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I just finished day one of Physician Assistant (PA) school, and had a day of orientation yesterday. And I love it!

Sure it's a ton of work, I'll be studying for several more hours tonight and we've only just begun, but it'll be well worth it.
Definitely no car time left in the day!

They really make you hit the ground running. I'm trying to memorize a lot of dermatology stuff, and I need to know about 12 muscles of the back from origin to insertion, actions, innervation, and blood supply. We get a bunch more next week. Luckily I do know some of them from undergrad so I'm not starting from scratch.

We've also spent a few hours in the cadaver lab already. I spent my afternoon removing a trapezius muscle after removing the skin and a lot of fat. How was your day?   :lol:

I'll post back from time to time to let you know how close to insanity I am.   :2thumbs:

Excellent.  My day was good too. 

Dino,
I'm glad you like school. Best Wishes. I hope to see posts from you when you can.
My day was good, I got my Charger running today, thanks to Ron.
John

Cadavers?  Jeez.  I don't know own how you medical/science types do your thing.  Knock em dead Dino....

Glad to hear you guys are doing good! Good news on your car 66FB!   :2thumbs:

I can't knock 'em dead Myk, they were that way when I walked in!  Okay that was bad...  :lol:

Which PA Schoolike? My fiance graduated from Midwestern. Good luck with your adventures through PA School!

Thanks! I'm at Eastern Michigan University.

Quote from: Dino on May 05, 2016, 05:38:32 AM
Glad to hear you guys are doing good! Good news on your car 66FB!   :2thumbs:

I can't knock 'em dead Myk, they were that way when I walked in!  Okay that was bad...  :lol:

:smilielol:

Cadaver content below. Don't read if it turns your stomach. Obviously I'm not posting pics.   :lol:









Lab day started out sort of familiar; After cutting out a few muscles I had to remove a section of the spine, more specifically the spinous processes which are the pointy thingies you can feel on your back. I only had to remove about 6 of them but the part that was interesting was the tool. It was an oscillating disc, very much like the one I used to utilize when making cuts in sheet metal! You can imagine the weird vibes I got while cutting this section of spine out. I was thinking how the heck did my life evolve from cutting cars to cutting humans!   :lol:

Once that section was out we uncovered the spinal cord and the various spinal nerves and blood vessels. Quite delicate work but very interesting.

I've had exactly three days in this program and about 9 more muscles were added to memorize. I have a good 70 pages of some very intense stuff to read tomorrow for my pathophysiology class and who knows what else. I'm trying to stay above water, but it's rising fast.

I feel like the walking dead half the time but it's oh so worth it!   :cheers:

I was hoping that PA meant Plymouth Academy. 

Good luck with the studies.  Just remember to take a small stress break once and a while,  you will need them...

Quote from: Kern Dog on May 08, 2016, 02:25:55 AM
I was hoping that PA meant Plymouth Academy. 

Ah no, a degree from this one will actually get me somewhere.  :D

Quote from: Chad L. Magee on May 08, 2016, 10:50:37 AM
Good luck with the studies.  Just remember to take a small stress break once and a while,  you will need them...

Thanks Chad! Yep I'll take plenty of them to keep my sanity in check. See I'm taking one right now!   :icon_smile_big:

Keep the updates coming if you have time!  :cheers:

You want the juicy stuff?   :lol:

Nothing much has changed; still memorizing loads of muscles and we're adding dermatology diseases to our rapidly growing list of diseases to know about three days a week.

We did have our first offical PBL class: it stands for Problem Based Learning. Instead of having the professor lecture the class, we are divided in groups of six students, using software to examine and interview a virtual patient to find out the diagnosis of the disease. One operates the computer and software while another pens everything down on a big white board, actually two of them.
We do this every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. We start a case on Monday, study up on it by Wednesday when we all present our findings, and we find the diagnosis on Friday. The professor is present just to guide us and make sure we don't waste time going off in the wrong direction, especially this early in the game.

I'll post more updates as I get them. I'm spending another three hours in cadaver lab tomorrow so there should be some good stuff to learn there as well.   :2thumbs:

I've been sleeping like a baby by the way, I'm pretty much exhausted by the time I get home.   :yesnod:

Quote from: Dino on May 07, 2016, 09:48:26 PM
Cadaver content below. Don't read if it turns your stomach. Obviously I'm not posting pics.   :lol:









Lab day started out sort of familiar; After cutting out a few muscles I had to remove a section of the spine, more specifically the spinous processes which are the pointy thingies you can feel on your back. I only had to remove about 6 of them but the part that was interesting was the tool. It was an oscillating disc, very much like the one I used to utilize when making cuts in sheet metal! You can imagine the weird vibes I got while cutting this section of spine out. I was thinking how the heck did my life evolve from cutting cars to cutting humans!   :lol:

Once that section was out we uncovered the spinal cord and the various spinal nerves and blood vessels. Quite delicate work but very interesting.

I've had exactly three days in this program and about 9 more muscles were added to memorize. I have a good 70 pages of some very intense stuff to read tomorrow for my pathophysiology class and who knows what else. I'm trying to stay above water, but it's rising fast.

I feel like the walking dead half the time but it's oh so worth it!   :cheers:

definitely not a career for the squeamish.

That being said, right on dude...keep on keepin on!

Glad to hear you are already getting some dermatology training! The PA's around here (SD) don't appear to be very strong in that area of medicine, for the most part. Or the primary care physicians. No matter what field of medicine you end up going into, you will always get a ton of questions (from family, if no one else) about skin concerns.

Keep your head up, and good luck!

Awesome!

best of luck

Congratulations Dino,
My daughter just graduated from her undergrad program and is in the process of applying to PA schools.
We live in the Detroit Metro Area and Eastern is one of the schools see is interested in.  Any tips to help
her apply, get accepted, and pick the right schools from your experience?
Good Luck! It's a difficult but rewarding profession. I'll be watching your progress.
Chris

Thanks Chris!  :cheers:

I have tons of tips so let her get in touch with me. She can email me at mistervis@gmail.com. In short, you need to apply to as many schools as you can or at least are willing to attend. That said, even though I applied and interviewed at several, I only really wanted to go to EMU. If they had not taken me then I would've gone to Toledo but I would've been pretty bummed about it. I didn't want to waste a year and try again though so I'm very happy EMU accepted me.
The application process is super competitive and you have to stand out in a crowd. After weeding out a few hundred candidates at EMU, faculty was still left with over 700 viable candidates and there are 30 seats available. It's more competitive than med school these days.
Written on your application essay that you want to be a PA so you can help people is one of the ways to get rejected as the argument may be: why don't you go work for the Red Cross or something? And it's pretty valid.

High GPA is very important but they do look at the combination of your work so your character, your experience with patients (and some in my class have next to nothing), diversity is also important so if she has something to offer that is a bit out of the norm then it'll be in her favor.

Have her email me with some info about her, her GPA, science GPA (or grades if GPA is not yet calculated), patient care hours and experience and if she wants I'm happy to read her essays. I can't say exactly what gets you in and what does not, but I may have an idea.

Dirk

And a small update:

We get objectives in problem based learning class every Monday and have to present on that every Wednesday. Last week I presented on the mechanisms of acute inflammation, and tomorrow I'll be presenting on Type IV hypersensitivity. These are super in depth systems so the real trick is having a clear presentation with the key points without going to deep into the rabbit hole. You can write entire books about these subjects.

Anatomy is getting real intense. I think I have about 45-50 muscles to learn so far, with all their origins, insertions, actions, innervations, and blood supply and it's really nuts. I've got lots of flash cards here!   :icon_smile_big:

Clinical medicine is super overwhelming. Three days a week we are taught all these conditions (all dermatology so far) and it is immensely in depth. We need to know tons of the stuff and it's very easy to get behind.

Pharmacology started slow but is kicking into high gear now. The nice thing is that it follows the rest of the courses so it's all dermatology right now.

