Timeline from acceptance to matriculation? What do I do now?

[tttozzz426]

Hi! I was accepted into my top choice a couple days ago and am over the moon right now. I got my acceptance pretty late in the cycle so I had planned to already reapply next year. Now that I'm in though my plans are all shifting. I am a little uncertain of how to plan for the next year before starting to prevent burn out but also make sure I stay on top of my study habits. I have always been a person were if I take a super long break from school, it is very hard for me to jump right back in.

A little about me, I currently am still finishing my undergrad and graduate in two weeks. I still have to take one last prereq, medical terminology, in the Spring Semester which I am taking at a local community college. I am Vice President of a pretty prominent organization on campus and work three days a week.

I would like to TA for my anatomy class because I think it would be a great way to really make sure I've got my anatomy down before I go to PA school and it wouldn't be in such a stressful environment with tests, rather I would be learning through teaching. I had a great experience in my anatomy class with my professor so its not something I see being stressful. It's one, three hour lab and a one, one hour prep session a week.

I also have been speaking with my PA mentor and past PA students who attended the school I will be going to. They said pharmacology is always a pretty hard hit there. I am slightly worried because my PCE was done with autistic adults and the medication I administrated was already pre-packaged and dosed so I have no background in medication or pharmacology at all. The class is offered through the same community college I will already be enrolled in for Spring Semester. The rate my professor and reviews are very high for the class as it is just straight memorization so I don't see it being a difficult class for me.

My issue is that everything together seems like too much. Everyone has told me to take it easy but also someone told me, "You wouldn't just sleep before your marathon, you would still go for a warm up jog." I know I am a person where if I do absolutely nothing for the next 8 months, its going to be very hard for me to adjust to PA school but also I burnt out around Sophomore year and it took me so long to recover from it and it is something I very much want to prevent.

In all my Spring Semester would be 3 unit Medical Terminology, 3 unity Pharmacology, 2 unit TA for anatomy, Work 3 days a week (which I honestly would like to up to 5 for saving money purpose) and VP of my organization. That seems like too much when I write it all out but what do I cut out? It all seems important?

[UGoLong]

You didn't say when your program starts but, if it were me and I had your interests, I'd do the anatomy TA bit. Pharmacology will make a ton more sense after physiology and pathophysiology rather than taking it now.

If you've never had undergrad pathophysiology -- and have the time -- that might be a good course to add as it is probably closest to your upcoming PA school experience.

But enjoy your life too! It will all work out in the end.

[tttozzz426]

My program starts in August, so I have about 8 months until the start. I have taken physiology already, but nothing like pathophysio.

[UGoLong]

5 hours ago, tttozzz426 said:

My program starts in August, so I have about 8 months until the start. I have taken physiology already, but nothing like pathophysio.

You might want to consider it then, even in community college, especially if you did reasonably well in phys.

[ohiovolffemtp]

Microbiology would be a good course to take as well.

[SedRate]

Take as much time off as you can. Nothing is truly really going to prepare you for the inundation of information, lack of sleep, stress, and limited time off before getting a job and having limited time off then too. So enjoy a break; you've earned it. Go somewhere you've always wanted to go. (And just spend the money. You won't feel like you have any later either ) Sleep in. Immerse yourself in a hobby outside of medicine and healthcare. Start an exercise program and stick with it. Learn how to meal prep healthy options. Make some friends and hang out with them. Etc. 

I do think doing something scholastic will keep your brain in shape. Medical terminology would be helpful but your program may already have that (mine did) so check if they do. The anatomy TA would also be good. 

Congrats and good luck.

[rev ronin]

Take no time off whatsoever. This debate should be a FAQ, and this is the contrary advice to the above opinion

PA school is a firehose. The most important part of surviving PA school is effectively absorbing a ton of information (30+ hours of lecture per week) essentially all at once, and doing it consistently for a whole year or so. If you're not good at that, take the time between now and matriculation to get good at it. Pathophys and anatomy are good foundational classes, but the subject matter is not as important as building the study habits.

It's also very important not to whiplash loved ones; they need to start getting used to you being less accessible now. You don't want to make a school-or-relationship decision in the middle of PA school, and yet that happened to a number of my classmates. If the relationship isn't going to last because your romantic partner can't hack you not dropping everything for an impulsive date because your study goals aren't done, you are better off knowing that now.