Blog 2: First Week of Virtual PA Classes

The first week of classes is filled with unknowns which brings out anxiety in people. It was difficult at times to continuously remind myself that information will be shared shortly. Unfortunately, I found classmates become extremely stressed and reaching out to others for help in our group chat. However, we were all in the dark which caused everyone to hope on the stress train. In the end, faculty and students shared in thorough detail how the semester was going to pan out during our virtual orientation. Once I received the master schedule, I immediately felt overwhelmed with all the dates, times, assignments, quizzes, and papers. To calmly combat the chaos, I organized everything into my google calendar and a monthly desk calendar which relieved all the tension.

Virtual classes through Zoom or prerecorded lectures (Panopto) began and Gross Anatomy is the major 5 credit class of the semester. Because all gross anatomy lectures were pre recorded from previous years we must keep ourselves accountable to not fall behind. I made it a goal to stay about 1 day ahead of schedule so if something personal arises where I must take a day off, I will not be behind schedule. The best advice I could give so far as it seems to be working well for me is planning your week out in advance with daily checklists on what must be completed by the end of the day. DO NOT FORGET TO SCHEDULE TIME FOR YOURSELF! To prevent burnout, continue to do what you enjoy. Do not eliminate the things that bring you joy in life! For example, I have continued to run, workout, do yoga, and watch TV just like I did before starting PA school.

DO NOT COMPARE! I know how hard it is to resist the urge to compare but for your mental sanity do not compare yourself to other students. Everyone in the program has a different education and different clinical experience which causes a wide range of base medical knowledge. Many individuals in my program have been out of college for 2+ years so recalling how to learn, take notes, study, etc may take some time. Try not to beat yourself up if you are struggling in the beginning. People are willing to help, and you will figure out what works best for you. Individuals with a background in medicine may have an advantage starting off in anatomy class but in the end everyone will know the same information and simply regurgitate that the long thoracic nerve innervates the serratus anterior and if damaged, causes winged scapula. Lastly, do your own thing which means go at your own pace with the material, study how you like, and use resources you find useful. Try not to just jump on the band wagon with everyone else because you must figure out what works best for you. Still be open for suggestions. For instance, I have found dissection videos, draw it to know it app, and Acland’s Atlas the most beneficial for my learning of anatomy.

There is a ton of material given in a short time frame through a computer without a cadaver lab. Yes, it is extremely far from the ideal situation but self-pity, negativity, and complaining about the circumstances is not going to get me to my goal of becoming a PA. It is extremely difficult and time consuming however, it is not impossible. Role with the punches because there will be many! In my first two weeks a power outage limits my availability to be online, zoom/ blackboard malfunctions from professors, and a disorganized professor confuses everyone in lecture.

Believe in yourself and the knowledge you possess!

If it were easy, everyone would do it!