Failing Didactic Year Advice Needed!

[Living4Medicine]

Hi all, 

I am finishing out the first summer of my PA program and so far I have unfortunately received two course failures, resulting in being placed on academic probation. If I mess up again, I may be dismissed from the program. As i've said often, my failures were not the result of lack of trying, instead they were the result of me not knowing the appropriate way to study and retain the vasts amounts of information we were given in such a short period of time. Also in my courses only one exam determines our entire grade for the course. I have an exam approaching and I am very nervous since, as i stated prior, i have no more "get out of jail free cards," additionally, I will have to make up the courses I failed before clinical year. I am a kinesthic learner who survived on making hand written flashcards all throughout undergrad, however, i realized with these failures that I simply do not have the time to do this same thing with studying. Any suggestions would be helpful, I am feeling highly discouraged. 

 

Thank you.

[PACJD]

What are your tests based off? Solely material taught during lectures? material presented in syllabus? Or a combination of the two?

In some of our classes during didactic, our tests were based off material presented in lecture, so I would focus on the powerpoints given. In other classes, it was material based off the syllabus, so I would outline and read the textbook. If it was a combination of the two, I would start with the powerpoints, then supplement with the textbook. 

You would think that what is taught in class in the lectures would be based off the syllabus and textbook, but that is it always the case. It is important to know where the questions come from, for testing purposes. Obviously all the information is pertinent, but as far as passing the test goes, focus on what is being tested. 

I tried to limit my time making notecards or outlining, because I felt it was very time consuming and i spent more time making these study materials than actually studying. Talk to your classmates and see if you could split making study guides/outlines and share them with each other to save time. The key to didactic is time management. You are going to learn a ton of information in limited time, so it is important to manage your time wisely. 

Good luck!

[pastudentw]

I actually make hand written flashcards for the majority of my classes. It can be time consuming but the process of writing for me does the trick. Making the flashcard is a big chunk of my actual studying. I could never get by with just reading through the slides a lot, which I know some people actually do (beats me but if it works for people, great!). I try to review the flash cards as much as I can using forced recall but sometimes I don't have tons of time to do that. For a select few of my classes I record the lecture and listen to it over again while I make my set of flash cards. Try to go through the material on the same day it is lectured to you so you aren't coming back to material you heard about a week ago.

I have also found that making study outlines on the computer can be time consuming just due to the formatting of it all. But the upside to this is they can be easily referenced in the future once they are made.

I agree with the above that it is important to know where and how your tests are being made. Some of my professors are strictly powerpoint only. Others are a combo of what they have in slides plus another text book. Also it is important to know who is actually writing the test. I have started to be able to figure out, how would this professor ask a question about this?, as I'm studying.

I know I use a study method that requires a lot of time, so therefore I spent a lot of time studying. I'd rather do something that actually works for me, than something that isn't as effective but it saves time. At my program we have quizzes and exams frequently and this helps to be able to stay on top of the material and motivated to get through it since you constantly have a deadline coming up for the next exam. 

I wish you the best!! 

[wookie]

What really helped get me through PA school was note sharing between classmates. Because there is so much material to process, it's impossible to make study guides for every single lecture. We shared a google drive and it almost seemed to become a contest to see who could contribute the most. 

Also, I and many of my classmates kept close with different upperclassmen who would provide crucial advice on how to approach studying for certain topics or a certain professor's exams. 

It's tough for one person to influence a class vibe so my best advice would be to keep close, and friendly with your classmates. 

[Theyran]

My class has been using Quizlet a lot. Sometimes we've found existing flashcard banks for our textbooks, or different members of our class will type some up based on lectures, which has been very helpful for review.

[rev ronin]

3 hours ago, Theyran said:

My class has been using Quizlet a lot. Sometimes we've found existing flashcard banks for our textbooks, or different members of our class will type some up based on lectures, which has been very helpful for review.

Except that Quizlet doesn't get you the sensation of writing out words physically.

OP, you need to talk to your advisor and the college's learning center.  Internet advice is nice and all, but your career is at stake: talk to them, too.