We also have a patient assessment class where we get lectures, and practical lab experience so we'll be doing actual exams on each other. We did medical interviewing today. Luckily I have experience in that so it was a bit of a break for me. We have our first lecture exam in this class on Thursday and we basically need to know the first 4 chapters in the book. Last year's students have told us that we'll need to know the book cover to cover, and really know it.   :eek2:

We had our introduction to simulation lab today as well. That won't start until two weeks from now. We'll be doing practical stuff we learn in the various classes on real and fake patients. Cool stuff!

And then there's the assignments, papers, essays and all that good stuff for each class. And we're only warming up!

I take a few breaks here and there but pretty soon I'll be studying pretty much every waking hour. There's just no other way.

All worth it though!   :2thumbs:

Holy crap I'm tired!   :eek2:

I've been studying about 5 hours each day and about 10-12 each Saturday and Sunday. This was a bad time to start binge watching Game of Thrones!  :lol:

In order to pass we need to score 82% on everything we do: every quiz, exam, assignment, you name it. If you don't get 82% on one of them then you need an "intervention" where you will be tested again on the material and you may get an added assignment or something. Well my first quiz I scored 81.48% so not the greatest start.   :brickwall:
There is no limit on how many interventions you can have, but you need to have a final score in that class of 82% to pass. There is a remediation process you can do but if you have less than a B grade more than twice during the first year, you get kicked out of the program.

I did the intervention which went really smooth and today took my second quiz in that same class. I don't have my grade yet but it went pretty well.

First pharmacology exam I got 86% which is not all that bad considering the sheer volume of information we had to know. I'm also still learning how to take these tests. This is not undergrad anymore Dorothy!

Tomorrow I have my first anatomy lab exam where I'll be tested on roughly 50 muscles and a few dozen nerves and blood vessels, but I feel pretty good about it.

Two more exams next week. Looks like we'll have some form of test just about every week. The class of 2017 (I'm class of 18) just started their rotations and they ended up doing 55 quizzes/exams in one year.   :eek2:

I'll be studying some more anatomy until late tonight and I will be cramming a ton of stuff over the long weekend, but tomorrow evening I'm taking some time off to chill out! I'll put on a dumb movie that doesn't require me to think and I'll pop a cold beer...or five.   :cheers:   :2thumbs:

 :cheers:   It's clear you are motivated :2thumbs:
All of the hours you talk about are investment hours.--ca ching--  They are your future -not unlike a savings account or buying a house or mutual funds, etc.

You WILL get back what you are earning now.---This is an old guy speaking that put in an effort for my future when all my friends were talking about doing it later. :cheers:

Thanks for the words of encouragement ws23rt!   :cheers:

It's true, it is an investment, and it will pay off quite well as long as I live to tell.   :lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjIH1jdx2_A


NWS for a F-bomb.

Quote from: Dino on May 17, 2016, 02:14:13 PM
It's more competitive than med school these days.

Dirk

Totally different applicant pool. But competitive, certainly.

Quote from: Q5XX29 on May 27, 2016, 02:08:35 AM

Quote from: Dino on May 17, 2016, 02:14:13 PM
It's more competitive than med school these days.

Dirk

Totally different applicant pool. But competitive, certainly.

Yes very true, it is a different applicant pool.   :yesnod:


Made some dumb mistakes on my patient assessment quiz again; had 3 wrong out of 22 so around 86% but that's still above the needed 82% so all is well!   :icon_smile_big:

Anatomy lab exam was damn hard! Six cadavers that were tagged on structures which we had to identify and answer questions about. It's easier to identify the color coded structures in text books but on a body it all looks like spaghetti! I got a 92% though so I'm very happy with that. Now that I know how these exams will go I'll be better prepared for the next one!

Anatomy lecture exam is on Tuesday. That's going to be a tough one. There's loads of material to cover and the entire exam will be multiple multiple choice questions. Those suck!

The big exam we're all dreading is Friday: clinical medicine. The amount of information is insane. I have hundreds of power point slides and several chapters in books I need to know. It's all dermatology and psychological behaviors. This single exams is also a third of my total grade for this class so I have to do well. Those will all be case based questions and we have to pick the best answer. Oh boy...

Oh well, back to work!   :eek2:   :lol:

Have a nice Memorial Day Dirk!  :2thumbs:

Thanks Neil!

I had to spend it studying unfortunately.  :icon_smile_big:

Hope you had a good one.   :yesnod:

Are they expecting you to know the chemical structures of each of the drugs (on top of what they do in the body) in the clinical medicine exam?  If so, I can see why most people would be dreading it....
 
(One of my former students that graduated from pharmacy school had a class like that.  He loved it while everyone else hated it with a passion.)

Good luck on the exams!

Thanks Chad!   :cheers:

No we do not have to know the chemical makeup of the drugs for clin med. Different story for pharm but it's expected there. For clin med we are responsible for knowing the main treatments for a given disease and some values for the most common ones so in that aspect it's pretty basic. The tough part here is having to know a ton of detail on dozens and dozens of derm conditions in addition to knowing a lot of behavioral disorders. There's just not enough hours in the day to learn it all. With 20 credits this semester we have lots to do for every course so the trick is to pick out the most important parts but I haven't mastered that yet. It's amazing how fast these 4 weeks have flown by. I really don't have time to do anything except study and then still I feel like I barely touched the surface.

The material is very interesting and all this is really cool, but there's just lots and lots of it. I can see why some people choose to spread the didactic portion over two years instead of one like I'm doing.

I'll get the hang of it though.   :2thumbs:

Time for an update...although a 17 hour nap would be better!   :eek2:

I'm starting to get into the groove. It doesn't mean I'm passing all the tests, but I'm getting better and my grades are on the rise. The big difference here is that I can't just memorize this stuff for a test and be done with it, this material needs to stick and I need to understand it through and through. I can't just forget 70% of all this like in undergrad and hope to be a good PA.

We've been doing a lot of physical exam stuff lately. Ear and eye exams mostly. Very cool but a little weird to look in half of your classmates' ears and eyes!

Anatomy lab was awesome as always. I removed a heart and lung while my lab partners removed a kidney and the spleen. We then cleaned them up and cut them open to see the internal structures. Very cool stuff.   :yesnod:

It's getting a little easier on the muscle front, not nearly as many muscles around the abdomen as there are in the upper body and arms. But damn there's a lot of nerves and blood vessels to know!  :eek2:   :lol:

Midterm lab exam is on the 24th and the lecture part on the 20th so wish me luck!

Two exams this coming week as well and actually I think I have one or two every week from now until...mid 2017.  :eek2:

I'm going to take a few minutes right now and uncover the Charger and just look at it. I miss that thing!

Good luck and keep it going!  :2thumbs:

Sounds exciting but strenuous Dino. Wash the Charger and take a nap in it to relieve the stress now and then. Keep up the good work and good luck on the tests.
I'll keep watching your updates.

Thanks guys!   :cheers:

Tests went great, my grades are on the rise so I guess I found my rhythm. This was one crazy ass week!

Two more exams this week, three huge ones the week after. Yikes!

I'm seriously missing the car though. I wish I could take it out for a spin but alas it's a project as it sits. I won't be able to finish it for who knows how long. It might take another two years before I have the time to finish it which sucks but first things first. Gotta get school done and done well.   :yesnod:

Well I finally screwed up...   :eek2:

I totally bombed a very important exam and in order to pass the class I will need to score 96% on my final exam. Not impossible but damn hard to achieve. If I don't make that then I will have to go through a remediation process. This is where the instructor gives you another test or assignment or whatever. In order to continue in the program I have to score at least 82% on that test. If I don't then I will be removed from the program. I can also have no more than two remediations for the duration of the program so the heat is on!

So I have a few options:

Admit defeat and leave, or study my tail off and go for 100% on that final exam. I choose to fight!

If I score below 96% then I will accept that and try my best to do well on the remediation portion. If I don't make it then at least I can't say I didn't give it my best. That would be hardest part to accept.

