Im in my second rotation now. I am currently doing family medicine at a FL health clinic in a rural area.

My patients are very sick, poor, and most of the time have no insurance, or very little money. I mostly see patients that have diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), depression, and other various diseases.

Many patients will come in suffering from many issues, it is my job to sort out the most important ones. I wish I could spend an hour with every patient I see, but sadly it is not realistic when you have a schedule of 30+ patients.

The walmart and publix drug lists are becoming my best friend. If I need to prescribe anything, I try to go off the list so patients get their meds for free, 4$ or 10$. For you future students on rotation, put a list of these in your pocket. They are very useful and they are not just for the patients that have no insurance, everyone should put them to use.

I also recommend that you download some applications for your droid or Iphone. Some good ones are medscape, epocrates, ICD9 codes. Make sure you ask your preceptor in advance to use your phone. Some dont mind, and some mind a lot. I use medscape mostly especially for drug dosages. I'm getting to the point though where I keep using the same drugs over and over and I don't need the dosages at all...thank goodness! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall and everyone is counting their blessings. God is good...God is love, hope, and encouragement.

My dad and I went shopping today. It happened to be at a place where Cory and I were at near the end of our relationship. It flooded my brain with memories of him. This past Friday, the 21st, marks 5 months since he has passed away. There is still not a day that goes by that I don't think about him.

His death doesn't get any easier. Do I know he is in heaven? Absolutely. I know our heavenly father called him to come to heaven at the young age of 25. Lately, it has been hard for me to have any patient mention the word "cancer." I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes because my mind immediately goes towards memories of Cory and his cancer.

Today, I sat in Nordstroms trying on shoes. I could see Cory a couple years back sitting with me and shaking his head while I tried on shoes. Cory thinking, "this girl is crazy! She loves shoes way too much." I happened to buy the same brand of shoes today that I bought with him. Which I didn't think about until now...

Having someone pass away is hard. As I have said previously, I will never get over it but I will get through it. It doesn't matter that Cory and me have been broken up for two years, he still holds a very special place in my heart.  He has taught me so many wonderful things that I hope to show and teach others. He is just that type of person that makes big impacts on a lot of peoples lives. I hope to do that too someday...

I miss you Cory

So when I first started reading about "pimping," I was not yet accepted into PA school. I thought what in the world does that mean? Getting pimped by a preceptor is when he/she will ask you medical questions. Sometimes you will know what they are talking about, and other times you will have no idea what they are asking. If you don't know just say, "I don't know but I will have the answer for you by tomorrow."

I got pimped for the first time last week by one of my preceptors. I thought I knew that answer, but I happened to be wrong. I was embarrassed at first, but then I got over the embarrassment because I realized there are going to be many more questions I don't know the answer to. Psych is going well, and I have some amazing people that are in the practice.

Everyone is so kind at the hospital and greet you or wave hello. The nurses are helpful and will show me things if I ask them where something is. Im learning as I go. So far I have been able to see patients on my own, write progress notes, and dictate.

I am very thankful and have been happy with this rotation. I only have 4 weeks left, and I will be sad to say goodbye to the people I have gotten to know.

Soldiers, firefighters, police and other public servants show great courage every day. They may feel fearful at times, but they overcome their fear and act with bravery and assurance when others are in need.

I give thanks for these heroes, past and present, who courageously performed their duties at great personal risk. I know that God is with them, now and always, just as God is with me.

Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.--Luke 22:43

Remembering 9/11/01

Hi everyone! Today was my first day at my first rotation. My first rotation is psychiatry at a local hospital.

Today, I just got acquainted with the nurse practitioner, the 2 doctors, and all the nurses. I also got a look at the computer system.

I see a lot of patients with depression, schizophrenia, paranoia, etc. So far so good but it is just my first day. I will update you on it more in the week.

The school requires us to log all of our patients so I started doing that. I need to read more about the Baker act and update myself on some psych drugs.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Life...life is an amazing gift made by our almighty creator God. It happens in a flash..when a sperm and and an egg meet and start dividing by meiosis. Certain cells make specific things. Some cells form bone, some the eyes, some the muscle, some blood vessels. Each cell works 24 hours for 9 months to make a human being and they work the rest of our lives.

