I am sure some of you are wondering what the title has to do with PA school. Hopefully, I can express my feelings well enough that will tie it all together.

Since PA school, I am amazed by the friendships I have lost but also gained. I had friends going into school that I figured would give me the most support-- only to find they really could care less. Or, they would say "well, I figured you were so busy that you wouldn't have time to talk." PA school is busy, but it doesn't mean I don't have time for friends or to sit down and talk. It's sad that friends disappear when you become busy with something like PA school. Do I like studying all the time..No. Do I have to study all the time? Yes. Is this a time where I need friends and support the most? It sure is.

My father and mother always said that I will go through life only being able to count my closest friends on one hand. I truly believe that. These are not just friends you can call up on a whim. But, friends that you can trust with out a doubt and who will be there for you through the good and bad times.

In November, I was going through some personal stuff in my life. I fortunately have made one good friend in my class who I can trust with out a doubt. You see, most of the people in my class are married or have significant others so they spend their time with their significant others. I was fortunate to have my friend by my side. She listened to me cry, listened to me complain, did her best to make me laugh and I am so thankful for her.

Lastly, I also have to thank my family. Family will always be there for you. Even when those friendships do dissolve. They have supported me through PA school every step of the way so far.

Wednesday the 16th was the end of my first semester. I can't believe it. The semester really did fly by. I stayed strong through the semester, but by the time finals week came around, I was just exhausted. Finals week we had 5 finals in three days. 2 on Monday, 1 on Tuesday, and 2 on Wednesday. The last few weeks of school were busy. I was studying for exams and also decided to participate in the Nutcracker. I didn't think I would be able to dance while I was in PA school, but I made the time to do it and I am happy that I did. It feels good just to get out on the stage and forget about anatomy and physiology for a while. Dancing in general just makes me happy.

Next semester consists of:

Pharmacology II
Medical Pathophysiology
Human Behavior and Psyche
Physical Diagnosis II
Surgical Principles
Genetics
Trilogy course which consists of OB-GYN, Geriatrics, and Peds

There are 16 weeks in the 2nd semester and 10 weeks in the summer semester. I know it is going to go by fast, but I am prepared for the road ahead of me. The 2nd years say the rotation year is much much better. I have enjoyed this semester...ok maybe not so much the 45 exams, but I have enjoyed learning a lot of it.

Right now we are on holiday break which we get 3 weeks total. It is a really nice break but I am already feeling anxious like I should be studying for something. I am trying not to think about it by just spending time with my family. My sister and her husband came down from Chicago with my two nephews. One nephew is 3 years old and the other just turned 3 months today. It is the first time I have met my youngest nephew who is such a sweetheart.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a merry christmas. Lets all remember what this holiday is about! Below is a picture of my baby nephew and me. :)

We are more than halfway through our exams. Exam #27 occurred today. For the next few weeks, we all will be breathing and living neuroanatomy, anatomy and physiology. Our next 6 exams are in these subjects. I believe we have 18 exams left until the end of the semester which makes me very excited because in October alone we had 14 exams so I believe I can handle these next 18 exams.

I have decided that since I have some downtime (yes only some) and that I will be performing in "Experimental Dance" at University of Tampa. This is a show I have done since my freshman year and even the last two years as an alumni. I am so so excited to be doing this show and even choreographing a piece. My piece is inspired by my grandmother who is suffering from Alzheimers disease. The movement in the dance will often repeat itself but will have one aspect that will always change- much like an Alzheimers patient. The music also has strong notes and soft notes which represents the mood swings that comes with Alzheimers but also the ups and downs that come along with a family member that suffers from this disease.

The music I am using is from Yiruma, "River Flows In You" if you all are interested in hearing the music. :) I will try to put up the video from the actual performance which is happening on November 12th.

I basically have one rehearsal to teach two other girls this piece within a four hour time frame, which I am hoping I can get it all done in that time and have it looking the way I want. I am so excited!



The picture above is me dancing to a piece in 2009

First I want to apologize for not updating this since school started. When I started this blog, I wanted to journal every day..while I am sure it is possible, and I have seen it done, it's not possible for me. My sincerest apologies for not updating this sooner.

