First Week of PA School UNTHSC

Here's a Q&A with a few students from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth about their first week of school.

1) How did you prepare for the start of PA school?

Student A: To tell you all the truth, I knew I was not going to have much free time after school started, so I did not do any studying. I guess you can say I prepared by catching up with my family and friends, so that it will be more out of my system when school started. UNTHSC does offer optional pre-matriculation classes the week before orientation (which is a week before classes start) that teaches anatomy to give students a head start. The students who took the classes found them to be helpful and information overload just like everyday of PA school!


Student B: I had a year off between when I graduated from undergrad and started PA school, so I took a few elective classes to keep me in the routine of school and studying. However, the month and a half to two months I had off before PA school started, I took that time to spend time with my friends and family as much as I could. I knew once school started, I would be missing that free time

Student C: My work experience was one of the greatest assets to prepare for the start of your school. I worked as a medical scribing in neurology clinic, and got hands on experience on vacation communication, basic medical knowledge, and helpful refresher on pharmacology and anatomy and physiology. During the leisure time, I also made sure that I was polishing my medical terminology. I had to settle the habit of eating breakfast.

Student D: With the help of talking to a few PA students, I came prepared with the mindset that PA school will be a fast-paced and difficult journey. You honestly don’t understand how busy it is until you’re in it. You just have to be prepared that you have to be focused the ENTIRE day. Make sure you bring your entire life with you the whole day and that you’re awake during class from 8-4pm. If that means drink up 2 cups of coffee (I drink 1 cup but I advise no more than 2), then do it! After that, it’s important to review (well, at least try the best you can) what you have learned earlier that day once you get home. Right before you sleep, make sure you’re prepared the next day (since every day/week is different for us)! I find that keeping up with life (such as cooking/cleaning/laundry/driving/grocery shopping) can take a lot of time out of studying time. I would suggest planning a week’s worth of lunch & dinner so you don’t waste your time cooking every night and definitely suggest planning errands weekly to be time-efficient!
Since weekdays are super intense and hectic with classes during the day and material reviewing at night, make sure to take a day off on the weekend just to do what you like to do non-school related, such as hanging out with family/significant others, exploring the city, cooking, fishing…etc. I assure you - You won’t regret the time off just to de-stress and doing the things you prioritized over school. If everything you do is just school, school, school, then you will get tired out fast. Older students advised us to think of 3 things you would want to do besides school and have a proper balance between those 3 things with school!


Student E: Coming into PA school, I knew the work would be very challenging, demanding, and intense. I can sense myself being overwhelmed with information and knowledge. However, in order to prepare for this upcoming challenge, I constantly remind myself to stay mentally strong, motivated, and focused. I feel that is the only way to survive the vast amount of information that I will have to learn and master in the next 34 months.



2) What has been the most interesting thing you have learned so far? What has been the hardest?

Student A: The most interesting thing I have learned has been how knowledgeable and dedicated everyone in my class is. My classmates come from all different backgrounds and have had numerous health care work experience. I have learned that every person has something to teach everyone else. It is all about team work!
The hardest thing for me has been adjusting to the rigorous schedule. We have 8 am classes that last until 4 pm most days. Sometimes we get out at 2 or 3 pm on Fridays. After class, we come home, eat, shower and study until bedtime. After exams we don't do much for the next few days :). It easy to fall behind if you do not keep up with the class material. I wouldn't say it isn't too hard (so far). The toughest part is the amount of material we learn each day. It seems like we cover half a semester's worth of material in a week! UTD offers an excellent science program, so much of the material I am learning now is just review from undergrad.


Student B: The most interesting thing that I have learned so far is how to take vital signs and do a integument exam in our Physical Exam Skills class. I am really excited about that class and learning how to actually perform a physical exam on a patient. The hardest has been managing the amount of material that comes at you at once and making sure you are staying ahead of the material that you need to study.


Student C: Most interesting thing I have learned so far is how everything I learned so far since middle school or high school and throughout my undergraduate school makes a full circle and has prepared me to take on this meticulous program. The hardest thing I have learned so far would be neuroanatomy.


