On the Home Stretch

It is honestly hard to believe that today is July 29th, I feel like it was just yesterday that we were starting this program...but here I am with almost 8 months of PA school under my belt. Just thought I'd give a little update on how things have been going since the last time I posted and let's just say, July has been a crazy month.  We had three or four regular exams between our two classes in addition to the systemic pathology conferences and our occasional gross room, autopsy, and EM rotations.  Needless to say, there has been a lot of work and studying that has been going on over the past few weeks.

This week (the dreaded finals week) hasn't been any different.  We started Monday, July 27th, with our final "regular" exam in Systemic Pathology that covered the CNS and breast.  Thus far, the CNS chapter has been the most overwhelming because there is so much information on the different types of CNS pathologies.  It's slightly scary to think that we only covered a fraction of all CNS pathologies and we had 10 full PowerPoints of what our directors thought were the most important ones for us to know.  Once we conquered that test, the fun wasn't over.  The next day, we had our final exam for Clinical Pathology, which was composed of 90 multiple choice, true and false, and fill in the blank questions.  It was cumulative, so it covered everything we went over this summer, but I am glad to have everything finished for that class.

Throughout this week, we were also each given a topic/chapter from our Disease Mechanisms book that we had to make a PowerPoint and present on for 20 minutes.  That took a good bit of our time this week, but it was a good review for our final in Systemic Pathology this coming Friday.  I presented on the skin, which included benign epithelial tumors, acute inflammatory dermatoses and chronic inflammatory dermatoses. I can honestly say after that practicing that presentation that I should be pretty solid on knowing the skin part of the final for Friday.  The Systemic Pathology Exam Friday is cumulative and will also have a normal histology (tissue recognition) portion that will be performed in the scope lab.  The other part of the test will be composed of the normal multiple choice format.

Here's to happy studying and finishing the summer semester up strong! I'm excited for the two week break I have coming before fall semester starts! :)

One Month to Go...for Summer Session

We have made it to July 1st and I find that hard to believe.  This summer has flown by, which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all.  The past few weeks haven't been too crazy, just the normal schedule of class and the occasional rotation.  Since my last post, we have had two tests.  One was on the kidney, heart, and bone, and the one this week was on the liver, skin, and endocrine.  There really isn't too much left of the semester with only two tests, a presentation, and a final remaining in Systemic Pathology, and then one test and a final in Clinical Pathology.  Time really does fly when you're having fun :P.  

I did have my second gross rotation this week and I had the chance to see and gross a few specimens that I haven't had before.  One of the specimens was vaginal mesh, which really wasn't too difficult.  The specimen just required a gross description and it was submitted entirely.  I was also given the opportunity to gross my first uterus with the cervix, both fallopian tubes, and an ovary.  It came across my bench because of leiomyomas, which appear as white-whorled nodules of various sizes within the myometrium.  As always, I had to measure, weigh, and describe all the components.  The specimen had been sliced the day before and left in formalin over night, so I had to describe what the cut surfaces, such as the endometrial cavity, myometrium, and so on, looked like before I began taking the appropriate sections.  It was quite the experience and a little nerving at times, but it was nice to get one of the more "complex" specimens I've never done before.  Aside from those new specimens, I did a lot of biopsies from the GI tract, breast cores, and skin specimens.  I get a little stressed out in the gross room at times, but once I start working, I realize I know a lot more than I feel like I do and just have to trust in everything I have learned.  It will take time, but one day, my classmates and I will be "pros" at what we are being taught to do!

All the Summer Things

For my and your entertainment, you must sing the title like Mark Hoppus and if you don't know who that is, just google it and you'll figure it out real quick.  That's just me trying to be clever with my blog titles.

Anyway, I just thought I'd give an update about my summer session since I'm now about 3 weeks in or so.  We had our first test of the summer this past Monday in Systemic Pathology and it covered disease processes of the lung, pancreas, eye, and gastrointestinal tract.  Needless to say, I put quite a bit of time in preparation for that test considering the amount of material it covered and it paid off.  The test had a similar format to all the tests that we had the first semester, which consisted of multiple choice, true and false, and fill in the blank.  To keep us refreshed, our professors also included normal histology images on the test for us to identify since we will be taking an Advanced Microanatomy class in the fall.

As for our other class, Clinical Pathology, we have had three lectures that covered Laboratory Testing, Immunology and Immunity, and Imaging Studies.  We have quizzes every week on the material we covered the week before since we only have the class one day a week.  We have our first actual test on Tuesday of next week.  While the quizzes are a little nerve wrecking some weeks, I think it will overall make it a little easier when studying for the test since we have already been looking over the material and were quizzed on it.

I have also had three rotations so far.  My first one was in autopsy and unfortunately, due to timing and some technical issues in the morgue, I wasn't able to see much.  The only thing I was able to fully observe was the external examination process.  However, I do have a second rotation in autopsy, so hopefully the cards will play in my favor next time.  I also had an EM (Electron Microscopy) rotation where we were shown how certain specimens, more specifically kidney biopsies, are processed in preparation for EM.  The specimens are received in a special fixative called glutaraldehyde that allows for the preservation ultrastructure in the specimens so they can be appreciated under the EM scope.  Prior to the viewing the specimens under the scope, they must be processed, embedded in resin, and sections must be taken using a diotome.  While in the EM lab, they allowed me to cut down a resin block to prepare for sectioning.  I was also shown a variety of images that were taken using the EM scope and they explained the types of things they look for in each type of specimen that comes through.  Finally, I also had another gross room rotation.  It wasn't too crazy when I was in there, but I was able to gross a few specimens.  As usual, I did several biopsies, mostly those that came from the GI tract.  I was also able to gross several colon polyps, a temporal artery, and a set of tonsils.