I am in my 6th week of PA school. So far, we have had 14 tests. This month alone we have 14 tests. We have 5 exams next week alone. School keeps me busy but I am still trying to fit in as much "free time" as possible to give me time to keep me sane. PAs that have been through school have always said study study study. However, they also mention to still take time and do things that are fun and for yourself. Yesterday alone was a 12 hour school day for me, and then we had a big neuroanatomy test today. A fellow classmate and I studied from about 9pm to 2:15am, then slept, and woke back up at 6. This would probably be the least amount of sleep I have gotten in the semester thus far.

PA school is hard, and you do study a lot, but it is do-able. There have been some times that I thought I couldn't jam my brain with any more information. However, I also know that I want to LEARN the information so it stays in my brain. I am not studying to cram or memorize to just forget about it 2 weeks later--Each test builds on the previous one.

For those pre-PAs out there who read this, I will give you an idea of what our week consists of.
Mondays: 10-5 Physical Diagnosis, Physiology, and Microbiology
Tuesdays: 9-9pm Anatomy, Problem based learning, PA role, and anatomy Lab
Wednesdays-Pharmacology, Neuro, physiology (we are just finishing up pharmacology for the semester so we are gaining some time there).
Thursday: 9-4 Anatomy and Physical Diagnosis Lab
Friday 9-12 (half day!) Anatomy and Microbiology

Our weeks are definitely busy, so it leaves for all of your free time to study. I study with a group of girls normally. For me, studying with a group helps because we are able to not only quiz each other, but sometimes, one of us may forget to study a certain aspect of what we are being quizzed on. Our tests are online, normally around 30-50 questions and timed. We get a minute and half per question, just like you would on the PANCE board exam.

I hope everyone is getting some great interview dates and maybe I will be seeing some people soon!

Stay strong, and stay focused!! If you are meant to be in PA school, it will happen!

I was reading my pastors online journal tonight and I was really inspired by one of his entries. Feel free to check out his blog after you read below. His blog is http://www.garysjournal.com My hope is that my classmates can do this for me when I am bleeding..you will get the point after you read below.

Ever noticed how a cut doesn’t hurt until you see the blood?

We had a houseful of friends over Sunday night, and those of you who were here will recall Calleigh (my 5-year old daughter) coming in from the backyard crying. She had been running barefoot when she stepped on a sharp rock, peeling back a chunk of skin on her big toe. I picked her up and sat her in my lap when someone noticed that her foot was bleeding.

And then Calleigh discovered she was bleeding. That’s when things got crazy. At the sight of blood, “crying” transitioned into “hysterical shrieking.” Beth and I carried Calleigh and her siren screams upstairs to the bathroom to wash out the wound, which caused her wailing to go up another couple decibels. In order to keep our guests from being too distracted by this little calamity, we closed the bathroom door, but I’m sure they could still hear my little girl yelling things like, “Stop touching me!!!” and “Leave me alone! Why are you doing this to me???”

Beth and I began to laugh (without Calleigh seeing) because of what it must have sounded like to everyone else in the house. I swear, we were not sawing off her toe…without anesthetic. We were simply running water over her toe, dabbing it with a tissue and putting a Band-Aid over it.

Back to my point… we all have blood. But it freaks some of us out to actually see it. We recognize that we all have blood – and need blood – but we don’t want to see it, ya know.

I think sometimes our struggles and failures and inherent weaknesses are like blood. Deep down we know that everyone has these struggles, blunders, weaknesses, and the like – but we don’t like it when life cuts us in ways that causes this “blood” to show.

I have a confession to make: I bleed. A lot.

I regularly mention – somewhat in joking fashion – that I laugh at the title of “pastor.” One of the reasons it makes me laugh is because I know that I bleed just like everyone else. I have bloody failures and flaws and shortcomings and insecurities. I can be running along gracefully fulfilling my call one minute, and then get tripped up the next.

And when I do, my blood shows.

What I don’t need is for you to approach me with a Band-Aid. Instead, and this may sound weird, I just need you to tell me it’s okay to bleed. And consider bleeding with me.

Back to Calleigh’s traumatic bleeding accident… A couple hours later that same night it was time for Calleigh to go to bed. Her fatigue was getting the best of her as she began crying again about her toe – it hurt, she was embarrassed by how it looked, she couldn’t sleep because it might start bleeding again.

I laid beside her and let her cry and complain. Then I began telling her of a time a few years ago when my toe was bleeding. I shared the story about the time I tripped, stubbed my toe, and it began to bleed. I was embarrassed but some of my friends helped me find a Band-Aid. We applied pressure, put Neosporin on it, wrapped it up and sat there for a while. And my friends sat there with me.