Then, life can be taken in an instant. The heart no longer beats and the lungs no longer breathe the fresh oxygen. Life can be taken from us at any moment.

I always think about that. That life can be taken at any minute. Were things said to that person that I would/wouldn't regret if they passed? Did I tell them how I felt about them? Did I say I loved them? Was I nice to them? Mean to them?

Our actions always have consequences.

I guess ever since I dated someone with a life threatening illness (cancer), I always thought about these types of things. I never wanted for us to go to bed angry at each other. So next time, when you want to get angry at a friend, have an argument, etc; think about your consequences. If that person died, would you be okay with how things were left off with them? It's time you will never get back...

Love fully, and remember we all have feelings and emotions. Don't be selfish, and put others before yourself because you never know when that person will be gone..

Shame on me for not updating since July 20th. I will hit all the major points that have happened since finals week.

Finals week-what a doozy. 6 finals in 3 days. I did well on all my finals, got A's on all of them except for emergency medicine which I got a B on. I ended up getting 8 A's and 1 B. I was happy with the outcome of the year. I can't believe that my didactic year is over. It felt so good to just be done with school work...I honestly still cant believe it. I know I wrote about the mock boards aka PACK-RAT. We had that the finals before finals. I ended up scoring a little above average which makes me feel more secure about the real boards--PANCE. Especially when I haven't even done rotations yet.

Vacation- I had a lovely vacation with my parents in siesta key. It was wonderful to have nothing to think about and nothing to do. We dined and wined and and had some beach time. There was also a ballroom competition in the hotel the whole week I was there. Overall, it was a much needed time off and I enjoyed every second of it.

Medical Spanish- We had a week of medical spanish. 8 hours a day for the whole week. By the end of the week we had to be able to ask a whole history in spanish. We also needed to be able to do 15 physical commands, and educate our patient in spanish about nutrition, stroke identification, taking their pulse, and how to reduce their stress. It was overwhelming at first because I haven't had a lick of spanish. By Friday, I was able to do what I needed to do, and pulled off an A in the class.

Clinical Orientation- Our first week was last week, and I can't say this week was the most exciting week of my life. It was a lot of talking, and being read to. Lets be honset, I can read, I am a big girl, but thanks Uni for reading to me. During the last couple days we got to do casting, IVs, Caths, and Respirators. I will post the pictures below.

I start rotations on the 29th! I can't believe it. I am not really nervous but excited. I think the Lord is just calming my heart and keeping me focused on learning as much as possible. This is the time to learn, time to enjoy, and time to evolve into a better future physician assistant!

Enjoy the pictures!! :)

3rd semester is winding down and I have finals coming up. We are in our last days of classes before finals hit. 6 days left and 8 more exams. I have a radiology final tomorrow, then we are taking a practice PACK-RAT. The pack-rat is like a mock boards in a way. It lasts 4 hours, and we dont get a break at all. It is supposed to gauge how you will do on the actual boards, so we will see. I am going to go over some cardiology and renal thursday night just to brush up on those concepts.

Next week we have two finals a day then a 10 day vacation. I can't wait for vacation..I am just really looking forward to no stress, no exams, and just relaxing. My family and I were going to go out of states, but my mother realized her passport wasn't updated. Then, we also had the issue of taking our dogs with us. I guess I was just not meant to go out of the country this time around. Everything happens for a reason right?

If everything pans out this semester, I may end up with 1 b and the 8 a's..I will take that. Not sure what my cumulative GPA with the other two semesters will be once everything is put together. Sadly, I am too tired to calculate it, so I will just wait until the school does that. :)

Today I am going to the dentist to get my tooth fixed. I went a few weeks ago and got a filling done and they didn't shave it down enough, so I am biting too high. I havent been able to eat on the left side of my mouth in a while. I am really excited to get it fixed. Oh the small things in life that make us happy right? While I am on that side of town, I am going to go try and find a kitchen table because I havent had one for almost a year now. I am tired of eating by sitting on the floor, couch, or bed.