Student D: We have this class called Medical Interviewing and so far I have learned a great deal about how we should conduct our interviews with patients. What kind of mindset we should have while listening and observing patients and what we can assess from how patients explain their complaints and medical histories. That class is very interesting in the fact that I could never guessed how useful each class would be and now I can see the importance of taking this course.
The hardest class would be Clinical Anatomy for me because it has been two years since I have taken Anatomy & Physiology. I don’t remember the terms for any anatomical structures and it takes some time for me to get familiar what each structure is. I’m a big picture person so I need to understand what they do instead of just memorizing what they are, so have a good idea what kind of learner you are. In addition, it is very important to know the structures from the cadavers so it’s another thing to take time to visit lab after school hours to correctly identify the structures on real human bodies. Make sure you find your weakness from your first exam in every class and see how you can improve on studying!


Student E: The most interesting I have learned so far is learning how to apply the knowledge of anatomy and physiology to clinical situations that I will likely be exposed to as a PA. The hardest thing is so far about PA school is keeping up with the materials and information that just never seem to end.



3) What study strategy has worked? What hasn't?

Student A: The second and third year PA students say that study groups will help a lot in PA school even if it was not your style in undergrad. I do feel like that is partially true because everyone has something different to add to the discussion. However, we have only had two exams and I mostly studied on my own the same way I did in undergrad. I did work in groups during anatomy lab with the cadavers and that was a very big help!
A strategy that hasn't worked for me is going into the cadaver lab or study session unprepared. It is a lot more productive to look over the material before attending, so that you know what everyone is talking about and can contribute to the group.



Student B: So far, what has helped the most is reading the material before you go over it in class, taking good notes in class, and then go over the material again after class. Looking over the material before class has helped me so much. For me, I am a visual learner. So I can't just read the material over and over again and hope it sticks. I have to draw it out in my own way and make my own outlines of the material. Also, YouTube has a video for just about any concept you will go over in class. So that is also very helpful!


Student C: Memorizing doesn't work when you are in PA school. You have to make a habit of learning in a way that we can relate to clinically. Group study helps with physiology. I'm sticking to daily routine and sustainable study habit is the way to go.


Student D: Studying right after a whole day of school DOES NOT work. I used to take naps all the time but I figured studying right after school would be the way to be “most productive.” I was trying to make use of the time outside of school and sleep time for studying but after a week of it, I didn’t get much out of time spent on “studying” and I was tired all the time. Make sure you take breaks so you are refreshed in between studying. If you need to take a nap, then definitely do so! Just don't take a long nap but sleep reinforced your memory retention. Also, I used to study by myself a lot during college, but I heard group studying helps so I started doing that first week of school. Make sure you self-study some materials first and also make a study group with various classmates to figure out who are you best studying with. It’s useful when you study with classmates so you could see in what areas you can help one another to understand the materials.


Student E: In undergraduate, I used to be able to get away with studying a day or two before an exam. However in PA school, I have constantly reviewed the materials after class which has helped me tremendously in retaining the information. This has allowed me to keep up with my other courses and avoid constantly struggling to keep up.

4) What do you like about PA school vs. undergrad studies?

Student A: I like how everyone in PA school genuinely wants to be here. Everyone works hard, pays attention in class, and is eager to learn. From what the second and third year students tell us, the class average for most exams are high B's and sometimes even A's. :)


Student B: In PA school, you really learn how to take what you learn in class and apply it in a clinical way. It is so much more than memorization. You have to start thinking in a clinical way, which was a big change for me from undergrad. However, the material is all information that will help you in your career as a PA. That makes it much more enjoyable and easier to understand.


Student C: The difference I see in PA school versus undergraduate studies is how I see equally motivated colleagues around me and how we are working hard for the "golden egg". I definitely enjoyed not taking Chemistry, Spanish, Physics classes but all the subjects are pertinent to the goal we are pursuing.


Student D: 1. Helpfulness. Everyone wants to help one another. It’s no longer a competition. Make sure there’s a Dropbox account so everyone can share useful documents. It has been working out amazing for our class!
2. Direct focus of the curriculum. No extra work – even if there are random quizzes or papers to do, everything is going to be useful towards your career and for patient care. They make you busy for a reason. School will be hard but it’s definitely do-able; It is hard and busy so you are used to the busy schedule in the real world


Student E: I love the amount of depth and details we are exposed to in our courses. I constantly find myself learning more things on my own in PA school which I believe will help me prepare for exams.