School First

Hey guys,

Yes I know a little over a month ago I had promised an update "soon". Why do you think I used such a vague word? :-) Actually the real reason for my long absence, as my title states, is I had to put school first. To be perfectly honest, I was struggling with my grades a little bit due to my lack of time management skills and my failure to work on this in the beginning of the year. I am pretty sure I got on my Soap Box about time management skills on here before. Unfortunately I can speak from personal experience that not having this skill down-pat can really cause problems. Not only will this cause problems in PA school (and it will) but in life in general.

Well anyway, I just really needed to take some time to take a long, hard look at my self, and make appropriate changes in my life and my approach to school so I didn't screw up this amazing opportunity! Somewhat unfortunately, that meant putting things aside that weren't really important in terms of getting me through the program. One of those things, as you can tell, was writing in my blog. The good news, if there is any in this, is that the changes I have made are working! I have really been on top of things and my grades are showing it. (Well, at least I am on top of things as much as I can be. I feel by design you really can never be "truly" on top of PA school... speaking from my experience and through talking to my fellow classmates.) Not only are my grades showing improvement but I feel I am better understanding the material. That in itself is probably the most important thing. Although don't let anyone fool you. Yes grades don't determine if you're going to be a GOOD PA, but grades will determine if you are GOING TO BE a PA. -- Anyway, I told you guys I was going to be as open and honest on this thing as I could be so those that are looking at going to PA school can really see what it is like from one person's POV. That is really my reason for sharing this with you.

So hopefully those that are still following this thing can find forgiveness, just this once? No? Alright, fair enough.

All that being said, we finished up our GI (gastrointestinal) module this past Monday with yet another legendary module exam. I did well on it! I am definitely happy with the scores I received, and am moving on. We are now in our Emergency Medicine module. We are in the process of learning ACLS. ACLS is pretty interesting so far. I am a little nervous to get tested in the "Megacode" though. For those not familiar with what this is we basically have what is called a SIMs lab in another building. The SIMs lab is a patient simulator lab that is setup exactly how an emergency room would be setup. There is a "dummy" on the bed that is controlled in the "control room". The dummy is able to have vitals, a cardiac rhythm, make noises, etc. We are going to be tested on our ACLS skills by being part of a team that basically responds to a code (or when the patient crashes) and appropriately administers treatment to try to "bring back" the patient. I know it sounds a little weird but it sounds like fun. However, I am nervous because there is quite a bit to learn. You have to learn algorithms for different heart rhythms, etc that you need to be able to implement immediately. On top of that you have to know the drug, the dose and when to give them while your adrenaline is pumped up. I just hope I know enough to do well.

Well I have to go and learn how to put in an IV now. I am almost there though!!!! I am almost done with the first year! (Thank God!) Only about a month and a half left until we get a little break and then start rotations!!! We should be finding out our rotation schedule for next year here in a few weeks. Ill let you guys know how that plays out.

Until then my friends, as my friend in the 2nd year class says, "PA school is all about putting out fires." -- I'm going to put out another fire. Seeya!

M-R