I can't believe didactic year is almost over! It has been fun/hard/stressful/ but I am really looking forward to rotations. I am ready to get away from this classroom and meet new people and new faces.

All of us are starting to feel the wear and tear of PA school. All of us are starting to not study as hard for exams, not because we don't care, but because we are just physically and mentally exhausted.

I know for a fact I don't study as hard, but I have also been doing really well this semester. Maybe I am just feeling more comfortable taking tests now. I remember the way I felt before I would take a test, the way that the anxiety would creep in every crevice of my body. The way I would pray before each exam with my neighbor that sits to my right. I still do pray, and I am sure she does too, it's kind of our ritual. Sometimes we do it together, sometimes we don't.

I had a reader recently asked me if my faith has helped me through school. I definitely know so. Without Christ in my life, I would be nothing. He was the one that opened the door for me to get into PA school. I didn't have the most spectacular GPA, or even GRE score. I know people that have had same scores of mine or even better, and didn't get into PA school. This is how I know I belong in PA school, because I was put here for a reason. I thought I would be a lot more stressed while I was in PA school, but I honestly think the lord has protected my heart and brain. Yes, I have been through a lot this past almost year, but I have made it. I've made it through those hard times and I have also had some really happy times too! I take the good with the bad or vice versa.

We had two exams this week Pharm III and Emergency medicine. I think I have 11 more exams this semester which includes finals. I am almost at the end of the tunnel for didactic year!

For the rest of the week, I need to practice my physical exam as we are being tested on it on Thursday...I am not too worried about it. This is probably the 5th or 6th time I have had to do this in front of a professor. Friday, I have a SOAP note due for a patient I saw at the veterans hospital last week.

Tonight, I will be going back to the studio to finish up Cory's Dance Piece I am working on. If I can, I will post the finished product either on here, or I will upload it to youtube for you guys to see. :)

Hope everyone is having a great week!

One month ago today, I lost my ex to a motorcycle accident. There isn't a day that goes by that I dont think about him. I miss him terribly. "I believe in my heart that God has a reason for everything that happens in our life whether it be good or bad. God permits us to go through many trials that we may look to Him for healing and comfort. We are to glorify His name through the healing." -Cory. Missing you angel ♥

I have started to miss him more and more this past week. Even when he was alive, we didn't talk every day. That was okay though. It was understood he was in a new relationship, and I respected that. But, it doesn't mean that I ever stopped caring for him. I will always always have a place for Cory in my heart because I loved him.

I go on and try to not be sad because I know he is in heaven and that puts me at peace. There were many conversations that Cory and I had about death because he had cancer. I know he wasn't afraid of death. I know that he looked forward to the day he would go and live with Jesus in heaven. I know he is happy there, free of pain, chemo, and cancer.

I am in my 6th week of summer semester. The semester is a total of 10 weeks plus 3 days of finals. Wow, i'm less than half way there!

We have three exams this week: Pathophysiology: Endocrine, PA Role II, and Radiology. I have already taken my Endocrine exam, which I was dreading. Endocrine is one of my least favorite subjects. I do have to say, the book Pathophysiology made easy is a great book. It really dummies down the subject for you which I appreciate...because I feel like such a dummy when I am learning endocrinology.

As for the other exams, we shall see. The professor for radiology is a very fast teacher. He goes through 200+ slides in an hour and half. I barely get the chance to even understand the picture before he moves on to the next slide.

I know it is only tuesday, but I'm ready to start making some weekend plans.

http://blogs.forbes.com/jacquelynsmith/2011/06/06/the-best-and-worst-masters-degrees-for-jobs/

#1 Baby!

These summer classes are brutally long. It is hard for me to pay attention for 3 hours. Sometimes we will have two 3 hour classes back to back with a break in between. We also will have pathophysiology II either 3 or 4 times a week which is just a lot to handle.

I have found myself taking naps when I get home after school. I am not sure if its because classes mostly start at 8 am in the summer, or if I am physically or just emotionally exhausted from all the things that have happened the last few weeks. I am sure it's a combination of both.

