What i did when i was accepted

knifetk4love · April 16, 2013

He fellow PA's and PA and Prospective PA student, I will like to begin this thread by been thankful that I'm accepted into a PA program. But, ever since I got my letter I have been in an euohoric state of mind, likewise scared like going to hell. I have a month and half free before my program start, and I need you people to help me by sharing your experience when you got accepted and how you planned (what you did before resumption) for the didatic phase. every thread labelled he didatic phase a monster. Please share how you made it and your study habit. Appreciate!

**EMEDPA** · April 16, 2013

I kept going to work as a paramedic and did no special preparation for PA school other than packing and driving across country.

Simplify · April 16, 2013

I recommend a swimsuit and a ticket to somewhere tropical. Seriously. There is very little prep you can do beforehand that will really make much of a difference. Didactic year is hard, no getting around it. Take the time now to relax and get in the right state of mind, you aren't going to get another chance for awhile.

cinntsp · April 16, 2013

Go on vacation. Catch up on books you've been meaning to read. Hang out with friends/family.

UGoLong · April 16, 2013

I retired, took my wife to Ireland, came home and did lots of home improvement stuff that had been on the back burner for years. Then I assembled a pile of stuff to take to school and moved. Don't kill yourself preparing by studying. The time for that will come soon enough.

**rev ronin** · April 17, 2013

I kept going to work as a paramedic and did no special preparation for PA school other than packing and driving across country.

This. Note that the ones suggesting slacking off are still students.

I've said this before, but a vacation, or spending extra time/attention with loved ones is a deceitful way to raise expectations--you won't have that time with them again, not until you're well into your first job and have earned some vacation time. It's also stupid financially--run the amortization tables and see how much extra a few thousand dollars borrowed will cost over the life of the student loan. If your relationship can't stand the stress of PA school--and many/most cannot--then a week or a month of vacation ahead of time won't help any.

UGoLong · April 17, 2013

Rev,

I for one am not a student. And my pre-PA school vacation wasn't about deceitfully raising expections. It was about my wife and I living our lives. I am happy to report that my 36 year old marriage then is now almost to the 45 year point. And all of my classmates who were married at the start of school still are.

I chose my way and was merely answering the OP's question. You chose to run the amortization tables: fine. I'm not calling you stupid for your choice.

Life can be hard and it doesn't last forever. Resting on your oars once in a while is OK.

cinntsp · April 17, 2013

This. Note that the ones suggesting slacking off are still students.

I've said this before, but a vacation, or spending extra time/attention with loved ones is a deceitful way to raise expectations--you won't have that time with them again, not until you're well into your first job and have earned some vacation time. It's also stupid financially--run the amortization tables and see how much extra a few thousand dollars borrowed will cost over the life of the student loan. If your relationship can't stand the stress of PA school--and many/most cannot--then a week or a month of vacation ahead of time won't help any.

This is totally ridiculous. Avoiding spending time with those you care about because of some illusion of deceit...lol. To any soon-to-be students, enjoy yourself for those last couple of months before you have to buckle down. You'd waste your young adulthood if rev had his way. Don't forget to enjoy yourself while you're actually in school as well.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Simplify · April 17, 2013

This. Note that the ones suggesting slacking off are still students.

I've said this before, but a vacation, or spending extra time/attention with loved ones is a deceitful way to raise expectations--you won't have that time with them again, not until you're well into your first job and have earned some vacation time. It's also stupid financially--run the amortization tables and see how much extra a few thousand dollars borrowed will cost over the life of the student loan. If your relationship can't stand the stress of PA school--and many/most cannot--then a week or a month of vacation ahead of time won't help any.[/quote

This is a totally ridiculous outlook. You aren't going to war or jail, you have been selected into a very competitive program and a wonderful profession- celebrate and enjoy the moment. Be conscious of student loans and your financial obligations, but don't let it dictate your life. While you are busy running amortization tables people are going to PA school AND enjoying life right outside your window.

Hemegroup · April 17, 2013

You might brush up on your physiology .... other than that, read every book by Sherwin B. Nuland you can find at your local library ... and have them order the rest and then read those as well ... start with 'The Mysteries Within' ...

PM2016 · April 17, 2013

I plan on quitting my job as a pct in a hospital, getting a plastic surgery procedure I've been wanting for a year(dont ask what), and having the time of my life before classes start. :D might as well live a little before my social life ends right?!

**rev ronin** · April 17, 2013

Slackers gotta slack, haters gotta hate... And so it goes.

For what it's worth, UGoLong, I was responding to the two posts above yours, not your post--if you've earned a retirement, then you're really in a different boat than the majority of today's students. And yes, my family and I went out to dinner the night I found out I got accepted... And then I went back to work the next day. We arranged our move, rented out our house, rented a house for school, and all the other things that had to be done while continuing on with all our other obligations. I was on terminal leave for the first two weeks of PA school, which was another $5k NOT in debt. I was still working with one volunteer fire department or another for about 80% of PA school. To come up to speed and go from whatever-you-were-before to a practicing clinician, you need the speed of the hare and the persistence of the tortoise--or, in other words, to work smart and work hard.

**rev ronin** · April 17, 2013

Slackers gotta slack, haters gotta hate... And so it goes.

For what it's worth, UGoLong, I was responding to the two posts above yours, not your post--if you've earned a retirement, then you're really in a different boat than the majority of today's students. And yes, my family and I went out to dinner the night I found out I got accepted... And then I went back to work the next day. We arranged our move, rented out our house, rented a house for school, and all the other things that had to be done while continuing on with all our other obligations. I was on terminal leave for the first two weeks of PA school, which was another $5k NOT in debt. I was still working with one volunteer fire department or another for about 80% of PA school. To come up to speed and go from whatever-you-were-before to a practicing clinician, you need the speed of the hare and the persistence of the tortoise--or, in other words, to work smart and work hard.

Just Steve · April 18, 2013

Do not judge, I am going to make public something very personal and painful. I share this because not enough people talk of the negative things in life and that prevents open, frank, honest, educational discussions about them. If people start making assumptions I can assure you, you have no idea of the layers of complexity involved.

I kept working full time and going to school full time, just as I had for the year+ before I got accepted. Kept that pace until PA school started, then quit work.

In the few years previous I worked 12 hour night shifts, commuting 600 miles a week.

Just before final exams of my didactic year, my wife of 12 years, best friend and soul mate for fourteen years, mother of our three young children, shared with me that she had grown tired of me not being emotionally available and has fallen in love with another. I was oblivious to the stress she was feeling and she was not forthcoming, opting instead to hold her tongue rather than tax me with extra stress...until she couldn't keep it secret any longer.

Now, after almost a year of trying in a variety of ways to find a way to salvage our relationship, we are separated. I poured my heart and soul into working so very hard to find a way to a better life for our family, I failed to be part of my family.

Needless to say, I am a horrible trainwreck of emotions, stress, sadness, anger, frustration, and lack the ability to focus on my studies.

So my advice to folks who ask this question....follow your heart. If you love the pursuit of this profession, dig into it. You will never know all you need to. If you want time with your family and friends, take it. Money means more to some than others. They make more every day and a couple of locum jobs once you get certified will more than pay off a couple of weekend trips that you take now. I would gladly be a pauper if I knew I could my family back.

If I knew this was going to happen I would have never applied. Now, it is my ticket to starting over...provided I can pull my act together and focus on my studies. No stress at all... :-/ Don't let this happen to you.

Just Steve · April 18, 2013