Video Interview #3 TAPA Fall 2013 Conference

Here's an interview with the Student Director from UTHSC San Antonio.

TAPA Fall 2013 Conference Interview 2

Here's an interview with the student director Brook from the Texas Tech program.

TAPA Fall Conference 2013 Video Interview #1

Here is the first video interview from the conference. John and Alesha are UNTHSC alumni speaking about their experience.

Update

Hello Everyone!

I am starting to recover after completing my first semester of PA school. It was an incredible semester, and I can see why so many student blogs drop off after a few weeks.

I'll have some new interviews (including long overdue videos from the TAPA Fall Conference) posted soon, as well as some articles I've written elsewhere.

Is there a subject I need to cover? Do you have a question about PA school or the PA profession in general? Let me know - I'd love to hear from you!

Happy PA Week!

It's Physician Assistant Week! National PA Week is held October 6-12th of every year in order to celebrate and increase awareness of the PA profession. National PA Week also serves as an opportunity for PAs to reach out to the community about health and preventative care.

Interview with an Othropedic surgery PA

Here's an interview with a PA-C who happened to be married to one of my classmates. 

1)  Why did you choose to be a PA? 

I chose to become a PA based on the lifestyle. I wanted to practice medicine and becoming a PA provided me that option without going through medical school. I was constantly searching for a field in medicine that would fulfill my career aspirations and never felt right about other fields. Once I found out about PA, I never looked back. 

2) How did you pick UTMB? What was your interview process like? 

I chose UTMB based on the academics and the student run clinic. There is a clinic in Galveston where care is provided to the underserved community. The patients there are so appreciative of the care that they otherwise, would not have received. The pass rates are outstanding. My class had a 100% first time pass rate on the PANCE. I did get into 2 other programs, which were good as well, but I felt that UTMB was the best fit for me. 

3) What was your biggest surprise once you started working as a PA-C? 

What has surprised me is how much I still have to learn. I have been at my position for 5 months now, and I still see something new frequently. PA school is good at providing a background for primary care, but going into a sub-specialty requires its own education. There is so much information in medicine, that it is hard to know it all. 

4) What area of practice are you in now? What does a week look like for you? 

I work in orthopedic surgery with a foot and ankle surgeon. I split my time between the clinic, OR, and the hospital making rounds on patients. Every week is different so it is hard to even come out with a typical schedule. I would say that I work around 50 hours per week with call once during the work week and every couple of months for weekend call. 

5) What is it like with your husband in PA school now? Do you give him study tips? 

I love that he is in PA school now to be honest. We are able to spend more time together now than we did while he was working full time and going to school part time. I actually let him do his own thing during school. I have tried giving him study tips, but we study so differently that what worked for me does not work for him. 

6) Any advice for aspiring PAs? 

My advice for aspiring PAs is to shadow a PA. This is when I truly decided that becoming a PA was what I wanted to do with my life. Then I would focus on getting some sort of hands on experience. I didn't have that much hands on experience and I wish I had. Get involved in your community and organizations in school. Once you do get into PA school, take a break and relax. You will never have time like that again! I definitely miss my days of just being lazy around the house, so when I get those days, I cherish them. Last piece of advice is to have fun!

First weeks of school

Here's some thoughts about the first weeks of school from some of my classmates:

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

A) I had many friends and even a few new PA-Cs tell me that I should relax and just enjoy my time away from books. I took this advice but a month into ‘relaxing’ I felt that I hadn’t been keeping my mind focused. So, a few weeks before school began I checked out lumosity and used those ‘brain games’ to keep my mind sharp.

B) As far as actual "prep", I had to go back to school after being out of school since '04. I had to resign from my job as a pharmaceutical sales professional, sell my house, and move my family from Houston to the DFW area. Other than that, I mentally prepared myself that I don't know everything and this is all a new experience so stay loose and roll with it.

C) Most of my preparation was through my scribing at an ER in College Station. However, I really did anything I could to improve my application, such as shadowing in surgeries and doctor's offices, I did some research in undergrad with a professor, and some volunteering.

D) I volunteered in the hospital, shadowed PAs, and worked as a traveling health technician for an employee wellness company. I had a year between attending PA school and the end of pre-PA classes, so I definitely took a lot of time for myself. I think it's important to enjoy yourself before PA school becomes your life. 


2) What has been the most interesting thing you have learned so far? What has been the hardest?
A) Thus far, I have had the easiest time identifying structures with our cadavers, so lab is fun and pretty easy for me. The hardest thing to learn so far has been arteries, nerves and innervations of the antebrachial region.

B) The most interesting thing I've learned so far is not necessarily anything to do with info covered in lecture, but more just getting to know my class and their individual backgrounds. So far, I don't feel like anything has been "hard", rather it's just another challenging task in front of me. I'm sure it will get more challenging as the program gets into full swing.

C) The most interesting thing for me, which is a little cheesy, but how incredible the human body is. I love learning information that I will use on a daily basis, rather than pointless information that I will forget later in life (see calculus). The hardest has been finding the best method for studying and keeping everything organized. It's  a ton of information at once, so keeping it straight can be quite difficult.

D) I think everything I've learned has been really interesting. It's only been three weeks since the start of the semester, so I can't comment on what has been the hardest. However, I'm just in sheer amazement of how complicated our bodies really are.


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

A) A good study habit I’ve started is to study by myself during the weekdays for about two to three hours. I try to set goals to have certain points down before concluding my study time. At the end of the week I try to group study and listen to how others approach topics and if I missed anything. I have found that studying alone sometimes causes me to ignore some things that shouldn’t be ignored.

B) I find the best study method for me is to teach. If I can understand the principle and then turn and teach it to someone else, then I have it nailed down. I didn't like studying on the 4th floor (silent floor)... way too much stress and quite for me.

C) I enjoy studying alone at first, then meeting with classmates to hash out everything and bounce ideas off each other. Talking out loud to myself and utilizing the cadaver lab and models is what seems to help me understand/remember the most.

D) You can't study the night before an exam. You just can't. When you're going through 3 weeks of undergraduate material in a day in PA school, you really have to be diligent about keeping up with the material. This is your life for the next 2-3 years, so you have to just suck it up. The best study strategy is repetition and asking questions when you have your classmates or professors available to you. Don't be afraid to look stupid. 


4) What do you like about PA school vs. undergrad studies?
A) Strangely, I love that it is fast paced. It forces students to stay on top of their studies. I’ve always loved summer classes that resulted in tests each week, so PA school’s schedule feels more natural for me, versus learning a topic one week and waiting almost a month to test over it.

B) I LOVE how here, the goal is for you to succeed, NOT to weed you out. I especially love the PA program in that we are not in direct competition with each of your classmates. Rather, we are all in this to succeed and the things and skills we are learning now will be put into real practice.

C) I love that I'm not wasting my time. The faculty are preparing me for the real world, and my classmates are helping me learn and gain experience in interprofessional relationships. I also like that everyone wants others to succeed. We are all part of a team, which can be different than cutthroat settings of undergrad.

D) Everything you learn is relevant for your future career. There were times in undergrad where I was bored to tears and I was wondering why in  the world I needed to know something. Nothing in PA school is extraneous information. It's also great that everyone is experiencing the same things you're experiencing. Same classes, same stressors. It's a great bonding experience.