We had two exams this week. Pharmacology III and Physical Diagnosis III. I did well on both. I got a mere 5 hours of sleep last night, so I am just looking forward to getting out of school and running some errands. I need to start my study guides for the 3 exams we have next week.

I went home this past weekend to see my parents, and will actually be going again for fathers day. Luckily the drive is only 2 hours. During these drives, I either let my brain rest, or I listen to the lectures via my laptop. I gets one less lecture I have to listen to while sitting at home. This past weekend when I was home we were assigned to do an epidemiology exam. The class just started last week, and will only last 3 weeks total. I kept reminding myself to do the exam, but got lost in my tracks of doing laundry, packing, and doing the drive back home. It wasn't until the next day that I realized I forgot. I couldn't believe I had forgotten to take an exam. Luckily, one exam grade is dropped, so I will be dropping my 0. I was upset, but you can't cry over spilled milk right?

Thursday, we are learning how to gown and glove. Hopefully, I will have pictures for you all to see. :)

I started working on Cory's dance. I only have about a minute and a half of the dance done, but I know it will turn out well once I finish it and clean it up.

I had to get me TDAP immunization today, my arm feels like it has been punched...but thats okay, if I ever have to give one, then I can tell patients what to expect. The last I got one was in 2004, but the school required one with pertussis.

My three tets went well this week, got all A's...so I will take it.

I just wanted to post some websites we learned about in PA role II today. I thought they were really interesting and would be helpful to some of you out there! :)

AAPA Vital stats
Student Census Survey

This is a question that someone recently asked me in my blog. The answer is yes and no. It depends on the time of the year actually. I graduated from Univ of Tampa, where I was a dance minor. The school has 4 shows a year 2 in the fall, 2 in the spring. Being that I am an alumni, I still get to participate in these shows. I'm sure I could take classes still too, but those often happen during the day while I am in class. The last show I did was in February of this year. Before that, I danced a show in November. I did a ballet piece and I jazz/tap piece. I was stressed about it because I also had 4 exams in the same week of the show. I was in class 8 hrs a day then rehearsal 3 hrs a night then had a test the next morning. I only made a few of the dress rehearsal due to the study time I needed. One choreographer was totally understanding, the other not so much. I love performing, and I think it is probably something I will never get tired of. I will actually be going to the studio on Wednesday to choreograph a dance in memory of Cory's death.  I haven't quite decided on the song yet, but I am definitely looking forward to dancing with one of my male dancer friends and just dancing for Cory.

This is our 4th week in for the summer semester, only 7 weeks left of didactic...Crazy! This week is our first week we have had exams since the semester started...a very rare thing. Normally, we start having exams 2 weeks in.

Monday, we had a pathophysiology exam that covered mostly GI problems. Malabsorption problems, Irritable Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Peptic ulcer disease, Duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, Gallstones, pancreatitis, cirrhosis, and the list goes on. I got an A on the exam, so that made me happy.

Today, we had our pharmacology III quiz over mental health drugs. We normally have a pharmacology quiz every week or 2. There is a total of 4 quizzes, you can drop your lowest quiz grade, then you take the final which I believe is 40% of your grade and around 50 questions. Since we are in pharm III now, and it is the same pharmacologist that teaches it, you know how he asks questions so you can prepare yourself for the exams. Like I said in the previous post, for Pharm II final, I had 18 pages of drug names...not fun!

Tomorrow, I have emergency medicine, which I am worried about, because I haven't even began to study...remember one test at a time...but I am still a little skeptical of how much my brain will hold on 5 hrs of sleep.

One more thing, I went zip lining on Sunday for my best friend in the class birthday! We had so much fun--I will have to post pictures/video.

June 20th, 2010 I quit my job to become prepared for PA school. I took two months off before school started just to have my own time before I would be biting the bullet for PA school. I am glad I did. :) I can't believe it has almost been a year!

Today is just two classes. Research Methods and Pathophysiology II. I am almost done with research methods which is just fine with me. I think I will be finishing the class with a 100% which is a first for me and pretty awesome at the same time. We have been learning things such as the: bell curve, mean, average, mode, standard deviations, stuff like that. Next after this class will be epidemiology.

