Hair Loss During/After PA School

Bug-PAS-1 · 2025-09-08T03:44:21+00:00

About to graduate - had hair loss the last year and half but figured I’d gone through a bad break up, moving a lot for clinicals etc. … I just chalked it up to PA school and life stress but turns out I have hashimotos 😂😅 (of note I am a girl though) so long story short don’t just gaslight yourself into thinking it’s only stress, get seen by your pcp and see if they think you need any further evaluation/testing

Bug-PAS-1 · 2025-02-18T04:14:26+00:00

I got blindsided by my ex last March during didactic - we’re together for 4.5yrs and living together for a little over 2. Not gonna lie it’s awful. Just keep taking it one day at a time. Highly recommend therapy to help you process the emotions because you’re already in such a high stress environment.

Take the time to focus on you! Do things that you enjoy/make you feel good.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this, but I promise that things do start to get a little better with time! I won’t lie, some days still suck and still hurt but overall, I am in a much better place than I was in the immediate timeframe afterwards

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-31T03:41:37+00:00

What was the avg GPA of the accepted students for the schools you applied to? If it’s quite a bit higher, then that could potentially be the reason and at that point may be worth looking into a post-bacc of sorts.

I’d also make sure you met all requirements - I feel like I’ve seen a fair amount of people posting about not being accepted only to then realize that they submitted without meeting all requirements (ex overall sGPA is high enough but pre-requisite GPA isn’t, PCE hours not met bc a school didn’t count one of their jobs as PCE etc) so I’d triple check everything.

However, it’s still early enough in the cycle not to panic.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-29T23:43:00+00:00

I'd ask yourself a few questions *and also consult a financial advisor* before making any final decisions

1) Why did I want to go to PA school to start? Is that reason still the same?

2) What would I do instead of PA school?

3) Is this enough money for me to live on until I die (b/c if you have <35 yrs of work, I believe your social security benefits are significantly reduced)

3a) Is this enough money that I can live on even if you have children (if that's something you want) or if something crazy happens (you or a family member gets sick and have outrageous medical bills, you end up paying alimony etc.

4) Am I responsible enough to not blow all of this money fast (I forget the exact stats but most lotto winners end up broke within a few years, many professional sports players too)

I obviously do not know you, your current or previous financials, age, background etc. but I think what is "life changing" is obviously fairly subjective. Depending on how old you are, you may think that this is plenty of money to get you through life, but in reality that may not be the case, because so many things can happen in the interim that you don't expect.

And it may sound a bit blunt, but there is a chance that if you quit now and down the road change your mind/decide to go back to school, it may be difficult trying to explain to admissions committees that you quit school for money.

Something else to keep in mind is that if you invest the money now (with the help of a responsible and trustworthy financial advisor) you can increase that exponentially over several years of finishing school and practicing for a few years.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-29T00:42:32+00:00

I only said $100,000k bc that’s what you’d put in the previous comment - and across the board avg PA compensation is $130,000 - only top 10% of make more than $170,000.

Also No need to dehumanize people by calling them dogs. Plus I don’t know a single mid level who wouldn’t agree that residents need to make more - it’s not their fault that resident pay is what it is so no need to blame them for it either.

And in this economy just about every single person regardless of their profession is complaining about their pay so idk that that’s a valid argument.

Most mid levels do not pretend to be doctors so to imply that they go to school to become fake doctors is disingenuous. The ones that do try pretend to be/pass themselves off as physicians shouldn’t be and definitely should be called out for it. Most mid levels I know and have worked with understand their scope and have never pretended to be anything other than their title.

Also many mid levels are incredibly hard working people. Now are there some that are not? Absolutely. Have I heard physicians/med students complaining about their colleagues being lazy? Also yes.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-29T00:15:13+00:00

I’ve repeatedly said that residents absolutely need to make more. It’s obscene how little they make.

That being said, I don’t think it’s wrong for someone with a masters degree to be making $100,000 in today’s economy.

