caitlinb Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 So I have been accepted to a program that starts in August and am trying to make a list of what to do with the time in between. I plan to spend a lot of time with my family, work work work to try to lessen the loan needs, and study medical terminology for the test we take prior to matriculation. What else would PA students or PAs recommend? Studying anatomy and physiology? Reading books about the physical examination my aunt gave me for light reading? What about applying for scholarships? I know there are a few websites that have some crazy scholarships they will grant based on writing essays or whatnot. Thanks for any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briepm Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Take a pathophys course if you can, that will help you. Other than that, try to spend some time in a medical setting (hopefully that's your job?) and review your anatomy. I asked this question to everyone I could before I started, and almost everyone told me "nothing - just go have fun." That answer was so frustrating for me, but honestly it's pretty accurate. Study that med term, though - our test covered the WHOLE book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjohnson3604 Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Hi, I'm one of those people who always say nothing and to make sure to spend time with family and friends, but I agree with getting some pathophys....like Clinical Pathophysiology Made Ridiculously Simple. Reading during my clinical year and finding that it broke previously vague concepts down for me well. Though I did well in didatic year without having it, the basic understanding is really helpful. Best, and congratulations on your acceptance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivenLearn Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Hello, I too am starting PA school soon. And by soon I mean Jan 2013. I know I only have a couple more months to go and am trying to figure out if I should take a vaca or start reading up on some material before hand. Any recommendations on books/ other reading material? I see that the person above posted " Clinical Pathophysiology Made Ridiculously Simple" as one of them. Thank you :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 - Have fun - Review A&P - Have fun - Relax - Have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balsam88 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I'd say definitely go on vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackjacks Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I wish I had taken time to learn more imaging interpretation. If you can shadow a radiologist or read a book on radiology I'd do that. I am in my first semester and planning to hang out with a radiologist over christmas break because I need to get better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 If you have a spouse/significant other/kids who are of a caliber that you want to be with AFTER graduation...go bond even tighter with them now. The status quo struggles to survive without sigificant adjustment once outside forces are applied. In other words....even if you think everything is rock solid now, you AND them are about to feel a squeeze from school that makes things difficult. Go tend to relationships now, connect deeper because once school begins, the game changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Party......relax.....work if you have to......party......relax......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivenLearn Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Great advice guys! I appreciate you all taking the time in responding. I'll try to go on a mini vaca if I can. Off topic: did your school have a dress code? As in scrubs? casual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinb Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Thanks for all the great advice. It is truly appreciated. I will definitely put the relationships in my life first and focus on some patho, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpSite Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I agree with the "relax" and "have fun" crowd. Seriously. You will be studying almost every moment once you start and it comes at you fast. Spend time with people you love. It might be a while before you have that time again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Drink Drink Review anatomy Drink Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 29, 2012 Administrator Share Posted October 29, 2012 Work your butt off. Don't relax, don't vacation, don't tease your loved ones by giving them a new level of attention that you will have to viciously deny them for two years. Don't relax, because you won't really get a chance to in PA school, EVER. Take a week before orientation, maybe, but no more. Don't tease yourself by giving yourself a level of relaxation that you will have to viciously deny yourself for the next two years. Make hard work and self-denial your new normal, because odds are you've been working that way to get INTO PA school, your PA school will demand it of you as soon as you matriculate, and your first job will not likely give you any let-up either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScienceisAmazin Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Work your butt off. Don't relax, don't vacation, don't tease your loved ones by giving them a new level of attention that you will have to viciously deny them for two years. Don't relax, because you won't really get a chance to in PA school, EVER. Take a week before orientation, maybe, but no more. Don't tease yourself by giving yourself a level of relaxation that you will have to viciously deny yourself for the next two years. I just had an informal Q & A with the faculty and students of a very strong PA program. Their recommendations were to relax and enjoy time with friends and family as much as possible before the program begins. They have so much faith in their program and methods, they feel any prepping beforehand is a waste of time. Interesting contrast here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Work your butt off. Don't relax, don't vacation, don't tease your loved ones by giving them a new level of attention that you will have to viciously deny them for two years. Don't relax, because you won't really get a chance to in PA school, EVER. Take a week before orientation, maybe, but no more. Don't tease yourself by giving yourself a level of relaxation that you will have to viciously deny yourself for the next two years. Make hard work and self-denial your new normal, because odds are you've been working that way to get INTO PA school, your PA school will demand it of you as soon as you matriculate, and your first job will not likely give you any let-up either. Interesting.....increase the suck to prepare for suck. If family prep is one of the reasons, putting them through it longer serves no purpose. If I am accepted this year, I plan to put the books down until I start (I will sneak a little prep time I'm sure). Why in the world would I subject my wife and kids to even more time mentally absent? Most students know that once the program starts, it's game on. Enjoying the calm before the storm is what most programs will tell students to do. I agree. I will see how it works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planteater Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 umm....I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm from rev ronin.