Pathophysiology is a hard class. Patho I my grades would fluctuate. Some subjects I would ace the tests, others I would get a C or a B. It really depends on how much I like what I am learning. Right now we are learning about GI, Pancreas, and the liver. My study guide is a mere 30 pages and I am almost done going through all of it. My exam is on Monday. Then Pharm exam Tuesday, and Emergency Medicine on Wednesday.

Just another week in PA school!

I am amazed by how many views I have gotten since I have started this blog less than a year ago. I have had 4000+ views and I am so grateful. To make it easier on you guys, you can always press the "follow me" button on the right hand side of this blog. Plus, I would really appreciate it! :)

Due to request, I am going to start writing more about my days in PA school. It might seem mundane to other PA people, but they will get over it.

I am still in shock over Cory's death. Still grieving and can't believe that he is really gone. I wasn't able to make it to the funeral but I will one day go and visit his grave site in Louisiana. I'm trying to deal with it the best way I know...and that is just prayer. I will NEVER get over his death but I will get through it.

It is summer semester now, 11 weeks of class. That is all..then rotations. I still have no idea where they will send me for rotations but I know it is in Gods hands.

Today we had Emergency Medicine and Problem Based Learning aka PBL.
Emergency Medicine is a 3 hour class. Todays lectures included: Syncope (loss of consciousness), Chest pain, and Endocrine. Endocrine is not my favorite and a lot of students find it hard..I will have to agree with most of the students.

Problem Based Learning...oh there is so much I could say about this class. This is our third semester of this class. We break up into groups of four and work on a case scenario. Some days I like it, and some days I hate it. I like working together with people, but it isn't always that everyone participates. Also, it depends on the professor that is presenting the case they may make it more work than it really should be. This week we had to write an entire SOAP note. A little difficult especially if you actually seen the patient or done an actual physical. Plus you are writing it with 3 other people.

Anyways, I have got to run, I just scarfed down my dinner and want to run to church service. I need some Jesus time. I have also got to go over some power points for my pathophysiology exam that is on Monday.

I want to hear from you guys how I can improve and make it more beneficial for my audience! So, if you have a comment on what you want to see/read then make a comment in the box below!

This week has been one of the roughest I have ever been through my entire life. I haven't experienced death much...especially of a loved one. My grandfather died when I was 5 and my yorkie died in 8th grade. I'm still not quite sure how to handle this whole situation.

On Friday may 20th, I was home from school and just waking up from a nap. I grabbed my computer and logged on facebook. One status catches my eye with the name of my ex boyfriend. "Please pray for Cory...he was in a horrible motorcycle accident and is in critical condition." I immediately started shaking in fear of knowing how bad the accident actually was.

If you are a follower of my blog, you may have remembered a previous entry about him. You can read it Here

I immediately messaged his best friend and asked him how bad it was. A 17 year old had pulled in front of Cory while he was riding his motorcycle. He was thrown off the bike which in return fractured both hips, his femur, caused a collapsed lung, and bilateral lung contusions. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital and placed on a ventilator. "Oh Lord, please let him make it through this. He is such a fighter, he has already battled cancer, please get him through this," I prayed.

On May 21st at 3:41am I lost someone so near and dear to my heart. Words cannot express how broken my heart is. Cory, the sweetest, most caring, loving, devoted, humble, strongest, determined, and, loved God..his family and his friends. I was fortunate enough to share so much with him and he has taught me so much. I am forever grateful. God called him to heaven and I will miss him always. Please pray for his family and friends everyone.

I would also like to take this time and say how amazing he is. Cory battled cancer since 2007. He was able to share with me his testimony which I will post below. He never once complained about the cancer but saw it as a blessing in his life. He will always be in my heart and always be someone that touched me dearly. Please take a look at his testimony.


In April of 2005, I was in an automobile accident when my vehicle struck a tree. My injuries consisted of a collapsed lung, head contusion, damaged spleen, broken ribs, and a dislocated right hip. The orthopedic surgeon that had patched me up said that I would never be able to run again. By the Grace of God, I am running upwards of 8-12 miles a day now.

-Psalms 146:3 “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.”