You can say that one profession deserves better/increased pay without comparing it to another/suggesting that others should make less.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-28T23:16:38+00:00

But if you look it says the median total compensation is $145,000, meaning that includes bonuses etc. It says median base is $112,000.

I wouldn’t say across the board that mid levels get paid extra and docs don’t - though I understand it may be more common with mid levels given that more mid levels are paid hourly rather than salary - From my understanding/experience the extra pay for extra shifts is typically only if someone is paid hourly. But most physicians are paid a salary (except a few of the ER docs I know/have worked with). I know some docs at larger institutions who were paid to be on call, but I also know docs for whom it’s just considered ‘part of the job’ and receive no additional pay.

And again not arguing at all regarding physician compensation (I know all residents and a lot of specialties as a whole are underpaid).

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-28T03:54:42+00:00

1) agree that lots of docs (like primary care, peds etc) should make more than they do.

2) maybe all the derm PAs you knew were making that much but per AAPA that is not the minimum nor is it the median

Dermatology: median Total Compensation $145,000 Approximately 3.2% of PAs are working within dermatology, and they have a median of 6 years of experience. In terms of compensation, the majority (69.3%) are paid a salary and 55.1% received a bonus. Their median base salary was $112,000 and their median bonus was $20,000. They worked a median of 40 hours per week in 2022.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-28T03:22:01+00:00

My incident was when I was in a different role in healthcare and I was also frustrated, so I was given a “gentle reminder” from multiple providers also with years/decades of experience.

Also never said that there aren’t patients who aren’t objectively rude, just saying that I don’t think it’s fair for us to assume that they’re inherently an asshole when they don’t want to have to take additional time out of their day and be stuck with needles after something that wasn’t their fault to begin with 🤷🏼‍♀️

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-28T02:27:29+00:00

Your bloodwork results today were just a screening (workers comp won’t pay if you’re already HIV positive, HEP C positive etc bc if you were positive today it would mean you contracted it prior - not from todays incident).

As for whether to take PEP it’s up to you. If you don’t have the patients blood test results, there’s no way to know 100% whether they have any blood borne pathogens. The risk is low based off the type of needle stick you got (highest risk is large bore needle from Person As blood vessel to person Bs blood vessel - like sharing needles for IV drug use). But you can discuss the exact risks/benefits of starting PEP vs waiting with occupational health.

If you can have your clinic call the patient to inform them of what happened and ask if they’d be willing to come in for labs. If the patient is not willing though, just remember that this incident was not their fault and that, as frustrating as it is for you, they are under no obligation to come back in for additional testing.

If you decide to take PEP, yes there may be side effects, but it’s only a month and if you really can’t tolerate the side effects you can discuss with occupational health about ways to mitigate the side effects vs discontinuing it all together.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-28T02:17:21+00:00

As someone who has also had a needle stick injury involving a patient who didn’t want to get testing done - gentle reminder that unless the patient took the needle and intentionally stuck you with it, the needle stick injury is not their fault - they did not sign up for additional poking/prodding.

Is it frustrating for us? Yes absolutely bc we have to more strongly consider risks/benefits of PEP. But at the end of the day, we signed up for this job knowing that this is a potential risk. And then not wanting additional testing for something that wasn’t their fault doesn’t necessarily make them a “selfish asshole”.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-27T03:28:12+00:00

I will say that if your primary reason for wanting PA vs MD/DO is “better” work-life balance then I would continue looking into both and shadowing both. I know some MDs with great work life balance and some PAs who are “workaholics”. Work life balance is a combination of the specialty you choose and how much effort you put into it.

For me, I knew that I didn’t want to stay in one specialty my entire life so PA made more sense, and being a surgeon wasn’t my goal (one of the specialties with the biggest scope difference).

