wondering what it'll be like in PA school if and when you get in?


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Come on, admit it. You are super excited to get started but at the same time, wicked curious to what school will really be like....

 

Today is my first Friday of PA school with Medex. Day 3, as we started on Wednesday. We have had a few lectures and a lab session mixed with a few administrative things. These first two weeks are billed as an A&P review to put some classroom time in to tie up the 14 week on line refresher we did just previous to this summer quarter.

 

Yesterday while Dr. Evans delivered a lecture on hemodynamics with no notes, no powerpoint, no flash cards...just purely from memory at a rate that only the fastest shorthand writer could keep up with, it occurred to me of "thank god I know what he is talking about because if this was new to me, I'd be drowning right now"

 

Today, we had Dr. Kira Wennstrom cover some of the renal. Part of her presentation was for us, the students, to diagram the pathways associated with a particular presentation:

 

"Kidneys regulate pH, blood volume, and osmolarity.

 

Diarrhea affects all of the following parameters:

Loss of pancreatic bicarbonate in feces

Loss of hyposmotic fluid and thus increase of serum osmolarity

decrease of blood volume and pressure

 

Diagram the reflex pathways that detect these imbalances and attempt to restore homeostasis"

 

We were given about 10 minutes to work with a neighbor and put together a flow chart. It wasn't graded, and there was no pressure, but it was a great exercise to see where you stand in understanding all the intricacies of how things work.

 

I don't believe I am infringing on any copyrights or disclosing information that should not be shared. It is my hope that by sharing this situation will spawn a discussion that I can partake in, thus helping to solidify my understanding of the processes involved...like an impromptu online study group if you will.

 

If those involved in academia are more savvy to any infractions that I may be incurring by sharing this information, please feel free to contact me so that I may mend my ways.

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Guest guthriesm

Yup, knowing the RAS is critical- and has come back to haunt me through pathophys, clin med (cardiology, urology, and now GI), etc.

 

There are blogs available to read too; links are located on the forum.

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Love, love, love, this thread.

 

Jump on in and play along. I was considering posting something every week through school but apparently there isn't much interest.

 

Today's "review" on the GI tract and liver was another lesson in firehouse drinking. The speaker is a brilliant man but you gotta bring your A game, that's for sure. A couple of times I found my mind wandering around thoughts of the weekend only to snap back to the "here and now" by the words "....and that was a very critical point."

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Just Steve: What are your 3 favorite and least favorite things about PA school so far? I know you just started but just curious.

1. Favorite...all I have to do is to be a professional student. For the first time in many, many years my sole responsibility is to my education. I don't have a boss I have to report to, I am not commuting an hour one way for my pre reqs then doing it the next day for my job. I get out of class, go for a bike ride to warm up, then hit the on campus rock climbing gym for a bit, then ride home and eat/study. Yesterday after our exam I had three hours to kill before the next lecture, I rode my bike for 1.5 hours....was so nice to unwind. I have to admit though, it is a guilty pleasure as I miss my family. However, this summer they are all in Washington DC for the time I am in school visiting family and friends. They are having a blast and that helps me relax. Come this fall they will be in school and I'll be home on the weekends. (hopefully)

 

2. least favorite...i miss my wife/kids.

 

3. Favorite...I am mentally challenged (in a good way) every day. Nightly study groups digesting the day's lecture. Each person contributing in their own way. Everyone has their strong point and their weak point. All of us come from a medical background of some sort (UW/Medex pre req is minimum 4000 hours of HCE)

 

4. Least favorite...not a huge fan of sitting in an auditorium with 120 other students. It puts up a barrier of sorts...no one really wants to ask questions for fear of embarrassing themselves. UW has all four campuses together for six weeks in Seattle. We break in August, then report to our individual campuses so the class for Yakima (where I am headed) will shrink to 27. That will help open up the dynamic a bit.