In May of 2007, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was staged at a IV-B, the worst stage of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After 6 months of chemotherapy followed by nearly 2 months of radiation, the cancer was declared to be in “remission”. Due to the size and spreading of the cancer before treatment or the biopsy procedure performed to gain evidence of my having cancer, my left phrenic nerve was severed. The phrenic nerve is a nerve that supplies movement to the diaphragm. The left side of my diaphragm was paralyzed and could no longer contract and relax, preventing my left lung from expanding and deflating during inhalation and expiration of breaths. Once again the doctors said that I would never be able to run long distances again. By the Grace of God, I am running upwards of 8-12 miles a day now.

- 2 Corinthians 12:7 “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

I believe in my heart that God has a reason for everything that happens in our life whether it be good or bad. God permits us to go through many trials that we may look to Him for healing and comfort. We are to glorify His name through the healing.

- John 11:4 “When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”

From verification through another biopsy, the cancer has returned once again. The doctors are telling me that my only option for survival is bone marrow transplant with high-dose chemotherapy. I followed the physician’s advice and paid a visit to M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX over the summer. They’re well known all over the world as the “cancer center”. My visit to M.D. Anderson was not a pleasant one. The physicians told me that if I did not do the treatment that I would surely die and that there was no hope without it. I found one of the physicians, the stem cell transplant specialist, to be scornful and not open to any other means of fighting the cancer. The chapel inside the hospital was very open to all religions, from Muslims to Buddhists, and was ecumenical in the extreme being decorated with every manner of religious symbol. A decision to receive treatment from there did not seem right according to my beliefs. 1 Kings 11: 1-9 (King Solomon)

-Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”

A PET/CT scan shows a lymphnode with a diameter of about 2in in my chest. However, I show no signs or symptoms related to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I feel I am in no need of a physician at the present time, but I pray that God will let me know when it is in fact time to seek the help of a physician.

-Matthew 9:12 “But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, they that are well need not a physician, but they that are sick.”

Given my situation I can’t help but think of the story of Job. God even said that Job was a “perfect and upright” man. God believed in Job so strongly that he was willing to let Satan test Job’s faith by afflicting him with a horrible disease. Job 2:8 says how Job used pieces of broken pottery to scrape the boils that covered his entire body. His own wife and friends did not even recognize him because he was so diseased. Even after his wife left him and his three friends accused him of committing a horrible sin to bring about such a horrible state, he never lost faith in God. Though Satan tried Job’s faith in hopes of making him blame and curse God for his disease, he never once lost faith in God. Job 2:10 says “In all this did not Job sin with his lips”. Job remembered all the blessings that God had given him. Blessings are a gift from God, not comforts we have earned, and we should prepare ourselves spiritually for the days of testing that surely will come to us. If it is the Lord who blesses us, then He has the right to withdraw His blessings. We do not merit his goodness, so what right do we have to complain when he withholds it? Job 1: 21-22 ‘……the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this. Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”


I feel God has a reason for allowing me to have this cancer. I know He has a plan for my life. I don’t believe God would put me through so many trials if He didn’t. I consider this diesease a blessing in hopes of sharing with others what God has done in my life, and what He has blessed me with. He has gotten me through so much in my life. I pray that He allows me to use this disease to witness to others showing that God does answer prayers. I am training to run a marathon in February. I love to run, and I thank God for allowing me to continue to run considering everything that has happened to me. I feel God has allowed me the ability to continue to run to glorify Him through my running and witness to others. I plan to show others that even with this pestilence, I will finish the race.

-Psalms 91:1-3 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence(disease).”

-1 Corinthians 9-26:27 “Therefore I run in such a way, as not with aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air, But I discipline my body and make it my slave. So that after I have preached to others. I myself will not be disqualified.”

Im siting in class this morning and realizing...sometime this year I will be suturing someone up. I wont be suturing pigs feet, or pieces of masking tape, but real people once rotations begin.

102 days until my first rotation. For my benefit, I made a countdown.