The final exam is in 5 weeks and will cover everything on pulmonary. Not the easiest subject in the world but dammit I'm going to do whatever it takes!

There are 9 exams left this semester plus one practical exam. Five weeks of nothing but eat, study, sleep. Rinse and repeat. I can do this!

You picked this for their tough standards! Get in there and make us PROUD!  :2thumbs:

Good luck on the final, you can do it! 

Thanks guys!   :cheers:

You are driven!
You can and will do whatever it takes to achieve this goal!
Keep up the hard work -it will be worth it!!!

Quote from: Dino on July 09, 2016, 11:23:44 AM
Well I finally screwed up...   :eek2:

I totally bombed a very important exam and in order to pass the class I will need to score 96% on my final exam. Not impossible but damn hard to achieve. If I don't make that then I will have to go through a remediation process. This is where the instructor gives you another test or assignment or whatever. In order to continue in the program I have to score at least 82% on that test. If I don't then I will be removed from the program. I can also have no more than two remediations for the duration of the program so the heat is on!

So I have a few options:

Admit defeat and leave, or study my tail off and go for 100% on that final exam. I choose to fight!

If I score below 96% then I will accept that and try my best to do well on the remediation portion. If I don't make it then at least I can't say I didn't give it my best. That would be hardest part to accept.

The final exam is in 5 weeks and will cover everything on pulmonary. Not the easiest subject in the world but dammit I'm going to do whatever it takes!

There are 9 exams left this semester plus one practical exam. Five weeks of nothing but eat, study, sleep. Rinse and repeat. I can do this!

:2thumbs:

Q: You what they call the guy who finishes last in his class at med school?
A: Doctor........

I'd very much like to not finish last or even close to it!   :lol:

2 weeks to go...7 exams, 3 assignments..I can do this.   :eek2:

How did your final couple of weeks of your first semester go Dino?  I hope everything went well and you have had a couple of weeks to recover and rejuvenate.

Ups and downs. Failed clinical medicine miserably which pulled my gpa below a 3.0 so I'm on academic probation. I have three months to reach a 3.0 which will be fine as long as I do well in the next semester. The other classes went fine despite having two more really bad finals. We've lost another three people totaling four for the first semester. Pretty depressing.

We're done with anatomy and physiology though and that one took an enormous amount of time so that'll help. I doubt that the ethics class taking its place will be this time consuming. As long as I can change my study habits for clin med positively then everything will be alright. If not then I'll be looking at a different career. Something I don't even want to think about right now!

My break will be over in a few days but I'm glad I had some time off, I needed it.

How's your daughter doing in her application journey?

First semesters always seem to be the hardest and that it was a spring/summer only makes it harder to keep your focus.  Glad to hear your sticking in there. It will take a lot of hard work, but now you know what is expected and the commitment that's required to succeed and you can do it.  How many students are remaining in the program now that 4 have dropped out? Are most of the students just out of undergrad programs or are they coming from other established occupations?
My daughter has sent out initial applications to 6 or 8 schools mostly in the MI/OH area and has gotten replies from all of them for further information. Ideally she would like to be accepted to Wayne State or Eastern Michigan and commute. Hopefully she will get news in the next couple of months if she will get interviews. She just started working at DMC Children's Hospital in Detroit as a CNA for the meantime.
Your probably back in school by now, it took me a while to reply, but good luck and I'll keep watching for your improving progress.
Chris

Hey Dino,  Sorry I missed the last part of this thread.  Yes, you should definitely do all you can to hang in there.  All I can say it to use all the strategies you can think of to do this. 

You probably already have some of these figured out, but it took me until I was teaching in school to realize that there are only so many decent questions I can ask of the students.  I wish I had realized this as a student because I probably could have figured out what the key things were to study and how to use time efficiently to know the important things as well as the supporting details that would be needed.  Draw on any and all resources you can get your hands on.

Just so you don't dismiss this as coming from someone without warts - I almost didn't make it through grad school.  I was asked to leave one place and went to the next on probation.  My advisor told me to focus on doing everything right, and that mindset helped me change things.

It sounds like you are in it for the long haul and I admire that attitude. 

Thanks for the words of encouragement gents, I really appreciate it.   :cheers:

When I failed the final clin med exam (14 out of 29 failed it) we met with faculty who went over the entire exam with us. It was clear that I needed to focus one the core clinical stuff and not the countless irrelevant details. It's tough to figure out exactly what is relevant and what is not, but this was never supposed to be easy. I'm doing pretty good compared to a lot of my classmates, but this class was my Achilles heel. I say was because I have changed my strategy and so far I'm kicking ass in this class! I know it's still early but if I can keep this up I'll be alright. I know attitude is very important here and I'm not going to give up. I may not make it but dammit I'll give it my all!

Turns out a fifth student decided not to come back after the summer semester. I don't know why, I can only imagine he was beat down too much and I can certainly understand that.

We're down to 25 students now. I would say the majority are too young to have had an actual career. Some came straight out of undergrad while some held a job for a few years. There are a few of us that did have a career though. There are a few others that are, like me, in their 40s. One of those failed though and he was a smart sob. Firefighter/paramedic. He had everything needed to make this work but this is a brutal program and it didn't work out for him. Others have used up their two allowed failed classes i the first semester so they cannot fail another for the remainder of the program. I have one under my belt and hopefully it's the last.

I hope your daughter lands the spot that she wants. I'm not sure when EMU is conducting interviews, but I think it'll be fairly early this time. I had mine in January which was pretty late. I interviewed at Toledo as well but I didn't like it much. Wayne is a solid option though!

Shoot me a pm if she's interviewing at EMU, maybe I can give her some advice to increase her odds.

Thanks for the advice XH, a lesser man would not have admitted what you've gone through. How did your advisor worded doing everything right? I'm curious to hear and I can always use a mind boost!   :lol: 

He told me in a serious tone to focus on the things that would get the grades.  I needed to play it a little smarter, work to my own strengths and be careful of (avoid) my weaknesses. I had a tendency (still do) to take risks with things just to learn and could easily get off track with the next interesting thing.   He knew that and just said it straight.  I was lucky. 

That's good advice, I'll take it! I am my own worst enemy as well so I've been having a lot of chit chats with myself on how to increase my performance by having the right mind set. I'd love to learn everything, but I do need to focus on that which will give me the grades to pass. Or all of this will be for nothing.

Hey Chris in case your daughter wants to know, EMU has started sending out interview invitations.

Thanks Dino,
She found out yesterday she did not get an interview for EMU.  Hopefully some of the other 10 will.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I found out a few days ago that a lot of rejection emails went out.  :rotz:

Thanks, EMU was one of her top picks because of the ability to commute.  She still needs to hear from quite
a few more universities and she has very good credentials for being fresh out of undergrad program so we are still hopeful for good news.
Is that an updated picture of your charger? When are you finding time to work on it?
Chris

I'm not sure what the criteria are for EMU this year. Last year they really looked at GPA but since we've already lost 5 people in a single semester, all of whom had a high GPA, they may be trying something else. No idea what though. I hope your daughter will find a good spot somewhere. We have several people in our class who commute from Detroit and Flint and they seem to be doing alright. If she has a long commute then at least she'll be able to listen to recorded lectures in the car.

I took that picture during my three week break after the first semester. That was the only time I did a bit of work to it since April. I do not have time for the car at this moment. There's just way too much studying to do.

There's still lots to do to finish the car. I'm sure I'll be able to get some work done during the second year of school but I think I'll only be able to finish it when school is over.

FINALLY!!!

It took me a while but I finally did well on a clinical medicine exam after failing all 3 last semester. It was all cardiology related, not exactly the easiest subject in the world. It was also the exam worth most: 36% vs 32% for the next 2 exams. I needed 82% to pass this and got just over 90% so I'm very happy with that.

Now I can relax for a minute...

Good job! Congratulations. Yeah, I do recall cardiology being among the most difficult subjects. Enjoy your well-deserved victory!