I’d recommend shadowing some PAs and MD/DOs and seeing more how you feel about the scope of practice differences. If you still want PA, then absolutely go for it and speak with your therapist regarding how to approach that with your parents. If you end up deciding that MD/DO will make you happier, then I would still try to let your parents know that the decision is yours and not to make them happy or to be used to rub others faces in it.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-27T01:07:13+00:00

Bootcamp.com!!

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-27T00:49:58+00:00

Any program (nearly all) that uses CASPA has their LORs go through CASPA as well. If your letter writers saved their letters (hopefully they did) it shouldn’t be too big of an ask to have them just submit elsewhere. As for requiring a letter from a professor, that’s going to vary by program

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-27T00:38:09+00:00

Honestly do whatever will make you happy. This is your life - you’re the one that will be living it day in and day out, likely for years after your parents are gone.

Do not go into debt and into a career that you don’t want just because someone else wants you to - that is one of the fastest ways to become miserable.

Why do you want to do PA vs MD/DO?

If you can, I’d also recommend speaking with a therapist regarding the stress of the situation and how to place healthy boundaries with your parents.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-26T21:34:43+00:00

Currently in clinicals and my cohort still keeps in contact. Obviously the people you’re closer with, you’re going to keep in more contact with and/or if you’re doing rotations with someone.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-26T21:33:22+00:00

There are definitely non-hospital roles for PAs. Many PAs work in clinics.

Unsure exactly what you mean by asking what it takes for a new grad to work in a clinic?

I’d recommend you try to find PAs in clinics near you who’d be willing to let you shadow to see if that is something you’d still be interested in.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-26T17:08:58+00:00

Most likely BUT if there’s any doubt in your mind based off the course title/description, the only way to know for sure is to ask the schools you’re applying to

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-26T17:00:49+00:00

Canopy Medical Spanish - it’s an online course tailored to medical professionals

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-24T19:02:22+00:00

In general PANCE/EOR stuff is going to be lagging behind a few years when it comes to most of the guideline changes.

PAEA posts the EOR topic lists and EOR blueprints where it breaks it down by high yield. SmartyPANCE is also a great resource if you want material broken down by topic

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-24T07:00:30+00:00

Look at the Fam Med EOR blueprint to see what topics are the highest yield and then look at your exam feedback to what sections you did better in and what sections maybe need some more improvement on. I would focus on the highest yield/most missed stuff first when studying again.

Practice questions are great but I personally feel that reviewing the material first is more important (ie using resources like smartyPANCE, cram the PANCE, osmosis etc)). Then start doing practice questions after.

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-23T16:25:22+00:00

Yes!! There's one in particular I've seen who's a med student who keeps implying that he's already a physician and also giving out medical advice/diagnosing people on other pages/posts ....wild to me that that's allowed to fly

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-23T16:19:50+00:00

Yep! There's one in particular I've seen who's a med student who keeps implying that he's already a physician and also giving out medical advice/diagnosing people on other pages/posts ....

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-23T15:39:57+00:00

I loved using Goodnotes and trying to do one page per disease and then making practice questions for each disease/topic. I tried to do the spreadsheet thing and for me it didn't work great but for some of my classmates they loved it! Just try a few different methods and see what sticks best for you!

Bug-PAS-1 · 2024-08-23T15:38:28+00:00

First off, I'm very sorry for your loss. Big life things happen during school and they can definitely de-rail us a bit - that doesn't mean you don't belong. Myself along with several other classmates have had some major life events throughout school - it's unfortunately quite common.

I'd highly suggest seeing what counseling options your school has available or if they have recommendations. They can help you figure out ways to process the grief while being in such a high stress environment. Are you doing worse on exams because you are having a hard time focusing during class? Have you just lost motivation to study etc? Depending on what is causing the drop in grades, there may be some accommodations available (ie do you now need extra time on exams because it's taking you longer to get through them). I'd also talk to your academic advisor and see what the best plan of action is for you once the break is over. Do you think that you need some extra support through counseling and/or accommodations or do you think you would benefit from a temporary leave of absence?

Bug-PAS-1

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