As you can see, my summer has been quite the adventure so far and I'm not going to lie, I'm ready for a break.  However, I must keep trucking on through.  Until next time my friends!

Back to the Grind

Summer break was very short lived as it only lasted a week and now, here I am, back in classes.  However, I did get to spend a majority of my week in Las Vegas and had a great time with the family.  We explored and stayed on the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas, so we got the best of both worlds.  My Dad, his friend Randy, and I even biked 35 miles round trip through the Red Rock Canyon.  It was a rough ride, but the views made it worth every minute.

Red Rock Canyon

I'm now back in Morgantown and finished my first day of summer classes.  We only have two classes this semester, which are Systemic Pathology and Clinical Pathology Seminar.  We have Systemic Pathology every morning from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and Clinical Pathology Seminar is every Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  Overall, the class schedule isn't too bad to say the least.  In addition to our classes, we also have three gross room rotations, two EM rotations, and two autopsy rotations that are scheduled throughout the summer term.  I think that it will be a pretty relaxing semester in comparison to the one we just completed.  I guess I shall say farewell to summer break and hello to the world of summer classes.  

One Down, Five To Go

I made it through finals week and I am quite proud of myself to say the least.  I didn't completely lose my mind or experience a caffeine overload and I felt confident in my performances.  So successful? I think so.

I wanted to make this a little more of lighthearted post and give a little bit of insight on the lessons I learned from my first semester.  The following is a list of lessons or "hacks" I learned throughout the semester that will make the experience a lot less stressful and overwhelming:

1.  Do NOT procrastinate...okay, so we all procrastinate, but once you get to this level of study, it isn't exactly the best of ideas.  After the first month, I realized I wasn't in undergrad anymore.  There is so much more material being thrown at you for each exam and you need more than one night to study and really learn the material.

2.  Practice, practice, practice.  The more you do something, the better you will get.  This includes dictations, frozen sections, and grossing specimens.  If you are lacking a skill in one area, find help and improve on it.  This is your future career, so learn all you can and be the best you can be.

3.  Take one day off a week from school work and go on a day trip, explore, and meet new people.  Just do it, you will thank me.

4.  I know just above I said take a day off, but honestly, find something to do everyday that will be your "escape" from school and life.  It can be anything from watching an episode of your favorite TV show to going for a hike to just sitting back and listening to music.  Whatever it may be, do it.  It can be for as little as 15 minutes to 4 hours, or even longer if you like.  Just keep yourself healthy, body and soul.  You will never make it through the two years if you are constantly stressed and unhappy worrying about school, grades, and anything else that may be happening in life.  Finding daily activities to unwind and take your mind off things is probably the most important piece of advice I can give to anyone.  

So all in all, work hard, learn, and be the best PA you can be, but don't lose sight of yourself and your happiness.  Even though you are working for a dream, make sure to have a little fun along the way. :)

Finals Week is Upon Us

Believe it or not, finals week has finally arrived and crunch time begins.  It's so hard to imagine almost four months has passed by since we started classes in January and the end of a long, challenging, and crazy first semester has come oh so quickly.  However, I have three obstacles to overcome before a much needed week long break before the summer session begins.  There are names for my obstacles and they sound a little like this.....stress, sleep deprivation, and caffeine overdose.  Lovely and exciting names, I know, but in reality they are called histology, mechanisms of disease, and anatomical techniques.  On the bright side, we no longer have classes to attend, so it's the home stretch of just studying and focusing on everything we have learned from day one.  It's the latter part of the that sentence that scares me, EVERYTHING we have learned from day one.  Confidence is key for this week.

The schedule and make-up of the exams this week goes like this:

Monday at 10:00 am:  Histology (all multiple choice)
Wednesday at 10:00 am: Mechanisms of Disease (multiple choice, matching, and true/false)
Friday at 10:00 am:  Anatomical Techniques (multiple choice, true/false, short answer)

Even though the exams are cumulative, we are now at the point that we have been tested on most of the particular details of each chapter or section, so now it is more of big picture type of concepts and associations.  With tests covering so much material, it's really the only way all the most important material can be touched upon.  In my mind, that makes it a little less scary.

I suppose I shall get back to studying so I can get through this week and then prepare for a nice week off...that will be spent in Las Vegas,  YAYYYY!!! :) Happy studying to all!

The Light at the End of the Tunnel is Near...Kind of

It is that time of the semester where the end is so near, yet so far away because there are only a million and one things to do before our last final exam on May 8.  These last three weeks will allow for no free time and no fun, but at least in the end I will be able to say I survived my first semester of PA school.

The last couple of weeks since we returned from spring break have been pretty uneventful, except for the normal cycle of classes, rotations, and tests.  I must say, spring break did not help my motivation because now all I can think of is our May break between spring and summer semesters, but I am powering through the best I can.

However, on a positive note, we had our last full cadaver lab session today with only our final lab practical to go, which will be next week.  The final will cover everything we identified in the lab from day 1, *(insert sarcasm here)* so that will be a lot of fun to prepare for and take.  Even though it's bittersweet that cadaver lab is over, I think we went out on a good note by doing the brain dissection.  It was by far my favorite lab so far, mainly because I got to play with a bone saw for a while and went on the challenge of finding and carefully extracting all of the internal ear bones.  Even though I only found the incus and malleous (because the stapes didn't want to be found), I was very proud of myself to even get those.

I will leave on that note about my day because I have another test tomorrow in Anatomical Techniques.  It's the last one before the final exam, so as with all the others, this class is nearing the end.  I'll try and stay calm and sane over these next couple of weeks and update you along the way...so until next time future PAs.