Quote from: Dino on October 12, 2016, 07:45:40 PM
FINALLY!!!

It took me a while but I finally did well on a clinical medicine exam after failing all 3 last semester. It was all cardiology related, not exactly the easiest subject in the world. It was also the exam worth most: 36% vs 32% for the next 2 exams. I needed 82% to pass this and got just over 90% so I'm very happy with that.

Now I can relax for a minute...

:2thumbs: I'm enjoying your journey!

Dan

:2thumbs:

Troy

Quote from: Dino on October 12, 2016, 07:45:40 PM
FINALLY!!!

It took me a while but I finally did well on a clinical medicine exam after failing all 3 last semester. It was all cardiology related, not exactly the easiest subject in the world. It was also the exam worth most: 36% vs 32% for the next 2 exams. I needed 82% to pass this and got just over 90% so I'm very happy with that.

Now I can relax for a minute...

Congrats Dino!  We can use you in the medical field!  Too late but my area is Cardiology and I would have been glad to help!  If you run into more relating to Cardiology Pm me anytime......

Congrats Dino!  :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs:

Congratulations Dino!!!
We knew you could get on track, keep up the good work.

Quote from: Dino on October 12, 2016, 07:45:40 PM
FINALLY!!!

It took me a while but I finally did well on a clinical medicine exam after failing all 3 last semester. It was all cardiology related, not exactly the easiest subject in the world. It was also the exam worth most: 36% vs 32% for the next 2 exams. I needed 82% to pass this and got just over 90% so I'm very happy with that.

Now I can relax for a minute...

W-a-y  t-o  g-o,  D-no!   :smilielol:

Happy to hear you have having successes.  :2thumbs:

Woot!  Passed the second clin med exam with a nice buffer!   :boogie: :boogie: :boogie:

This was all gastrointestinal, a fairly crappy subject if you ask me.   :icon_smile_big:

It feels good to finally be out of this rut.  :yesnod:

Unfortunately one of my friends in the program needs to score really high on the final to stay in the program so that's not looking very good. This program is brutal.

Back to studying, got 3 exams this week before we start hematology and genitourinary.   :2thumbs:

Excellent news!!   :cheers:

Quote from: Dino on November 13, 2016, 09:20:13 AM
This was all gastrointestinal, a fairly crappy subject if you ask me.   :icon_smile_big:

You're half way there with the bad pun jokes!  :2thumbs: :icon_smile_big:

Good luck to both of you!

Hey Dino, 
Great to hear your finally getting into a good grove with your studies. Power through - your doing great!
By the way, my daughter has had 3 interviews and 2 offers to PA school.  Looks like she's heading to
the Wayne State University program this spring. She / We will be feeling your pain next year!
Good Luck and keep pushing.

Thanks guys!   :cheers:

These last weeks are going to be tough. I have a few days off due to the holiday and I'm spending it with my nose in the books, that's just hw life is these days! But I'm not complaining, I'm still doing good despite totally screwing up that last pharm exam!   :lol:
I sure do look forward to ending this semester! I need a breather.

Good to hear she's going to Wayne! That's great news! Tuition is a lot less than other schools as well so that's a big plus! EMU is about twice the cost of Wayne.   :eek2:

Yeah it'll be hard, but if some old car guy can do it then she'll have no issues with it.   :2thumbs:

Holy crap I'm exhausted...

7 more exams in the next two weeks, a debate in ethics, 2 pharm projects, and a practical exam...damn...   :eek2:

I swear they're trying to kill me.   :lol:

Quote from: Dino on December 04, 2016, 12:22:31 PM
Holy crap I'm exhausted...

7 more exams in the next two weeks, a debate in ethics, 2 pharm projects, and a practical exam...damn...   :eek2:

I swear they're trying to kill me.   :lol:

Is that all? :P

Troy

Quote from: Troy on December 05, 2016, 11:04:34 AM

Quote from: Dino on December 04, 2016, 12:22:31 PM
Holy crap I'm exhausted...

7 more exams in the next two weeks, a debate in ethics, 2 pharm projects, and a practical exam...damn...   :eek2:

I swear they're trying to kill me.   :lol:

Is that all? :P

Troy

:lol:

Well I thought it was, but apparently there's more assignments. I'm studying pharm right now, just memorized brand and generic names and their classes for 53 drugs.  :eek2:
Gonna start studying treatments in a few. I hope it sticks this time. I was pretty sick during the last exam and it didn't go so well.  :icon_smile_big:

Alright! I passed all the exams and assignments with a nice buffer so everything is looking good! One more exam on Tuesday but nothing I'm worried about. I managed to get my GPA back up to where I need it so a lot of the pressure is off.

More good news is my buddy got exactly the score he needed today to stay in the program.   :2thumbs:

It all took a bit of a toll on me though, I'm pretty sick right now but that's alright, I'll get over it.

After Tuesday I'll have a two week break and I think I might sleep for one of those.   :yesnod:

Great stuff Dino... you learned how to repair a distal bicep tendon tear yet?? lol   :brickwall:

I just read about your misfortune. Help someone out and pay for it.   :rotz:

No can't say we learn how to repair tendons. All PA education is based on primary care, not specialty. But I know what surgeon to send you to were you in Michigan!

Are you going to see an orthopedist?

One of my good friends is my Doctor, I have a text off to him hoping he'll drop by the house tomorrow..... and I'll get him to unload my motor / trans and rear axle housing..  :smilielol:

A man with a plan!   :lol:

Nice job Dirk!

Troy

Thanks Troy!

All done for now. One more semester to go and then it's time for a year of clinical rotations! I can't tell you how much I look forward to treating patients again instead of sitting in a classroom.   :eek2:

I'm going to take it easy for the next two weeks. I'm beat. 

Well done!  :cheers: 

Dan

Thanks Dan!   :cheers:

How is school going, Dino?  I have been off the site for a bit of time, so I thought I should check to see how things are progressing with your studies...

Hey Chad! Thanks for checking in! I hope all is well with you.   :yesnod:

School's going great! I had a bit of a rocky start with one of my courses early on but I got back on track. I'm now in the third and last semester of the didactic year so it appears there's a light at the end of the tunnel after all!   :lol:

We have been seeing a steady increase in hands-on training as we are working with standardized patients a lot. These are volunteers in the profession, or pre-pa students. It's not the same as working with actual patients, but it's a great learning tool nonetheless.

Good to hear that it is going well for you.  I moved to a different state last semester, so I really did not have much time on my hands.  I like it much better than what I was dealing with before...

Hey Dino,
        Glad to hear your semester ended well and it sounds like your rested and looking forward to your next semesters.
        your doing great - keep it up.  I never asked before, but what was your occupation in your previous life that lead you
        to want to become a PA?
Chris

Thanks Chad! I'm glad to hear life has improved! Where did you move to?

Chris I worked in rehab; first as a physical therapy aid and later as a certified orthotic fitter with orthotics and prosthetics. I worked with several PAs over the years and always thought they had the best job of them all. I never considered med school because the work/life balance doesn't work for me, but it does as a PA. When I went back to school in 2010 it was with the idea of becoming an orthotist/prosthetist but that changed when I started comparing it to PA jobs.

We're in the last didactic semester now. It'll be intense as usual but that's okay. After the semester we'll have a 3-4 week intense boot camp where we get prepped to go out in the real world, meaning tons of practical exams. Then it's time to go on clinical rotations from 05/17 - 04/18. With a bit of luck I may even have some time in there to work on the car!

I'm in Denver now...

Ooo pretty up there if not a tad chilly.  ;)

It can be. :yesnod:  We are getting snow showers today (up to 5" possible), so it was slick walking to work this morning.  As strange as it may seem, I did not bring a car with me when I moved here.  There was a 6+ month waiting list for parking spaces at my apartment building, plus finding an open parking spot even with a permit is a *%&#!  At least I am getting some good exercise walking everywhere I need to go.  Last Saturday, I probably walked at least six miles getting my shopping done before the winter storm was to hit...

