PA Student Advice

[Jesquinance]

Hey All,

 

I will be starting PA school in May and was wondering if any current or previous PA Students have ANY advice?? What is your normal day like?? Like hours and your daily routine? How do you fit time into work out and personal time with studying?? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently in the beginnig? Did you make charts or flash cards during preclinical phase to help study for the PANCE??

 

Thank you so much in advance!!

[UGoLong]

Programs may vary, but I found that it was possible to get some exercise and keep up with my family. A detailed discussion of what days were like at difference phases of my training and study techniques I used or saw others use are described in:

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479372099/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

[Corpsman2PA]

Hey All,

 

I will be starting PA school in May and was wondering if any current or previous PA Students have ANY advice?? What is your normal day like?? Like hours and your daily routine? How do you fit time into work out and personal time with studying?? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently in the beginnig? Did you make charts or flash cards during preclinical phase to help study for the PANCE??

 

Thank you so much in advance!!

 

Wake up, eat breakfast and at class by 830-900.

Out of class by 4 (give or take).

Study, eat, do objectives, assignments, etc.

730-8pm hit gym for an hour.

Shower, sleep, repeat.

Living away from family right now, so other student experieces will differ, as they juggle the family time as well.

 

You HAVE to take time out for yourself or you'll go crazy.

[cinntsp]

It will all really depend on your family situation, study habits, time management, etc. Make sure you take time every week to have some fun. Go to the movies, bowling, or whatever else. Also, go to the gym a few times per week and get a decent amount of sleep.

[Just Steve]

Re-enforce letting your family and friends know that this is a long arduous road and that you will really appreciate nothing but support from them. Dropping negative energy bombs is actually pretty mean when you are already stressed with school. Once you are on this ride the next stop is the end. Minimize your chances of being derailed

[JustPassing]

I had to move away for school, great for focus but suck being away from family/friends. First two weeks is the worse, than gets better quickly.

 

Class 10-3 most days, some days 8-3, and some 10-6.

I am most efficient in the mornings, so depending on work load for the week, I wake up and study between 4-5 a.m., go to class and work out immediately after I get home. I might do a few things here in there school work wise, but nothing more than 45-60 minutes in the afternoon. I usually try to relax and be in bed by 9.

 

My room mates tend to stay up late and will therefor start their school work around 6 or 7 and stay up til midnightish.

 

Like I said, depends heavily on work load. If it is one of those weeks where we have 5 test, usually do not work out and try my best to get >6 hrs a sleep a night. Usually towards the end of those "hell weeks" it is more like 3-4.

 

I make sure to schedule workouts and fun/relax time around my schedule because I feel it is important for sanity reasons. I aim to workout atleast 4 times a week, 5 if it is a light test week. I have been pretty successful thus far.

[hitzgrl123]

I'm in class from 8-4:30 Mon, Wed, Thurs and 8-8 on Tuesdays. We have no classes generally on Fridays. Although I don't really work out (I didn't before school started either), several if us walk during breaks and at lunch, and I try to go on at least one hiking excursion every weekend. I get most of my school work done on weekends and don't generally study for more than 1-2 hrs/night during the week unless I have an exam.

 

To get into PA school, I spent 2 years taking pre-reqs, working at my full time "real" job and also working per diem as a CNA to get HCE. I personally find PA school to be much easier than balancing 2 jobs with school was. I get way more sleep now than I did back then!

[Guest]

Class Monday- Friday until 12 pm, seminars 3 days a week until 3 or 4 pm.

After coming home study the day's material, prepare for next day's material. Go to bed.

Weekends: study 9am - 1 am

 

Repeat.

 

Maybe go out Fridays after difficult exams if there is no another difficult exam the following week (happens ~ once per semester)

 

In the beginning I wish I used by proven study methods that always worked for me. Being 2 years out of school I "forgot" how to study effectively, so it took me about 6 months. I am still here though!

 

Whether you have social life or not depends on your learning speed and memory. I can't allow myself to go out at all but that is because I am too freaked out about failing (just had a nightmare about that today!). A lot of people do go out though. Just depends on your strengths and weaknesses.

 

Don't worry about passing the PANCE in your didactic year. You will not have time for this. The only thing you can do is prepare for your SCHOOL exams. The only reason I own ONE PANCE book is because my school pretty much wrote it and therefore matches notes in class; also I like to look things up in it quickly whenever I don't want to sort through paragraphs of guidelines for treatments, etc. I don't look at it that much. Focus on PANCE during clinical year.