Another question I get is how do you fit studying in if you have 4-6 tests in one week? It took me a while to realize that when it came to studying, I had to take one test at a time. Now, I am not saying that it is like that for everyone, but it is what works for me. I honestly was never like in undergrad. I would study all weekend for multiple tests in undergrad.

I had a friend who gave me the advice to take ONE test at a time. I thought he was crazy. There is no way I am going to be able to do that. I also had to realize that I was not going to know ALL the information. There is only so much you can learn and its OK that you aren't going to know all of it. Sometimes, you surprise yourself and do amazing on exams that you didn't think you would do well on. Then there are other times you studied your tush off and you didn't get a good grade at all! Welcome to PA School!

5 Finals, 3 days, 14 hours of sleep over 3 days, and great grades to prove it!


Finals week is over for 2nd semester. Thank goodness. A lot of hard work went into finals week. I really wanted my grades to improve from last semester. Last semester, I was on the brink of A's going into final week, and non of those A's were received which really saddened me. I had worked hard ALL semester and because of a B on a final it would put me in a B category. At my school, a 89.99 is still a B. They do not round up, and they are very particular about that.


On Monday, I had my Psych exam and Surgery exam which I received A's on both of those. On Tuesday, I had Pathophysiology and Pediatrics. Pathophysiology is hard and I ended up getting a B on that final and an A on my pediatrics final. On Wednesday, I had my Pharmacology II final which I was really stressing about. I need at least a 90 on the exam to make an A on the exam to get an A in the class. By the time I woke up wednesday morning at 5, I was still not feeling good about the final. I was then shooting for a B because I wasn't sure I could even make that. There were just so many drug names to remember (18 pages worth) and what each drug did. By the time it came to take the final, I was feeling sick. I really wasn't feeling good.


50 questions later, I had 6 questions circled that I was unsure about. I only had room to miss 5. Please Lord, let me only miss 5 questions. After going through the question 2-3 times..I finally decided to submit.


Okay, one more step to see your grade, I thought. I clicked OK and I see a big 90 on the screen. I was so relieved!


Thank you Lord for letting this finals week end the way it did. You are so loving and so bigger than I will ever be. You always know what is going on even when I think I know.

First semester-46 exams
Second semester 39ish exams

Glimpse of second semester schedule since I never posted one for 1st semester. (Click on the link to make the picture larger)

Today at 1:00 will be the mark of my Easter break! After we come back, we have a week of class then finals! 2 weeks and 9 exams stand in my way of 2nd semester being done! Wow. Seriously everyone, it goes by so fast. I feel like I just started this 2nd semester.


This semester has been quite interesting to say the least. I feel in a way im in so many classes that I can't keep up with what day I have a certain class. We have crunched in a lot of subjects. Pathophysiology has included Cardio, Pulmonary, Renal, and Hematology. My trilogy course has included: Geriatrics, OBGYN, and Peds. Add on to that pharm II, Physical Diagnosis II, Human behavior and psychology, and surgical principles.

We are getting to the point where new information is coming in, some old information arises, and you search your brain for old pieces to piece together with the new ones.

I have to say that by this time in school, I teach myself a lot of the information. Sure, I listen in class, but a lot of it is self taught too. I have definitely learned my limits as to when I need to study, or what I will learn in a certain amount of time. As I have said before, it is important to take time to yourself while your in PA school. If you study study study all the time, you will go crazy. I think every student goes through this phase.

The most stressful times for me are finals week. I am always on the brink of receiving an A in the class or have an A and have a chance of losing it. In the end, grades dont really matter. As long as you pass, you are golden. Of course you dont want C's across the board. I know at my school we have a probation period if you get below a certain GPA. So therefore, you want to at least get A's and B's. But like I said, grades in the end dont matter. When you pass the PANCE (your boards), jobs dont ask for your transcripts or grades.

Next blog will be about talking to the staff about rotations (very weird to be at that stage already) and also will be about finals week.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! 