Getting some good exercie AND not having the stress of owning a car in a big city sounds really good for your health! Just don't slip and fall.  :icon_smile_big:

Trying not to.  The mornings are the worst for black ice, as you cannot see it on the sidewalk.  Good thing Denver is going to have some 50 degrees F days this week...

We've had a few of those days but we're back in freezing territory now!

It's been an interesting semester so far. We've been studying endocrine and we've started some neurology. The latter is going to be the bulk of the material for the next 6 weeks or so and this stuff ain't the easiest!

Endocrine is pretty damn cool but the exams were not easy. Well as if any of them are.   :lol:
I kicked ass on the pharm exam and we took a patho exam today that I feel pretty good about. It's nice to have a strong start. Almost there, I'll be done with this semester in 3 months. Then we'll do a 3 week intense boot camp where we'll be prepped to go on rotations. And then finally we can go out and get some actual experience!..and maybe some time to work on this damn car of mine.   :lol:

I hope all goes well for you this semester!  I got to teach an Organic I Lab today about separations using solvent polarity and recrystallization techniques.  Two of my favorite molecules to get the point across about polarity differences are CHCl3 and CCl4.  Since you are in the medical area, you should really know what they are and what they do without googling them. (Hint: they had different medical uses over the years.)....

Aww man you're making me think back now and without looking even! Pretty sure the first one is chloroform and the second is definitely carbon tetrachloride because we were talking about the latter one in class not that long ago. There's a lot of very interesting compounds that we touch upon, but usually it's very briefly. We don't go anywhere near the depth as we did in organic chem. We are all clinical based now. I do miss the chemistry sometimes.

Excellent news that you're teaching! I can see myself becoming a teacher at the end of my career.   :yesnod:

OK, you got their names correctly.  Now what do they do?....

(Hint: One of them used to be a drink of choice of some alcoholics near the end of their lives a century ago.)

Drink of choice?? You got me there!

I know chloroform as an anesthetic, and we talked about carbon tetrachloride as a very potent hepatic poison. Anyone drinking the latter to push that cirrhotic liver over the edge?

Back in the early 1900s, there were people who mixed chloroform with their drinks to help them get their buzz on.  Some of them got to the point that they were drinking strait chloroform.  However, the habit eventually caught up with them....

As for carbon tetrachloride, it sometimes was used as a substitute for formaldehyde to preserve specimen samples many years ago.  It worked quite well in that it tended not to bleach out the sample colors as much over time.  But, the production (and most usage) of CCl4 was eventually banned from many places because the C-Cl bonds can be broken by exposure to uv light in the higher levels of the atmosphere, causing the formation of free radical species.  (Freon-12, a CFC molecule, is a relative of carbon tetrachloride and met the same fate.)  Unfortunately, the free radicals catalyze the conversion of ozone over to regular oxygen many times over.  This process caused the dreaded ozone hole in the atmosphere that you occasionally hear about.  As you mentioned, carbon tetrachloride is a toxic poison to the liver, as well as being carcinogenic due to the potential for free radical formation...

I used to have to harvest CCl4 for a professor who had been given many specimens by a local medical school for disposal.  That was not a fun job to do by any means.... 

Thanks for that Chad! Always happy to learn.  :cheers:

Drinking chloroform...that's just...wow.

That job you did seems to scream for a hazmat suit!

Week 6 of the final didactic semester and still haven't failed any exams. I'm on a roll here!  :lol:

2 more days of school and I will have 9 days off! Woohooo! Sure I have to study during that time but I will definitely take the cover off the Charger and at least do SOMETHING with it.

4 more weeks of classes followed by 1 week of finals and the didactic year will be over. Man I'm tired... I feel like a zombie minus the taste for brains.

After finals I'll have a week off, followed by 3 weeks of "boot camp" where we'll be prepped to go on clinical rotations. I'm a bit nervous to go out there but I can tell you I'm very happy this didactic nightmare is almost over. What a year this has been!   :eek2:

Great to hear! A good trip you are on...it is inspiring to follow your journey.

Dan

Thanks Dan! I'm actually considering writing the whole experience down so prospective students can see what it's like to go through this. I've never done a blog before.   :scratchchin:

Looks like there's light at the end of this Didactic Tunnel you've been in for the past year.
Great to hear your semester has been going well - Good Luck to a strong finish of your first year.
My daughter is attending her PA Orientation meeting today for the Wayne State Program.
It will be interesting hearing what she will be facing for the next 2 years.
Her journey begins the first week in May.
I'll keep checking in on your progress.
Again - keep up the good work and good luck Dino!

Thanks Chris!   :cheers:

I was one answer short of passing an exam on Friday so there goes that streak!   :lol:

Oh well, almost done.   :yesnod:

Tell your daughter not to be too intimidated and that everything will be fine. If she needs any advice I'll be happy to help.   :2thumbs:

Quote from: Dino on March 19, 2017, 11:58:21 AM
I feel like a zombie minus the taste for brains.

You know, I can fix that for you.  Just watch out for the "abbie normal" ones....


Keep up the good work...

Quote from: Chad L. Magee on March 21, 2017, 06:02:15 PM

Quote from: Dino on March 19, 2017, 11:58:21 AM
I feel like a zombie minus the taste for brains.

You know, I can fix that for you.  Just watch out for the "abbie normal" ones....


Keep up the good work...

:lol:  Thanks Froderick! Just don't send Igor out to retrieve the package and everything will be fine.   :2thumbs:

This was my last "normal" Monday! Only 3 more days left this week and then our regular class time is over and done with. Next week is all finals and one more clin med case review before its final exam. Regardless how it goes, it will be over with. Didactic year is coming to a close and it's been one hell of a ride.

3 days of classes, 1 week of finals, 1-1/2 week off, 3 weeks of boot camp and then out into the real world!

Fantastic!   :cheers:

Dan

 :cheers:

Good luck Dino! Sounds like you are in the last 1000 yards of the marathon. Keep it goin!  :2thumbs:

Hey Dino,
Haven't seen an update on this topic in a while - how's your clinical studies going? 
My daughter just finished her second week of classes in her first semester of PA classes at Wayne State and
she seems to be OK - although she does seem to be coming more zombie like each day???

I am very happy to say that my didactic year is over, as is my 3 week boot camp. The latter was actually quite relaxing. Only 4 exams in 3 weeks, what luxury!   :lol:

My first clinical rotation starts Tuesday; I'm going to a family practice office in Brighton that is part of IHA. Of course, that's a rotation where I will see just about every disease under the sun a person can get! I'm nervous but I look forward to it, and I'm damn glad the first year is over and done with!

The first few weeks are always light, and then before you know it you realize you're 5 weeks behind when you've only been in the program for 3.   :lol:
She'll be alright, if I can do this then anyone can. I was an auto body man not that long ago.   :yesnod:

Go Go Dino!  :cheers:

 :yesnod: YOU CAN DO IT!!  :icon_smile_cool:

Just finished my 3rd week of rotation. Got tomorrow off and only 4 days next week. It's been a really nice experience. After shadowing this doc with exactly one patient he looked at me and said "looks like you know what you're doing so go see the next patient and let me know what his complaint is, what you think the cause is, and how you would test for it and/or treat it."

Seriously, I thought I was gonna die!   :lol:

So after doing this with 121 patients, I think I'm getting the hang of this family practice stuff.   :icon_smile_big:

Way cool things happened though. I was talking to an older gentleman who was there for a simple annual checkup. Something didn't sit right with me though so I kept asking him questions. Finally I got it out of him that he got a dull pain between his shoulder blades when he exerts himself. We slapped an EKG on him and found he had an impending MI. We took him to the ER across the road and he got the treatment he needed. Damn dude!

Then a week later I'm talking to this other guy who hadn't eaten in a few days and had belly pain. So I check him out and fter doing some special tests I'm convinced his gallbladder is done for so we send him off as well and bam, emergency surgery for an infected gallbladder! 