 

5. next least favorite (can't end on a down note)...financial aid. It has been an experience that makes me want to behave in manners that are not consistent with proper decorum. I completely fail to comprehend why the office that is responsible for bringing finances to the college is both understaffed (45 minute wait times on the phone) and staffed by people who appear to really hate their job and blame you, the student, for paying them THOUSANDS of dollars, for making their job miserable. As you can tell...my disbursement still hasn't reached my bank account. I am tickled pink :-\

 

6. Favorite...I made it. Finally in the big leagues. A top ten PA program in a college that ranks well on a global setting. I have no doubt that my education will be among the best available. Granted, things do not always run as smooth as buttered glass, but I don't think there is a program out there that runs flawlessly. This school has been in the PA education business for 40 years or so and they know what it takes to produce a quality grad. I guess to sum it up...I can trust that the system is going to give me my money's worth. I won't walk away thinking "that was it?"

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Aaaaahhhh the second Friday of the program. What's on tap for the weekend you ask? There is a light writing assignment to get us used to evidence based medicine. Just a 2-3 page paper, nothing very heavy. Of course there is the test over Neuro, endocrinology, muscle/bone, and GI to prepare for. That comes at us Monday morning. But first...we're headed out to watch the Seattle Mariners play some other team...I think the Rangers. Massage scheduled for tomorrow to help deal with recurrent and persistent parastheia of the arms. Makes it tough to take notes when my arms keep going numb every time I bring them up on the desk. Probably should have that evaluated but as a student, my health insurance isn't that great. NSAIDS and body work hopefully will do the trick. Part of the fun of being a student.

 

In the academic world, today in neuro we discussed a patient with a right sided spinal cord tumor at the C3 level. The questions posed to the class were the following: Can the patient feel touch in her right leg? Can she feel pain? Can she move it? Can the patient feel touch in her left leg? Can she feel pain? Can she move it?

What about her arms? Would you expect the same pattern as her legs, or are they normal?

Would a knee jerk reflex be present on the left? On the right?

 

Discussion of which nerve plexus cover these body areas are also needed...which dermatones?

 

And when you get that wrapped up...diagram the reflex pathway that 1. Makes your heart rate slow down when your blood pressure gets to high 2. causes your palms to seat when you're about to speak in front of the class 3. causes your stomach to rumble when you think about food

 

Day 8 of PA school...better buckle up. It hasn't even started getting tough yet. :-)

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Just Steve first off congrats on making it to the "show" sorry huge baseball fan. It must be a great feeling to finally make it and go after a dream. I was wondering if you could give me a little back round on the 4k hrs HCE you have. Medex is one of the programs I will be applying to in the near future. I actually use to live in Tacoma,WA for 5 years during my military service. Also if you don't mind telling me your age. I'm a 32yr X-ray technologist and my age is something that discourages me from going after PA school. I'm guessing with 4k hrs of HCE you are in your mid 20's or older. Anyways good luck man and keep us updated on your days and weeks at school. I'm always curious.

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Just Steve first off congrats on making it to the "show" sorry huge baseball fan. It must be a great feeling to finally make it and go after a dream. I was wondering if you could give me a little back round on the 4k hrs HCE you have. Medex is one of the programs I will be applying to in the near future. I actually use to live in Tacoma,WA for 5 years during my military service. Also if you don't mind telling me your age. I'm a 32yr X-ray technologist and my age is something that discourages me from going after PA school. I'm guessing with 4k hrs of HCE you are in your mid 20's or older. Anyways good luck man and keep us updated on your days and weeks at school. I'm always curious.

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Just Steve first off congrats on making it to the "show" sorry huge baseball fan. It must be a great feeling to finally make it and go after a dream. I was wondering if you could give me a little back round on the 4k hrs HCE you have. Medex is one of the programs I will be applying to in the near future. I actually use to live in Tacoma,WA for 5 years during my military service. Also if you don't mind telling me your age. I'm a 32yr X-ray technologist and my age is something that discourages me from going after PA school. I'm guessing with 4k hrs of HCE you are in your mid 20's or older. Anyways good luck man and keep us updated on your days and weeks at school. I'm always curious.