[camoman1234]

Not a fan of flashcards/quizlet for deep study. I think flashcards/quizlet is for very quit study and refresher 1 hour before an exam. You need to LEARN the material and master it, you cannot learn hematology by flashcards, you have to dig deep/share notes, write down mechanisms, talk it out with other students and teach it to other. I always was in a group study nightly, and it works. The reason I say this is because I had a lady beside me that would do flashcards and refuse to study in groups, she passed school and the PANCE, but had a lot more stress/anxiety that our entire row. She would fill out 1,000 + per week, I thought it was crazy and I know that her learning was not up to par just by talking with her. Group study is the way to go. Good luck!

[UGoLong]

I think much of the advice above is a bit off the track: we all learn differently and different courses may call on different approaches. Rev ronin is on track: Go to your learning center.

Also, when your current style doesn't work in a class, try something else! In my case, I could never memorize pharm from flashcards or tables, so I tried drawing family trees of different classes of drugs. In my case, I could still see these trees during exams.

Don't start drawing trees, but recognize that a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If what you are doing doesn't work, be an experimentalist and try something new that fits you.

[924er]

Reading this thread as a pre PA student about to start my didactic year in less than 2 weeks is giving me some anxiety. I'm sure I'm not the only one paranoid about failing out but at the same time, reading the study methods others have mentioned helped tremendously. I'll definitely won't be writing flash cards and rewriting/outlining notes. I think it's too time consuming.


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[d-wade]

On 8/2/2017 at 4:04 PM, camoman1234 said:

Not a fan of flashcards/quizlet for deep study. I think flashcards/quizlet is for very quit study and refresher 1 hour before an exam. You need to LEARN the material and master it, you cannot learn hematology by flashcards, you have to dig deep/share notes, write down mechanisms, talk it out with other students and teach it to other. I always was in a group study nightly, and it works. The reason I say this is because I had a lady beside me that would do flashcards and refuse to study in groups, she passed school and the PANCE, but had a lot more stress/anxiety that our entire row. She would fill out 1,000 + per week, I thought it was crazy and I know that her learning was not up to par just by talking with her. Group study is the way to go. Good luck!

I aced my hematology exam studying flash cards... Studied alone almost the entire way through didactic as well. We're all different; OP has to learn his style. I did find out I learn better/faster through making charts instead of flash cards later on. Also helps during rotations to have these as quick references. 

To OP; it may be still worth making charts or flash cards; yes it's very time consuming but it forces you to take your time with the information and organize it logically. 

Additionally I do suggest comparing powerpoint notes to things like PANCE prep pearls and keeping a general rule that if you see it twice memorize it. Don't bog yourself down with trying to memorize too many details, try to figure out what is really important. 

[Johnson2018pac]

Agree with some of the others on the fact that you need to figure out your own learning style, the sooner the better.

There were definitely those people in my program that made thousands and thousands of notecards. For tactile learners that helps a lot. Wasted a lot of time initially for me.
Many people would listen to PANCE review podcasts on the way to and fro clinicals everyday. I couldn't remember anything I had just listened to by the time I got to my clinical site so I didn't waste any time with that and just listened to music.

I'm very much visual so I spent the vast majority of my study time watching videos, making diagrams and charts, study guides, etc..




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[camoman1234]

On 10/1/2017 at 6:59 AM, d-wade said:

I aced my hematology exam studying flash cards... Studied alone almost the entire way through didactic as well. We're all different; OP has to learn his style. I did find out I learn better/faster through making charts instead of flash cards later on. Also helps during rotations to have these as quick references. 

To OP; it may be still worth making charts or flash cards; yes it's very time consuming but it forces you to take your time with the information and organize it logically. 

Additionally I do suggest comparing powerpoint notes to things like PANCE prep pearls and keeping a general rule that if you see it twice memorize it. Don't bog yourself down with trying to memorize too many details, try to figure out what is really important. 

You can ace tests all day long, but the key is retaining the info. PLUS applying that info., which flashcards do not give you. That is rope memorization, anyone can do that. 

[MT2PA]

2 hours ago, camoman1234 said:

You can ace tests all day long, but the key is retaining the info. PLUS applying that info., which flashcards do not give you. That is rope memorization, anyone can do that. 