Moral of the story? If something really hurts or the pain is really weird especially when you are exerting yourself? SKIP YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE ER!

Just wanna make sure you guys get that! There were lots more cases that should've gone at least to an urgent care, but these two stood out.

Not a lot of opportunity to do procedures in an office like this but I did freeze a few actinic keratoses on the scalp and face with liquid nitrogen. It was kinda like handling an airbrush, pretty neat. Gotta be real careful with that stuff though. I had to get really close to the guy's eye so a steady hand is recommended.   :yesnod:

After next week I'm doing a pediatric rotation: 2 weeks outpatient followed by 2 weeks inpatient at a major hospital. I better go buy some fun ties for the kiddos. I think I'll look good with a Kermit the frog tie.   :2thumbs:

Quote from: Dino on June 08, 2017, 09:41:07 PM
If something really hurts or the pain is really weird especially when you are exerting yourself? SKIP YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE ER!

Exactly what my GP says. Sounds like you are doing well. Big time kudos to you.  :2thumbs:

Dan

Dino. I am thoroughly impressed with your drive to better yourself and your position! It's something that should be used as a model for many of our younger generation.  :yesnod: :2thumbs: I've had the pleasure of watching coworker's daughter go from s**tty hourly retail work to becoming a Pharmacy Tech and now is continuing schooling to step ahead again. It's great to witness.

Congratulations and so happy to see you happy in your new career and helping people.

Quote from: Dans 68 on June 08, 2017, 10:12:05 PM

Quote from: Dino on June 08, 2017, 09:41:07 PM
If something really hurts or the pain is really weird especially when you are exerting yourself? SKIP YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR AND GO STRAIGHT TO THE ER!

Exactly what my GP says. Sounds like you are doing well. Big time kudos to you.  :2thumbs:

Dan

One thing to keep in mind, to many people a trip to the doctor comes out of their (in many cases limited) monthly budget. Many of the "insured" folks only get coverage for the yearly and any other trips are $$. They have difficult choices to make and typically error on the side of not "risking" a hit to their finances. It's a depressing side effect of our medical system.

Great job, Dino! Sounds like you found your calling. Keep up the good work!

 :2thumbs:  Your in the groove...keep it going..... :yesnod:

The lack or limitations of insurance are a nightmare. We can come up with the ideal treatment for a patient, but if he or she can't afford it then what's the point? Lotsa magic tricks needed in healthcare!

My family medicine rotation went great, even did some after hour urgent care stuff which was cool. End of rotation exam and assignment went great as well so chapter 1 was closed with success. 8 more to go!

I'm in my first week of an outpatient pediatric rotation now; it's fun to be with the kids but I'm bored much of the time and there's a lot of parents I would like to smack some sense into! So I'll probably not end up in peds.   :lol:

After next week I'll spend 2 weeks in inpatient peds. Not looking forward to it as these kids are usually very sick. We'll see how it goes.

Still not a lot of free time to play with the Charger though. I have to accept that it may be years before it sees the road again and that's a bit depressing, but I have to focus on school first.

Quote from: Dino on June 22, 2017, 01:16:01 PM
Still not a lot of free time to play with the Charger though. I have to accept that it may be years before it sees the road again and that's a bit depressing, but I have to focus on school first.

Maturity and focus are the keys to success. You obviously have both in abundance. You bring a smile to my face with every update...keep it up!  ;)

Dan

Thanks Dan!   :cheers:

Second day doing inpatient peds and it's way more quiet than I thought it would be. Luckily I haven't seen any deathly ill kids but I was present to witness my first (and hopefully last) circumcision! Damn that was nasty. I'm gonna have ED for a while after this one!   :lol:

I sat next to the kid and fed him drops of sugar water to keep them happy (as if that's an option when someone's cutting down there). When the doc said sugar water, all I could think of was Edgar from MIB.   :lol:

Ok interesting couple of days. Nothing to exciting yesterday until about 2:30. I have a hospital phone that my attending can reach me on. Stat call to C3, which turned out to be a c-section room, for delivery of twins. Now I'm just a student, I'm supposed to stay out of the way, but when I'm called I'm expected to go as long as I'm not busy doing something else. That said, I never was all that good at being furniture so if I can make myself useful I will. I ended up helping the nurses get the babies ready to see mom, which was super cool. I also supported dad for a minute, he got a bit emotional. Understandable.  ;)

Not long after leaving the OR, we got a call that one of the twins wasn't breathing well. Glucose was a balmy 31 (that's really low) and hypoglycemia in these newborns can definitely make breathing labored. So we took him to the nicu where I stayed with him, helping the nurses hook him up to the monitors and just offer a helping hand with the million things they needed to do. I'm happy to report he's doing much better today!

Ended up doing about 9 newborn exams today, I'm getting good with these little munchkins!

One more week and this rotation is over, but after that I'll be spending 4 weeks in OB/GYN, which happens to be in the same location as my current rotation! Lots of long hours though, and lots of night shifts. Oh well, gotta do whatcha gotta do!

Tell you what: I enjoyed working on cars for a living, but this is a whole new ballgame! I wish I had done this sooner, but I'm glad I'm in medicine now.

 :cheers: Nothing like going somewhere everyday that has a level of gratification to it, and they pay you to do it.... ;)

Dino - I figured you would like it when you got to the real life application part of the job. :2thumbs:  Good luck on the rotations....

Thanks guys. I started my ob/gyn rotation this week. I'm working 5pm to 7am but just this week. I just finished assisting my second c-section in 2 days. Pretty cool! Only about 8 more hours and I can go home.   :eek2:

Look at you now! I knew you could do this.  :2thumbs:

Quote from: Dino on July 05, 2017, 11:42:23 AM
Thanks Dan!   :cheers:

Second day doing inpatient peds and it's way more quiet than I thought it would be. Luckily I haven't seen any deathly ill kids but I was present to witness my first (and hopefully last) circumcision! Damn that was nasty. I'm gonna have ED for a while after this one!   :lol:

I sat next to the kid and fed him drops of sugar water to keep them happy (as if that's an option when someone's cutting down there). When the doc said sugar water, all I could think of was Edgar from MIB.   :lol:

I have to ask you about this, are the parents in the room during the circumcision? what age do they do this? is how soon after they are born?
i am trying to have a son and was wondering.

Luke

Quote from: Dino on July 07, 2017, 07:44:24 PM
Ok interesting couple of days. Nothing to exciting yesterday until about 2:30. I have a hospital phone that my attending can reach me on. Stat call to C3, which turned out to be a c-section room, for delivery of twins. Now I'm just a student, I'm supposed to stay out of the way, but when I'm called I'm expected to go as long as I'm not busy doing something else. That said, I never was all that good at being furniture so if I can make myself useful I will. I ended up helping the nurses get the babies ready to see mom, which was super cool. I also supported dad for a minute, he got a bit emotional. Understandable.  ;)

Not long after leaving the OR, we got a call that one of the twins wasn't breathing well. Glucose was a balmy 31 (that's really low) and hypoglycemia in these newborns can definitely make breathing labored. So we took him to the nicu where I stayed with him, helping the nurses hook him up to the monitors and just offer a helping hand with the million things they needed to do. I'm happy to report he's doing much better today!

Fathers appreciate that sort of thing. Trust me. James came out 2nd and he arrived still and quiet. They rushed him over to some special table to "do what ever they do" (and just about everyone else in the room followed) and I had to keep my wife distracted with Alex (1st out of course) because she new something was up and I needed to keep her from getting overly involved and upset before she needed to. Fortunately he came around and we have been good ever since. Was quite the ordeal for me to keep both of us cool until there was something we had to be concerned about.

Quote from: lukedukem on July 20, 2017, 08:33:01 AM
I have to ask you about this, are the parents in the room during the circumcision? what age do they do this? is how soon after they are born?
i am trying to have a son and was wondering.

