I took a medical leave of absence from PA school, struggling to find out what to do next

[Patient2PA]

Hello, 

I recently started a PA program in January. However, due to some chronic medical conditions, I decided to take a leave of absence from my program. I was struggling to keep up with material due to my declining health, so I decided to take a step back, and try and return with the following cohort. In the year that I have off, prior to returning to school, I plan on trying to get a better handle on my conditions so that I can return in a better place. Additionally, I know that there are areas in my foundational understanding of the basic sciences/anatomy and physiology. So I was planning on trying to teach myself the basics, identifying the areas that I am lost in, so I can be more prepared the next time. I have been working towards this end goal of becoming a PA for the last ten years of my life. It is all I've ever wanted to do. However, having experienced the rigor of a program I know that I was struggling and it was just the start. Which is why I made the decision to take a leave, and withdraw from the semester. That way I could come back to the program the following year.  I was told by some of the professors at my PA school that maybe the pace of the program is too much for me. It was suggested that I look into the NP route as there are more part time programs out there (compared to PA programs). I don't want to give up on my dream of becoming a PA, but I also need to be realistic with myself. I want to try and teach myself the material that I am struggling with, but I am concerned that I will not be able to get all that knowledge in a year. If my professors at my PA school don't think the pace is suited for me, am I foolish to even try and go back in a year? Should I just pursue the nursing route since I already have a degree in Medical Science? I'm just really lost, because it feels like my whole world has come crashing down. Any and all advice is welcomed!

[UGoLong]

I'm not sure I totally understand your story. You decelerated for a year for medical reasons but you and your professors think the pace/rigor was too much for you? 

Perhaps you set too high an expectation for yourself, or needed some help with study techniques. Hard for me to say. But now you have an extra year to figure out what you want to do next. To think about why you've wanted to do this for 10 years, to decide if you could handle to workload, and to evaluate other career paths.

There is nothing wrong with changing your mind about your life direction; live long enough and you'll likely do that a number of times. I'd give myself time to sort through that a bit before starting a self-study program.

Best wishes.

 

[Patient2PA]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! I apologize that my post was a little unclear. I made the decision to take a medical leave, which due to the nature of my program, will 'decelerate' me from class of 2024 into the next cohort, class of 2025. Since the program each year begins in January. 

If I'm being honest, I have always struggled with school, in undergrad I had to go above and beyond with studying, tutoring and extra office hour meetings with professors just to obtain a decent grasp on the material. I was able to compensate for my weak points through those extra resources and help. However, with the pace of PA school I found out quickly that my undergrad approaches to material, and reviewing all the lectures after classes was no longer possible.  I quickly fell behind in the material because I didn't have the time to review the older information that was presented, before learning new information (which of course built on the previously reviewed/presented concepts). I know that I definitely need better approaches to studying. I reached out to my professors, advisor, classmates, and a mentor in the class above me asking for advice and study stragories because I knew I wasn't approaching the material in the best way. My professors just kept telling me to "study the slides, and know what's on them" and my program director actually said that they thought I was using too many resources when studying. Needless to say, I wasn't able to find a study technique that worked, and I ended up failing all 4 exams that I took. At that point I decided that I needed to take a step back and reevaluate my health, as that was very much impacted by my stress level and lack of sleep (due to studying). 

I had conversations with the staff in my program where some mentioned the NP route due to the option of having more flexible programs, like part time, or single module approaches. But I have worked the last 10 years for this goal, where I let nothing deter me from it. Which is why I don't want to give it up, and throw in the towel, since I worked so hard to prove why I wanted to be a PA over MD, NP etc. I know my study techniques and foundational knowledge are lacking, which is why I am hoping to try and bridges those gaps of understanding in the year that I have off. At this point I am looking for any resources (youtube or textbooks/other learning tools/websites) or advice for studying the basic foundational anatomy/physiology so that I can start again next year feeling more prepared to take on the material. 

Edited March 9, 2022 by Patient2PA

[UGoLong]

Thank you for clearing things up. It sounds like your study techniques may need adjusting.

I'm not sure if it's accurate, but I think I can picture your visits with the faculty. Rather than focusing on the material you were to be tested on, instead you kept adding other resources and geometrically increasing the number of factoids you thought you had to learn. If an outside resource actually helps, then by all means use it. If it just forces you to learn a lot other facts that really aren't really helping that much, then it's time to move away from that. 

I usually suggest that students contact the learning center at their schools to find out what study technique(s) work best for you before they start multiplying reference sources. We're all different. When I took pharm, for example, I realized that I needed a visual tool (so I drew drug family trees), and in anatomy I had to run through plastic models over and over for it to stick. In most of the rest of the classes, outlining the slides and adding just enough (like a diagram) from the Internet seemed to work.

How did I find those techniques? Some were my historical go-to approaches, some were suggested by profs or other students, and some you could get from taking a learning style test at the learning center. I also treated tests as chances to see if I was on the right track for the material being covered. After a test is like halftime at a football game; time to see what's been working, what hasn't, and what you want to try next. Life is all about learning and then making adjustments.

So don't give up (unless you really want to), but stop just adding resources and forcing yourself to learn even more stuff using what might not actually be the best approach for your particular learning style. 

I hope this makes sense to you. Best wishes.

Edited March 10, 2022 by UGoLong

[rev ronin]

Late to the party here, but have yourself thoroughly evaluated not just for your learning style, but for learning disabilities.

At this point, your medical condition sounds like a pretext, since you don't mention what it is or what you're doing about it to get you better for next go 'round.  If it's a mental health issue, no big deal, you just gotta go get that solidly solved, or even if you make it through PA school, your first job will crater you. If it's chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, or chronic lyme, you need to figure out what it REALLY is (which may be, but rarely is, exactly what you've been diagnosed with) and get it dealt with appropriately.

For everyone else reading this: DO NOT START PA SCHOOL WITHOUT A FULL TANK OF GOOD HEALTH.  It will cost you that, a lot of sleep, and probably some sanity. PA school is the closest thing I can think of to "mental special forces training." Medical school (but not 3 year medical school, nor medical school plus residency) is EASIER than PA school. PA school is not a shortcut, it is 2/3rds (or more...) of med school crammed into 1/2 the time.
 

Best wishes.

[alexis3]

Hey! I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles and I hope over these months you’ve gained clarity on your decision. I have experienced a similar scenario, specifically with my health as well! And now starting the next semester I have the flu and have been out, as well as many other future summer circumstances playing a factor into my decision. I am considering a leave of absence as well. To take care of myself and come back better. I am wondering how you have felt about your decision and any insight you can help provide me with! Thank you.