And if you can't pass tests/PANCE you won't be a provider to apply that info anyway soo.....there's something to be said for the repetition of rote memorization.  I remember the things that were DRILLED into me during didactic year.  Repetition.  Memorization.  Learning is a process and that's not to say that there isn't a time and a place for different goals.

[south]

Most people find attending class a colossal waste of time.  I retain little to nothing if someone is up there reading slides off.  

On the other hand, I went to school with students who listened, maybe took a few notes, asked a few questions, and when the class was over they were a short review away from passing the exam.  

I'm not necessarily suggesting you sit in the back covertly with earplugs in and study, as I had to do to survive (we had stupid-ass mandatory attendance)  The point here is find out what works and do that.

And get help.  Not only will this help, whether or not you sought help will come up in any proceedings that may happen in the future.  

[camoman1234]

5 hours ago, MT2PA said:

And if you can't pass tests/PANCE you won't be a provider to apply that info anyway soo.....there's something to be said for the repetition of rote memorization.  I remember the things that were DRILLED into me during didactic year.  Repetition.  Memorization.  Learning is a process and that's not to say that there isn't a time and a place for different goals.

Never said that you cannot use it in your tools, but I would only rely on it for about 10-20% of my learning in PA school.

[d-wade]

On 10/2/2017 at 1:27 PM, camoman1234 said:

You can ace tests all day long, but the key is retaining the info. PLUS applying that info., which flashcards do not give you. That is rope memorization, anyone can do that. 

Flashcards do not have to be single keywords, you can shove complicated patho or mechanisms on there and make them however dense as you want. I made a lot of cards for physio which worked well for me even though the tests were very conceptual. Just because you understand something, doesn't mean you won't forget the details of mechanisms you previously understood. Understanding doesn't give you magical retention abilities - repetition does. Without the repetition you are going to forget it all anyway. I understood organic chemistry to a fine detail during undergraduate, but if you ask me about it now, I wouldn't be able to tell you too much, because I stopped rehearsing the information.

[corpsman89]

Everybody is different. Personally I am loner and study alone. I tried group studying once and it was a colossal waste of time. I personally think Writing is the best way to quickly memorize something. Once your able to memorize certain concepts and ideas, you can begin Understanding these concepts and ideas. 

Also, PANCE PREP PEARLS.  

[PACShrink]

1 hour ago, corpsman89 said:

Everybody is different. Personally I am loner and study alone. I tried group studying once and it was a colossal waste of time. I personally think Writing is the best way to quickly memorize something. Once your able to memorize certain concepts and ideas, you can begin Understanding these concepts and ideas. 

Also, PANCE PREP PEARLS.  

Nothing personal against 'corpsman89' but, I suggest the exact opposite. I found a small study group of like minded classmates. We would challenge each other, share study guides, help each other when needed.  I 'was' a loner but, quickly realized that I could not get through PA School alone.

  IMHO the biggest advantage of a study group is: when you are having difficulty with a concept, you could waste endless hours trying to find the answer in a book or online... A trusted classmate/study buddy can help explain it in just a few short minute. We were all on board with staying focused and keeping the group on track...

  Once I 'got over myself' and admitted that there were things I did not know, I got comfortable trusting my group.

  True.. Everybody is different. Keep working hard..

[vb315]

I'll echo what's been said above and suggest a group study session. For me, this has been especially helpful in physiology/biochem as well as in our clinical medicine modules. I find I learn the best when I study material on my own (flashcards, videos, powerpoints from class, etc.) and then have a study group/session where I can talk out loud about the process I learned or the pathway we covered. It helps me because my classmates may be looking at it in an entirely different way than I am. Moreover, if there's a concept that I know well, I can take the time to teach it to my classmates, further solidifying my understanding of it. On the other side, if there's something that I struggle with conceptually, one of my classmates can usually help to walk me through it so that I understand it.

Also, I would highly suggest a meeting with your advisor, before it's too late. One of my classmates failed out after the first semester because by the time they sought help, it was already too late. Your administration wants to do everything they can to keep you in the program, you have to recognize when you are struggling and seek appropriate help accordingly.