Luke

Don't know about Dino's experience but I was there for both the boys. Was within 24 hrs IIRC. Having twins was a blur for a LONG time.

Quote from: lukedukem on July 20, 2017, 08:33:01 AM

Quote from: Dino on July 05, 2017, 11:42:23 AM
Thanks Dan!   :cheers:

Second day doing inpatient peds and it's way more quiet than I thought it would be. Luckily I haven't seen any deathly ill kids but I was present to witness my first (and hopefully last) circumcision! Damn that was nasty. I'm gonna have ED for a while after this one!   :lol:

I sat next to the kid and fed him drops of sugar water to keep them happy (as if that's an option when someone's cutting down there). When the doc said sugar water, all I could think of was Edgar from MIB.   :lol:

I have to ask you about this, are the parents in the room during the circumcision? what age do they do this? is how soon after they are born?
i am trying to have a son and was wondering.

Luke

No parents present no. It's usually done within 24 - 48 hours after birth. It doesn't take long to do either.

Woah it's been a while!

Rotations have been keeping me a bit busy and during down time I need to study. It never ends...   :lol:

So I ended with OB/GYN, I then spent 4 weeks at a family practice office out in the country. Small community and the PA there was the only provider. He did a ton of small procedures and injections as well so I got a ton of practice. After that I spent 4 weeks in the emergency room here in Detroit which was pretty nice. Did some sweet laceration repairs but most of the care was pretty much uneventful. I really dislike variable shift work so I will not be pursuing a career there! I just started my psych rotation which so far is going well but it's only day 3 so I'll need a bit more time to decide if this is for me or not.

Hang in there, & good luck to you! :2thumbs:
I somewhat remember my father's residencies (MD)  :cheers:

Thanks!   :cheers:

Psych ended up being a sweet rotation! I would not mind working in the field but it won't be a first job. I would lose much of the medical knowledge I have gained if I don't continue to use it.

I just finished up my interal medicine rotation which was totally awesome! Saw some really cool stuff and it felt like a normal job. I'm trying to convince faculty to let me go back there for my 6 week receptorship that starts in March.

Monday I start my general surgery rotation. I don't mind it but I'm not jumping for joy either. I find surgery quite dull much of the time. Oh well, it'll all work out.

3 more months and I'm done!

  :2thumbs:  Good to hear!

Dan!

I don't know why but I think of that show scrubs when I read this thread

Luke

Never seen Srubs...I should!

Halfway through my last rotation. It's general surgery so at times it's interesting. Most of the time I'm bored and annoyed though. Kinda what I expected.   :lol:

We have a few more practical exams to go through, one more written exam, and then early March I start my 6 week preceptorship. Basically it's a longer rotation where you have more responsibility. I requested to go back to internal medicine at Henry Ford and just got it so I'm very happy about that. If that place offers me a position I will very likely take it... unless it's night shifts, screw that!

I'm really struggling right now to get back on track though. I have severe university senioritis and I just want this program to end. I'm so exhausted I just cannot catch up. I am constantly tired. But i have to fight it and get through these exams. I can chill out once I'm back at Henry Ford.

I'm so tired of the program that I will likely not go to the white coat ceremony in April. That's the last thing on the agenda, but it's a bunch of bs to me. Just mail me my diploma and leave me alone!   :lol:

Almost there...

Keep your eyes on the prize.  It will be worth it.  That is what you have to tell yourself to get to the end of the program....

Take care of yourself, soon you'll be Dr. Dino!  :lol:

Hey Dino,
         Just getting caught up on your PA adventure. Wow, where did those 8 months go - sounds like you've been so busy and exhausted, no wonder
    you have senioritis and have lost focus on your car for a while.  Take a deep breath and focus on the important things that need to get done in the
    next couple months - and try to enjoy them! Soon you'll be back into a better, more normal life that will allow you to get back into the things you
    use to enjoy and you'll have many new and exciting opportunities to explore with your new career.
        My daughter will be finishing her 1st year at Wayne State PA program in May. It has been a lot of work but she seems to be surviving. Any advise
    to make it through the clinical's?
        I'll be looking to hear about the celebrating in a few months. Keep up the good work!
Chris

Thanks guys!   :cheers:

I did manage to get my butt back on track and ace those last exams and assignments. I may still have to do a few osce's (Short practical exams) but those are fine. Looks like I'll be able to enjoy my time doing actual work during my preceptorship for the next 6 weeks. Heck, I'll even go to the damn ceremony in April! For a little while...  :icon_smile_big:

Chris, yeah time flies alright! I can't believe I'm almost done. When I graduate it will have been a grand total of 8 years taking classes. That's a long ass time but it sure is worth it!

Some people do great in the first year and some do great in the second. Rarely both for the same student though. My second year was so much better than the first, there's just no comparison. I'm 44, I'm real tired of studying and being surrounded by 25 year olds. During the clinical year I could do what I do best and that's taking care of people. Nobody gives a damn if you don't have all the answers to questions they ask, but they care how you interact with people. For some younger students who did great in the academic year, this year has been a struggle. And if that's how it goes then just work your way through it. It'll work out in the end.

For the clinical year you just need a few rules to follow: always be on time, don't complain about anything unless it threatens the safety of people, be nice. That's about it. If you can make a preceptor laugh here and there then you're golden. Every student is afraid of being pimped but you really don't have to be. Nobody expects you to know it all, or even some of it.

Most of my class found that during year 2 you tend to forget a lot of stuff learned in year 1 so keep going over the basic stuff. Forget the rare stuff, you won't see much of that outside of a classroom. But if you know how organ systems work and you can explain it in a few lines, then you're way ahead of the game. Remember she'll be seeing a ton of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea, and things like metabolic syndrome just in a family med setting. Internal med and surgery will be looking at those plus renal disease, cardiomyopathies, coagulopathies, and loads more. You can't know every little detail, but knowing the big picture patho of these disorders will make you a star!

Nice to hear about your great progress!  :cheers:

Dan

Thanks Dan!   :cheers:

Thanks Dino,
        I'll pass on your words of wisdom - I'm sure she will find value in your learning experience.
       As always, continued success in your program and can't wait to congratulate you when you
       finally complete it and find your place in the workforce.
Chris

3 more 12 hour shifts and this journey is over! Tuesday is my last day in my preceptorship. Friday is my last official day on campus but I have to go back for an hour in the week after to redo a quick practical exam that I missed by a point. Dammit....

Ceremony is April 22 and that's it! I'm taking my 5 hour board exam on May 2nd so now it's time to go look for a job.

I still can't believe it's almost over. It's been quite the ride!

That is crazy! I feel like you just started this all a couple months ago. Congratulations!

Yes, that time sure seemed to fly by, probably more for us here, than for you! Congratulations on the major accomplishment!

Great Job Dino! Great job staying with your desire to change your life direction... Good Luck on your exams and job search!! You now can go anywhere in the country and be in demand...

Congratulations on finishing PA school! :2thumbs:  Now comes the really hard part: balancing life with work.  Make sure you make room for your hobbies or  :brickwall: will happen with time...

Thanks folks!   :cheers:

Don't you worry, I'll have plenty time for hobbies. After two intense years I don't have many hobbies left though!

I'm hoping a day position will open where I just did my preceptorship, but they only have a night position at the moment so I sent a classmate in who got the job. Even if I get hired today, I have to go through the credentialing process which will take months, so hello vacation!   :lol:

I did my last exam, and passed, and now I'm waiting for Sunday's ceremony. I'll do my boards on 5/2 and that's the final test.

Now if only I can get some interest back in this old car of mine, we'd be getting somewhere!

:2thumbs:

Troy

Huge congrats on a major milestone!

:2thumbs:

Thanks!  :cheers:

Well this is it! I took my board exam yesterday. The exam consists of 5 blocks of 60 questions, giving you 60 minutes to complete each block. I was prepped well and all my practice exams indicated that I would pass. And like just about everyone else who does one of these, I feel I bombed it.