It has been a while since I have updated. Sorry for such the long break in posts. I wanted to write about a few things and I will start off with Venipuncture. A few weeks back, we had a venipuncture lab. I was really excited to do this because it was the first time I would be performing the procedure with a 21 gage needle. Normally, I have used a butterfly needle, which I wrote about prior. I have to say, the guys who have the biggest veins in the class, were the biggest babies about getting their arms pricked with a needle. While many of the girl offered both arms for people to practice on. My first prick was on my best friend in the class. No one was successful in getting a vein on her. This was actually the first time I wasn't successful in drawing blood. I decided to try again a second time another classmate and was successful.



Before spring break, we learned intubation. They said if we were successful on intubating a dummy in physical diagnosis class, we would be successful in real life. They said it was harder to intubate on the dummy than a real live person. I was successful in intubating an adult and infant. It was really cool to do intubation just because I have seen it so many times from watching rescue 911 as a kid, and then trauma in the ER when I was older. I can't wait to practice more so I will feel more comfortable. Sorry I have no pictures from that lab.

We just got back from Spring break. It was much needed for many of us in the class. I went to the beach with my friend, saw the holocaust museum, went shoe shopping (woowho) went to a boat show, went home for a few days to see my family, relaxed, slept in, and ate good food. It was a great spring break and I was so happy to have some time off from school.

Sutures. Who doesn't want to learn sutures? Anyone who is in the medical profession gets excited when it comes to learning sutures. I really enjoyed this class.

Last week, we were taught how to suture two pieces of masking tape together. I am sure some of you in PA school are saying, "What? masking tape? What about pigs feet or chickens?" Supposedly, previous students at my school had mentioned to the faculty that they would have liked to have more practice on sutures before rotations. So, they decided to start making those changes with my class.

We learned a simple interrupted suture and a simple running suture. We also learned one handed tie and a two handed tie. I took two pictures for your blog enjoyment. The first one is of my first run of sutures. You may not be able to tell but they accidentally gave me clear sutures then I switched to black. The next picture is of the whole setup and her first run. Thanks to my neighbor in class. Big shout out to her! :)

By the way, we will be practicing later on within the semester on pigs feet. ;) Just haven't gotten there yet.

This is one of the main questions I get asked by students who interview at my school, but also my readers. So I figured I would blog on it. :)

For of you that do read, thanks for reading the blog! I really appreciate it and I am so glad that you do "follow me" through this journey of mine.

Being that my school is a satellite school, it was one of my concerns also. All of the professors are not teaching from miami. They switch back and forth all the time. Some days we can just have lectures here in st pete and some days they may just be in miami..but a lot of times they are mixed (mostly mixed 80% of the time). It really depends on the classes. This 2nd semester we have had a lot more professors speak here (in st pete). Sometimes though, professors from Miami will drive down and lecture from st. pete or vice versa. They do that so we get a chance to meet with them in person.

I don't feel like I am at a disadvantage because if I do have a question, I can also ask the prof via satellite. Then, if I didn't get the chance to ask him/her, then I can always email the professor which they are all pretty swift at returning a response.

I would say the hardest thing about satellite is-- sometimes if they are teaching in miami, it's hard to keep your focus on the lecture because they aren't standing right in front of you. You just have to press through it and keep focus as hard as you can.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask me! I hope you continue to read the blog and I hope it helps you!

I can't sleep right now. In the back of my mind, I know I need to start going to bed earlier since school will be starting up again on the 10th. I don't even stay up this late when I am IN school.

I can't believe time is winding down and soon, I will be in full swing for the semester. 16 weeks, then another 10 for summer, then rotations-YIKES! In 8 short months I will be rotating which is so hard to believe. I wonder what knowledge and progression this semester will lead me to? I know we will start to learn casting, and venipuncture, and suturing this upcoming semester. I bought my suture supplies today off of amazon so I can practice.

I wonder, once I am out of school, how well the total 27 months will prepare me for the real world? I know that being a PA will be an ongoing learning process for the rest of my life. I have no doubt about that. However, I really wonder what my first job out of school will be, how well will I be at it, will I cave under pressure, will the doctor trust and rely on me? All these questions run through my mind.

I can only hope that I will be a compassionate, empathetic PA who listens to her patients and takes the time to help them. I don't want to just be good at my profession, but someone the doctor and patients can trust and rely on and keeping a smile on my face the whole time while doing just that.