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Maybe..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 30, 2012 Administrator Share Posted October 30, 2012 umm....I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm from rev ronin.... Not at all. There are a lot of people here who are into recreation, who spend thousands of dollars on travel or vacations just to escape their lives for a bit. That's backwards. Spend your money and time instead to transform your life into what you want it to become, and if you don't want to work your butt off, DON'T GO INTO MEDICINE. All the "relax" people are making the same argument as "smoke a bazillion cigarettes now, before you start the Chantix" or "Go ahead and put on the 10 lbs. this holiday season and start dieting in January" It sounds stupid when put forth like that, but rather than a straw man, what I'm critiquing is the very idea of relaxing. Sustainable living doesn't depend on periods of absolute bliss, it depends on knowing yourself and how you function under pressure well enough to fine-tune your study and work habits for long-term health. I am the emotional tortoise. I pity the undisciplined hare, because I will always beat him in the long run. If he would stop and listen, I would enlighten the silly rabbit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 30, 2012 Administrator Share Posted October 30, 2012 I just had an informal Q & A with the faculty and students of a very strong PA program. Their recommendations were to relax and enjoy time with friends and family as much as possible before the program begins. They have so much faith in their program and methods, they feel any prepping beforehand is a waste of time. Interesting contrast here. Many programs are wrong about something. I was encouraged to not work during mine. I did, and I am a better clinician for it. I was directly told by a professor that I was not allowed (!) to continue patient care under my EMT license while I was a PA student. I carefully read the student agreement, and finding an utter lack of support for that assertion, ignored it. I was told to take breaks. I earned PALS, NRP, ABLS, and a couple of other certifications during mine. Budget your money. Budget your time. Budget your emotional investment. Budget your effort. Budget everything! Everything in moderation, never pretend there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and you will pass through PA school and into clinical practice with little fanfare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 30, 2012 Administrator Share Posted October 30, 2012 Why in the world would I subject my wife and kids to even more time mentally absent? What do you think happens once you graduate? You study your butt off for PANCE and don't see much of your family. After that? You will be working at your first job for somewhere around as many hours as you were working in your clinical rotations. (assuming that you don't have to spend much/any time working your butt off to FIND an appropriate job, of course) Do you think new PAs magically get 40-hour-a-week jobs with spiffily large salaries handed out to them like candy? It's work, and yes, your family may see you more than school... but they may not. I never made promises to them I could not keep, and that is more important to me. And on that note, after spending a couple of hours of time with my family including helping my eldest son with his math homework, I have five charts to finish before I have to be up again in a wee bit more than 8 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Gee, thanks for the life advice, but I'll pass; been doing this life thing for 40 years now. I am absolutely no stranger to working hard, so trying shock me with "you'll be working over 40 hours a week" isn't going to cut it. I work 10-11 hours everday as it is now and I won't even get into the amount of hours I work when I am away from home. Let me worry about my family, just like I will let the other adults on this forum worry about theirs. Try to remember that not every pre-PA is a 22 year old who is fresh out of undergrad, yet even for them, I say take a break. This is based off of my experiences with enduring long periods of suck...I have many of them; they just aren't PA school. You became a PA...good for you....really. Just remember, that although that is a great accomplishment, it doesn't make you the defacto expert on all things PA. What worked for you, may not work for others. Burn-out is a very real thing, and it isn't a condition only for the unmotivated. This I have seen in many avenues of life, to include healthcare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OpSite Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Gee, thanks for the life advice, but I'll pass; been doing this life thing for 40 years now. I am absolutely no stranger to working hard, so trying shock me with "you'll be working over 40 hours a week" isn't going to cut it. I work 10-11 hours everday as it is now and I won't even get into the amount of hours I work when I am away from home. Let me worry about my family, just like I will let the other adults on this forum worry about theirs. Try to remember that not every pre-PA is a 22 year old who is fresh out of undergrad, yet even for them, I say take a break. This is based off of my experiences with enduring long periods of suck...I have many of them; they just aren't PA school. You became a PA...good for you....really. Just remember, that although that is a great accomplishment, it doesn't make you the defacto expert on all things PA. What worked for you, may not work for others. Burn-out is a very real thing, and it isn't a condition only for the unmotivated. This I have seen in many avenues of life, to include healthcare. Amen! From one over 40 to another, life is too short not to have some fun ;-). And having fun does not equate to being lazy or unproductive. It keeps one sane and healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Take a break and do something you enjoy before PA school and do some things you enjoy during PA school. School is definitely hectic and requires a lot of effort but this idea that you should give up all fun and your life is over for the next couple of years is silly. Relax. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planteater Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 guess I misread that one....I'm in the mid-30's crowd and am no stranger to hard work and hard circumstances. I've learned that time with those you love is THE most important thing in this life, so I take that opportunity as often as I can while still taking my responsibilities seriously. I am thoroughly enjoying all the time with my kids that I can find until I start my program in January. They will adapt (as we all do) to the changed circumstances when they come. I do wish I could relax for the next 2 months, but we are selling our house and moving closer to my program (and my husband's work) in 4 weeks, so relaxation time might be kind of hard to come by from here on out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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