I will likely get the result a week from today, so I'll get back to you guys. If I pass then it's time to start looking for a job AND take a long and well deserved vacation. If however I did not pass, I cannot retake the exam until 90 days have passed from the initial attempt, which means I need to break out all the tools and study my tail off to pass it the second time around. And defeated as I will feel, I will try again and succeed.

I STILL cannot believe I am nearly done...

If you think you bombed you should be good Dirk ! Our Daughter called right after she wrote her three exams for her architects licence (after 7 years of University and then 4000 hours of "intern" work) and stated "I sure F'd that up"! and a week later her official licence came courier !

When I took my Professional Engineering license test all those decades ago, I was sure I had mucked it up. but lo and behold I passed! No worries.  ;)

Dan

Thanks guys!   :cheers:

Most of my class has taken their board exams, most of us think we failed. I seriously would not be surprised if I actually did fail, but I'll have to wait another week or so to find out and it's killing me!

Best regards to ya!  :cheers: I'll bet a buck you pass!  :2thumbs:

Neil I owe you a buck!

I passed this silly test, I'm now a certified physician assistant! Woot!   :boogie: :boogie: :boogie:


I will keep updating this thread with job news and such, but for now I think I'm going to take a nap for a week or so.   :2thumbs:

Congrats Dirk!  Such a great accomplishment!  :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Thank you!

Congratulations on passing the board exams!  :cheers:

Thanks!   :cheers:

 :2thumbs:  Enjoy your nap. Well earned.  ;)

Dan

Way to go, Dino.  Congrats!

:2thumbs:

SEE, what I tell yah ! Congrats fella, another long road hoed !  :cheers:

Quote from: Dino on May 10, 2018, 09:29:37 AM
Neil I owe you a buck!

I passed this silly test, I'm now a certified physician assistant! Woot!   :boogie: :boogie: :boogie:


I will keep updating this thread with job news and such, but for now I think I'm going to take a nap for a week or so.   :2thumbs:

Excellent! :2thumbs:

Troy

Congrats  :cheers:

Good job- congratulations  :cheers:

Way to go Dirk!  :2thumbs:

Congratulations!  My wife was certain she had failed hers too; she had the same pleasant surprise as you when she found out she passed.   :2thumbs:

Quote from: Dino on May 10, 2018, 09:29:37 AM
Neil I owe you a buck!

I passed this silly test, I'm now a certified physician assistant! Woot!   :boogie: :boogie: :boogie:


I will keep updating this thread with job news and such, but for now I think I'm going to take a nap for a week or so.   :2thumbs:

Sorry for the late reply, I really was certain you were good to go!   :cheers:

Hey Dino, Great News! 
All of you hard work and dedication has paid off.
Congratulations on your Graduation and Certification!
Good luck on your job search - I'll keep watching for your updates.
Chris

- My daughter started her first clinical rotation last week.  Surgery at Detroit Receiving - she's working about 70 to 80 hrs a week.
  1 day off with a 26 hour shift every 3rd.
   

Thanks guys, I just woke up from that nap.   :lol:

What a ride! Glad it's over though, not gonna lie.

Chris those hours are insane; no PA student should do those things, there's no need for it. The worst I did was 4 night shifts in a row, each 16 hours long. Luckily rotations aren't long so she'll be done with it before she knows it. And at 44 I don't do as well with long days as your daughter would I'm sure.

I met a few Wayne State students on my rotations. Ask her if she knows Hoda, one class above her.

 :cheers:  Congratulations Dirk!

Now, when are you going to take that Charger out for a spin?  :D

Remarkable, you started May 4th 2016 and now done! Best wishes to you and yours!  :2thumbs:

The real funny thing is that I took my very first community college class which started 05/10/2010. I was certified as a PA 8 years later to the day!

8 years in school, 4 of those while having a full time job in health care. Yeah it's been fun but glad that's over!   :eek2:

Quote from: bakerhillpins on May 15, 2018, 01:16:42 PM
:cheers:  Congratulations Dirk!

Now, when are you going to take that Charger out for a spin?  :D

Thanks!   :cheers:

Oh that'll be a while, it's not ready for it's maiden voyage just yet. I still haven't found interest in the car so I'm just going to let it ride for a while.

This journey is over but a new one is about to start. I took a position at Henry Ford Allegiance Neurosurgery here in Jackson Michigan. I don't start until mid-November though. I'm in the middle of the lengthy and boring credentialing process. I'll be doing mostly outpatient stuff but there's a healthy surgical first assist component. I'm already hearing brain surgery jokes from my friends...  :lol:

That's the good news. Bad news is that after all this school and nothing to do, I'm going stir crazy. Still have zero interest in the Charger and if it doesn't come back soon I may just get rid of it. It's depressing to look at.

Hang in there!  :cheers: I got as done as I'm gonna get just in time. (I wanna drive not work on it,)

If you're anything like me it's because not being able to finish projects is taking it's toll. Life and responsibility left little time to get to them and they ended up as projects that started and just stretched out into what seemed oblivion. It's depressing to not be able to get enough time to actually finish something and see it sitting there reminding you all the time. Too many priorities.. The Charger was part of that, I didn't want to start anything on it because it would end up like everything else and just languish in pieces. I've started picking smaller projects and just banging them out, a little bit each evening, ignoring others. It took a surprising amount of discipline to keep from getting distracted. I've been able to chip away at quite a few of the smaller ones sitting around, mostly house projects, and it's helped me feel like I can make progress without being depressed that I'm not getting anywhere. That's actually helped with the Charger because I felt I could pick a task and concentrate on it for the required time and get it done. Then move on to something else, eventually getting back to the car. Do I have more to do, hell yes, but I'm doing much better with knocking out the little things and it's made me fell less guilty about working on the Charger for a day every now and then and that's fun and rewarding when I drive it. Like today!!

Anyway, you will find your way. Sometimes it just takes one little thing that you sort of "trip over".

Congrats on the new Job!

Have fun!

Thanks guys   :cheers:

I have two small projects to finish up before I touch the Charger, but the time is coming. I hope by next week I'll be able to take the car off the stands, roll it out, remove all the boxes and parts from the interior and clean the whole car. Clean out the corner it's been sitting in for so long and basically stuff the car back in it and continue where I left off. I still have lots of parts to buy, but I could finish most of the car with what I have. Ie, no excuses.  :lol:

Congratulations Dirk  on finishing school and passing the test !   :2thumbs:

Still owe you a beer, make it two now.  :cheers:


By the way Doc, I have this pain since I started playing with old Chargers again about 10 years ago. Is there a cure?

I recommend "doing" what you can do before spending any big bucks.  :2thumbs:

Hey Dino,
    I hope everything is going well with your P.A. career. It just thought I would give you an update on my daughter's journey at Wayne State. 
She successfully completed her last rotation and had her 'White Coat Ceremony' the end of April, Graduation Ceremony the first week of May,
took the State Exams last week, and was notified this morning she passed and is now a Certified Physcian Assistant. Thank Goodness!!!
    I haven't been on this site much lately but I noticed you finally got back to your Charger again - that's great.
Chris

Tremendous achievement! Congratulations to her!

Dan

Excellent news Chris! Big congrats to her. Any job prospects?

Yeah finally back to working on the car. A bit slow right now because of some custom stuff but getting there.

Thanks Dan & Dino,
   She's had a couple of interviews and offers in the Metro Detroit, but she's getting married in Sept. and looking to move to the Ann Arbor area eventually.
In the meantime she is working for a Pediatrican from one of her clinical rotations on a temporary basis until they figure out where they end up, then she
will look for something more permanent probably staying in Ped's or Sports Med / Ortho.
Chris

Wow! Congrats Dino. It's been a long time since I've read up on your journey. Just looked you up to make contact. Good you're back to work on the car. Remember you said you'd let me know when you're read to to fire up the 440.  :icon_smile_big:  :drive: