I often get asked how PA school is going. "Busy" is usually my answer, although I have learned that there are many who have a much higher study time tolerance than I do. I am finding out that I am not a science person, which usually raises some eyebrows--luckily there's more to being a PA than science. And let's face it, I'm not hoping to become the next Dr. House cracking the worlds most mysterious medical cases. I do really enjoy the hands on things. So far we've learned to do injections, draw blood, suture and do physical examinations. All of this I really enjoy. I also like charting, which ostracizes me from most of my classmates. What can I say? I'm a Comms major at heart.
The most challenging thing about school is being in class for 6-8 hours/day, 5 days/week. I sit on one of those big exercise balls instead of a chair (as do many of my classmates). It seems to help me stay awake (haven't fallen asleep and spilled off onto the floor yet anyway) and you can always bounce for entertainment.
I am pleased to report that my US Army stethoscope that Matthew won from a recruiter for guessing the kind of car he drove (strange...I know) seems to work great. Still, I am dreading when I am actually practicing and I have to explain to my patients that I was never in the US Army. It seems like I should come up with a better story of how I got the stethoscope....
