wktk222 Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Hello everyone. I was recently accepted into PA school. With school starting in couple of months I want to know what I should be doing/ what is worth doing that you did not know of when you were in this phase of life. Some examples would be joing clubs/ organizations such as FAPA, AAPA, etc. Studying ahead for the didactic classes. Books and materials. I also want to do some form of loan forgiveness program. Any that require an action now? (Besides the military option). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 15, 2017 Administrator Share Posted October 15, 2017 1. Studying vs. relaxation is a hotly debated topic; you will hear vocal opinions on both sides. If you do study, study something general like A&P, and if you haven't been in school in a while, it's probably even more important to build up study habits now. No matter what you do, PA school is a firehose of information. 2. The program will tell you what books and materials you need. Buying anything in advance just risks costing you more. 3. Join PAs For Tomorrow at a minimum; they represent you. AAPA's been getting better, but still doesn't get an unqualified endorsement from me. 4. Loan repayment sites suck; that's why you have to commit to two years to get a single red cent out of them. Expect to be working with an alcoholic and aging supervising physician, discriminated against because you're not the right ethnicity, working in a town of <1000, stuck in the Aleutians as far as weather and accessibility go... and you'll hopefully be pleasantly surprised. Hopefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8404PA Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 55 minutes ago, rev ronin said: 4. Loan repayment sites suck; that's why you have to commit to two years to get a single red cent out of them. We were also told last week at the Tennessee-APA conference that you have to pay tax on any loan reimbursement as well - and it usually isn't a small amount which may negate any relief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 15, 2017 Administrator Share Posted October 15, 2017 15 minutes ago, 8404PA said: We were also told last week at the Tennessee-APA conference that you have to pay tax on any loan reimbursement as well - and it usually isn't a small amount which may negate any relief. Yep, it's more or less treated as income, as I understand it. If I go to a rural site, it will because my wife and I want a change of pace and scope of practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wktk222 Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 4 hours ago, rev ronin said: 4. Loan repayment sites suck; that's why you have to commit to two years to get a single red cent out of them. Expect to be working with an alcoholic and aging supervising physician, discriminated against because you're not the right ethnicity, working in a town of <1000, stuck in the Aleutians as far as weather and accessibility go... and you'll hopefully be pleasantly surprised. Hopefully. 3 hours ago, 8404PA said: We were also told last week at the Tennessee-APA conference that you have to pay tax on any loan reimbursement as well - and it usually isn't a small amount which may negate any relief. Wow I guess I don't really have a great option with regards to loan repayments. But these are great information. Thank you both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 The restrictive commitment on practice post-graduation makes those loan repayment programs not worth it to me. If you are able to make a budget and stick with it, there's no reason you couldn't pay off most of if not all of your PA loans in 2-3 yrs post graduation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHAD Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 15 hours ago, rev ronin said: Yep, it's more or less treated as income, as I understand it. If I go to a rural site, it will because my wife and I want a change of pace and scope of practice. Unless something has changed loan repayment at least through NHSC is tax free https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/loanrepaymentprogram.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy199 Posted October 17, 2017 Share Posted October 17, 2017 I am a first year student in my second semester. I was told my many people to relax. I had 6 months from when I got my acceptance letter until I started and I think I wasted a great opportunity to get ahead of the curve. I am doing well and don't think that not studying has put me at any disadvantage whatsoever, but if I could do it all over again, I would have spent a few hours per week in preparation. buy an ekg book, it probably wont make much sense depending on your background, but go through it from start to finish. The medics in our class thrived in Cardio where a lot of us were just keeping our heads above water. So if you have time, devote some of it to cardiology, you will not be mad that you did. Anyways, good luck, don't go crazy "studying" but definitely do yourself a favor and look a bunch of stuff over and you will be in better shape than if you hadn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbum Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 If I had it to do again, I'd spend some time learning how to learn medicine. I find that studying in PA school has been different than it was in undergrad. There are LOTS of sources available online with good insight. I didn't do any pre-studying before school and I don't really regret it. I probably would have done well to brush up on microbiology (would have made ID and abx a little easier), but I had a pretty weak preparation in that subject. I'm not convinced that getting a head start is really necessary, but it probably won't hurt anything. I don't think I'd recommend trying to teach yourself EKGs, but if you go with the advice above, get the Garcia book. It's pretty much a DIY course on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocc54 Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I would enjoy any free time you have left because you're going to have very little once school starts. Hang out with friends, go on a vacation, just relax. Learn how to meal prep. If you are absolutely intent on studying I would look over an anatomy book or something solely to get into a good routine of studying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTNPA Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 If I had to do it again, I would definitely brush up on anatomy and physiology. I also would have tried very hard to master/practice ECG. I wish that someone would have told me a little more about what studying would be like and how important it is to stay ahead. So in conclusion, personally, my advice is to alternate between looking into the various body systems and relaxing. Stay on top of both, you won't regret it. Much luck and success!Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HanSolo Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I'd make sure everything like health insurance, vehicle registration, housing, going to the dentist - all that regular boring adult stuff - is squared away before you start. As far as studying, none of that stuff is going to stick right now, and I don't think you can develop good study habits during your time off. You're just going to get thrown into it, you'll feel overwhelmed for a bit, and then eventually you'll get a feel for what you need to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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