 

One my classmates is 56. Two others have disclosed their age to be "over 50". Average for this class is 36, I am 38. Age is only a state of mind :-)

 

I started volunteering with the fire department at the end of my sophomore year of high school at the age of 15, riding the backstep of the engine bouncing down the road. At 17 I graduated high school and was in the Navy as a hospital corpsman. In 1995 I cross trained into surgery while still a Corpsman. 1998-1999 I went to night school and became a paramedic. In 2000 I got out of the service and became a full time firefighter/paramedic. I had continued to volunteer with various departments while in the service whenever I was based on shore duty. In 2007 I moved my family back home to Oregon and worked as a full time paramedic in an urban setting, then transferred out to east county with an emphasis on wilderness response.

 

My best guess is I have around 40,000 hours or so of HCE. There are a couple of folks in class with similar numbers as I, but the class average is about 6 years of experience. We may have skewed the average up a bit. We have Ct techs, MRI techs, nurses, ER techs, EMTs, a foreign med grad, sleep study tech, paramedics, surgical techs, MAs...runs a spectrum.

 

It is a melting pot of backgrounds. Some of the stories that the folks out of Anchorage can tell make my eyes wide. The logistics that those folks faced while taking care of people is really impressive. Makes the class interesting, both while seated and while out watching the ball game. (Mariners lost btw...but apparently that is their norm lately)

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Just Steve first off congrats on making it to the "show" sorry huge baseball fan. It must be a great feeling to finally make it and go after a dream. I was wondering if you could give me a little back round on the 4k hrs HCE you have. Medex is one of the programs I will be applying to in the near future. I actually use to live in Tacoma,WA for 5 years during my military service. Also if you don't mind telling me your age. I'm a 32yr X-ray technologist and my age is something that discourages me from going after PA school. I'm guessing with 4k hrs of HCE you are in your mid 20's or older. Anyways good luck man and keep us updated on your days and weeks at school. I'm always curious.

 

One my classmates is 56. Two others have disclosed their age to be "over 50". Average for this class is 36, I am 38. Age is only a state of mind :-)

 

I started volunteering with the fire department at the end of my sophomore year of high school at the age of 15, riding the backstep of the engine bouncing down the road. At 17 I graduated high school and was in the Navy as a hospital corpsman. In 1995 I cross trained into surgery while still a Corpsman. 1998-1999 I went to night school and became a paramedic. In 2000 I got out of the service and became a full time firefighter/paramedic. I had continued to volunteer with various departments while in the service whenever I was based on shore duty. In 2007 I moved my family back home to Oregon and worked as a full time paramedic in an urban setting, then transferred out to east county with an emphasis on wilderness response.

 

My best guess is I have around 40,000 hours or so of HCE. There are a couple of folks in class with similar numbers as I, but the class average is about 6 years of experience. We may have skewed the average up a bit. We have Ct techs, MRI techs, nurses, ER techs, EMTs, a foreign med grad, sleep study tech, paramedics, surgical techs, MAs...runs a spectrum.

 

It is a melting pot of backgrounds. Some of the stories that the folks out of Anchorage can tell make my eyes wide. The logistics that those folks faced while taking care of people is really impressive. Makes the class interesting, both while seated and while out watching the ball game. (Mariners lost btw...but apparently that is their norm lately)

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I'm also really enjoying this thread, so thank you! I was wondering if you could briefly share a few of the stories you heard about Anchorage? I have always been very interested in heading out that way and would love to do a rotation out there, once I get into school, if possible. It's been a long term goal for a while now, anyway, I'd love to hear if you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

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I'm also really enjoying this thread, so thank you! I was wondering if you could briefly share a few of the stories you heard about Anchorage? I have always been very interested in heading out that way and would love to do a rotation out there, once I get into school, if possible. It's been a long term goal for a while now, anyway, I'd love to hear if you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

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The 4000 hours is the bare minimum requirements, it is 2 years in a full time, paid, direct patient care. Our class has anywhere from 3 years to 20 years of experience. There is an SF medic with 20 years and there is a girl with three years working at a prostate cancer specialty hospital. The rest of us are medics, nurses, surgical techs and medical assistants with about 5 to 8 years of experience. I am 31 and I have 4 boys age 2, 3, 4, and 6. I left my Job where i was compensated fairly well and my wife could stay at home with the kids. Now my wife works and we live off grants and loans. We live pay check to pay check. There are many sacrifces we have made and we are piling ourselves in debt with school loans and personal loans. Sometimes I wish I had gone to PA school long before I had such responsibilities or waited till the kids were grown and I had a big savings to cushion myself. If I waited for that I might have never gone. It only sounds hard when I sit down and think about it. When your going through it you just do what you have to and move to the next step. When you look back it seems that there is no one you possibly could have taken that many steps. One step at a time... apply and see if you go to the next step.

