1st Semester of PA School
Before the 1st semester of PA School, this was the most awakening moment in my life because we were taking classes to acclimate ourselves to what lay ahead. We didn’t understand it initially, but hindsight 22 makes me appreciate that time.
Dr. Hassan (may he rest in peace🙏🏾) gave us our first lesson in understanding the amount of work, time management, and effort PA School would require.
Mind you, I was 26 at the time, and I thought I had mastered my study habits at this point in my life. Well, our first assignment as a class was dissecting 8-10 chapters within a couple of days, and everyone would need to have read all chapters. We all looked at each other like 👀👀 WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT?
He broke up into groups, and each group had to figure out the best way to dissect the chapters. The result was each group had a chapter, and we broke down the chapter into sections. Then each person had to be responsible for summarizing that section.
What lesson did I learn?
- I must be good at dissecting a lot of information.
- I must be able to recognize the most critical information.
- I must write notes in a simplified way.
- I need to use outside resources to understand concepts.
- We will need to work in a team.
- I will rely on others more than I know.
This was only one class…LORDT DIS A LOT!
Once the semester started, we had the following courses:
- Anatomy I
- Physiology I
- Physical Diagnosis I
- Pharmacology
Let me tell you something about me I thought I had it all figured out, but BABY let me tell you I didn’t. I studied like I usually do, reviewing, reading, and taking notes. I realized I didn’t have time to take notes on everything and read everything because time was not on my side.
When I took my first exam, I was like, DUH FUK! I didn’t fail, but boy, was I at the cusp; that was the awakening of my life. I cried when I got home! I cried to my mama (love 🥰the mama)! Trust me, this was not the last time I cried, either.
Come to find out, many of us were in the same boat, and I had to change my study technique, and studying alone was not the key. Evidently, I didn’t remember that pivotal AAHHHAA🤔 moment was a few weeks ago. In addition, I needed adjunct books to help make the concepts more simplified, so I could understand the significant concepts!
Thank GOD for my PA School friends who had all the books electronically free on a flash drive that I could use. Thank you to the PRIOR PA Cohort that had notes they took on topics in class or from topics they read in a book.
Things you need to know about each course:
Anatomy
- ALL MEMORIZATION
- You must constantly review
-
Adjunct Materials:
- Netters Anatomy Flash Cards
- Netters Anatomy Coloring Book
Physiology I
- The book used was Guyton – HOLY GRAIL
- A lot of materials and concepts to know (Especially Metabolic Acidosis/Alkalosis)
- Know Diagrams and Do Questions Questions
-
Adjunct Materials:
- BRS Review Physiology
- YouTube – MedCram, RegisteredNurseRN
Pharmacology
- Memorization and Questions Questions
- Know Drug-Drug Interactions (DDIs)
- Adverse Effects/Side Effects
- BlackBox Warnings
- Contraindications
-
Adjunct Materials:
- Pharmacology Made Simple
Physical Diagnosis
- You must practice daily on how to complete a physical exam
- You should have a partner to practice with
- Must time yourself practicing
- Say out loud what you’re looking for on the exam
- Click Here to get a list of Medical Equipment you will need
-
Adjunct Materials:
- Clinical OSCE
- DeGowins Examination
- YouTube – Geeky Medics, Full Exam in 20 minutes
This semester is the reality check! You will either make it or not. You will cry, wonder why you even decided to go to PA School, or want to give up. Guess what? You are not alone! Everyone has felt the same way, and people in your class currently feel the same.
You must push through…you wanted this, so go get it! It would be best if you changed either the way your studying and whom you’re studying with or managed your time better (Check out my post on time management).
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! You can be friends with people and not be able to study with them, and it’s ok.
Contact Me. I’m here if you need me!
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DIDACTIC YEAR…HERE WE GO!!!