Tears about her toe gradually turned into, “You hurt, too, daddy? And you bled just like me?” She relaxed and soon we drifted off to sleep.

Sometimes when you are bleeding you don’t need a Band-Aid. Instead, you just need someone to tell you that it’s ok to bleed.

Jesus is described as “a man of sorrows” and “acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53). Despised and rejected, Jesus bled.

I grew up thinking of Jesus as a giant Band-Aid. But one of the things I’ve grown to really love about Jesus is that sometimes He doesn’t hand out a Band-Aid; instead He simply says, “It’s ok to bleed.”

Christian community is when we bleed together. It’s not a small group of people who gather to fix one another, or to share the latest remedy that worked for your grandma. To me, this is what healthy community looks like: Sit beside me, and let me bleed without it freaking you out.

And know that you are welcome to bleed with me.

I just realized I had never blogged about my first meeting with my classmates at the end of June...so I am sorry about that!

I met 9 of my classmates at the end of June. We got together and had dinner which was a blast! I do have to say it was difficult talking to people at the other end of the table but I am sure we will make up for lost time once school starts! :) Many of us compared interviews and who we interviewed with. We also just talked about our lives in general. It just felt good being around people who want to do the same profession as me! I really think God has blessed us to be with each other as a group and I really see us all helping each other out (Click images to make larger).


Between June and now, I quit my job June 25th in order to take time off before school started. It was really important to me that I would have time with friends and family before this 27month journey called PA school. I went down and spent 3 weeks with my parents. I spent quite a few hours in the OR (operating room), with my father. On one of the cases, I actually got to scrub in and stand at the table. The patient had broken his femur while he was bowling. This was the first time I had ever stuck my hand inside a living human body. I first felt the layer of fat, then the man's muscle and surrounding tissue, and lastly bone. It was quite the experience, and weird to be standing next to my father in his domain.



Now back in Tampa, I am finalizing details for school. I have all my supplies I need. Scrubs have been bought, batteries and bulbs for my otoscope/opthalmascope have been bought also, documents have been faxed and scanned, immunization record is on its way. Things are getting down to the wire. Am I scared..not really. It is more of a nervousness. I want to be successful at my profession. I dont want to be a good PA, I want to be a PA that someone will remember for a lifetime.

My car broke down yesterday--so it has been a struggle these last two days. My car just turned 8 years old. I truly love her but she has been such a pain this past year and a half. I am thankful it broke down now before school started but I was in no shape to be paying up for costly repairs. I cried yesterday morning about it because it is just a stressful time. I know God has a reason for this but we don't always understand His ways. It is just one more hoop I will have to jump through and I am sure it won't be the last hoop with my car. Being that I live on my own now, asking my parents for help is never ever a thing I enjoy doing. I would rather be broke than ask my parents to pay for my car. I am responsible for my car..but am in no shape to have 750 dollars to pay for it either. It is just something I would rather not do.. However, I need a car, so I have to get it fixed.

On a lighter note, this past week has been spent with friends. I saw two movies this weekend, Salt and Despicable me. Great movies and I loved both of them! I also attended a pot luck dinner at my friends house which was great. I love home cooked food! I also met with a group of classmates again on July 24th. We went bowling and had an awesome time!! We all bowled a great game the first round, decided to do a second round but we were all much too interested in talking than the game! :) We decided to go grab a bite to eat. It is such a pleasure getting to know my classmates in a relaxed atmosphere. I hope that we continue to do so once we are more in a stressful environment. We just have to remember, we are all in this together and we all have to support one another.

44 days until PA school and we received our packets in the mail today that include our health packet information for physicals and our class schedule. I am not sure what else, because I dont physically have it in my hands. I am visiting my parents until school starts. A fellow classmate of mine typed out our schedule so I could see it. It is a lot but I definitely think it is a fair schedule. (Ok on a side note I cannot figure out how to post the schedule due to I am new to the mac and dont know how to save the graph as a picture). I will come back and edit it to include the schedule.

On a side note, my mother and I went shopping for white coat ceremony dresses today. I almost chose a beautiful dress but a) it was way over-priced and b) it was poorly made. So, I did not purchase one. I will however keep looking for the perfect dress. My mother swore "tribal print" was in, which I do believe her. However, when looking back to those pictures 20 years from now I dont want my future kids to go, "MOM!!! What were you thinking?"