 

Matt

 

2nd year PA-S

 

Anchorage Class 2

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The 4000 hours is the bare minimum requirements, it is 2 years in a full time, paid, direct patient care. Our class has anywhere from 3 years to 20 years of experience. There is an SF medic with 20 years and there is a girl with three years working at a prostate cancer specialty hospital. The rest of us are medics, nurses, surgical techs and medical assistants with about 5 to 8 years of experience. I am 31 and I have 4 boys age 2, 3, 4, and 6. I left my Job where i was compensated fairly well and my wife could stay at home with the kids. Now my wife works and we live off grants and loans. We live pay check to pay check. There are many sacrifces we have made and we are piling ourselves in debt with school loans and personal loans. Sometimes I wish I had gone to PA school long before I had such responsibilities or waited till the kids were grown and I had a big savings to cushion myself. If I waited for that I might have never gone. It only sounds hard when I sit down and think about it. When your going through it you just do what you have to and move to the next step. When you look back it seems that there is no one you possibly could have taken that many steps. One step at a time... apply and see if you go to the next step.

 

Matt

 

2nd year PA-S

 

Anchorage Class 2

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I'm also really enjoying this thread, so thank you! I was wondering if you could briefly share a few of the stories you heard about Anchorage? I have always been very interested in heading out that way and would love to do a rotation out there, once I get into school, if possible. It's been a long term goal for a while now, anyway, I'd love to hear if you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

 

If you want to do a rotation in Alaska I use to work in a teaching hospital that is about 40 miles from Anchorage. We have students from Pacific University, Rocky Mountain, UW, and various other places. It is Med students, PA students and Pharmacy students also. PM me if you are interested.

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I'm also really enjoying this thread, so thank you! I was wondering if you could briefly share a few of the stories you heard about Anchorage? I have always been very interested in heading out that way and would love to do a rotation out there, once I get into school, if possible. It's been a long term goal for a while now, anyway, I'd love to hear if you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

 

If you want to do a rotation in Alaska I use to work in a teaching hospital that is about 40 miles from Anchorage. We have students from Pacific University, Rocky Mountain, UW, and various other places. It is Med students, PA students and Pharmacy students also. PM me if you are interested.

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I'm also really enjoying this thread, so thank you! I was wondering if you could briefly share a few of the stories you heard about Anchorage? I have always been very interested in heading out that way and would love to do a rotation out there, once I get into school, if possible. It's been a long term goal for a while now, anyway, I'd love to hear if you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

 

The stories I was sharing was with one of the flight medics who worked up there...tales of flying in dicey conditions searching for emergency locator beacons of downed aircraft, finding the pilot with shattered legs and LaFort III fractures (free floating face...not good). I worked in an area that responded to wilderness settings but nothing like that. I got airsick just listening to the stories.

 

It is a way of life that I think it's really hard for people to comprehend until they live it.

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I'm also really enjoying this thread, so thank you! I was wondering if you could briefly share a few of the stories you heard about Anchorage? I have always been very interested in heading out that way and would love to do a rotation out there, once I get into school, if possible. It's been a long term goal for a while now, anyway, I'd love to hear if you don't mind sharing. Thanks!

 

The stories I was sharing was with one of the flight medics who worked up there...tales of flying in dicey conditions searching for emergency locator beacons of downed aircraft, finding the pilot with shattered legs and LaFort III fractures (free floating face...not good). I worked in an area that responded to wilderness settings but nothing like that. I got airsick just listening to the stories.

 

It is a way of life that I think it's really hard for people to comprehend until they live it.

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