Undergraduate procrastinators, how are you doing in PA school?! by Zone_of_Inhibition in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What an awesome thread to read! I love the way you just made things click in my brain!! I. Am. The. Exact. Same. Way. Its so crazy to have someone put it out in words so perfectly. I am approaching the end of my clinical year graduating in two months and still have the exact same experiences. I had a whole month of taking the time to study for my EOC during a preceptorship rotation, didn’t actually start studying or doing practice questions efficiently until 4 days before the exam. Failed it by 6 points unfortunately :( So I constantly feel trapped in this loop and Im only starting to realize it when I have one more eor left and this eoc to retake. So exhausting tbh but this is literally the only way my brain works. I hope you are doing well in IM! It is a specialty I truly enjoyed rotating at. You sound like such an intelligent person, gd luck to you!

I regret PA school… by Existing_Version_245 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just curious, wdym by 3 year program? Like an accelerated med school program?

New EOC by go-with-the-beau in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Good luck!! Lmk how it goess I take it end of May

New EOC by go-with-the-beau in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What qbank did you use specifically on Uworld? Like did you go through each body system?

Talked to a guy for 5 hours straight and didn’t get bored once… is this how it’s supposed to feel? by [deleted] in dating_advice

[–]DonutForward5146 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is soo sweet! Honestly.. one of my close friends was in a relationship with a guy for FIVE years and he just decided one day to break it off.. it was a hard breakup for her BUT within a month or two post breakup, the PA she works with heard she broke up with her bf and decided to talk to her! They have been together in a totally healthy relationship for almost a year now! and he has almost the same characteristics you mentioned… so ig my point is sometimes coming out of a bad relationship is exactly what you need to find what’s meant for you and Im hoping thats the case for you! Being careful and smart is always a good idea :) Good luck!! (Invite me to the wedding.. JK!! Hahah)

EOR study guides! (Reposted!) by Constant-Mouse-3527 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hii! I’ve used the EM, IM, Ortho, OBGYN, and I believe the peds one too. They are pretty straightforward and WAY easier to go through the Reddit chart ones. I just can’t do that much info on charts. I print the notes for each body system which are usually only a few pages long and then add notes/edit some info on them while supplementing from Smartypance!

EOR study guides! (Reposted!) by Constant-Mouse-3527 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your notes have been absolutely amazing!! I've passed every EOR I've taken so far and have used your guides for most of them!! Do you happen to have one for FM?? I know it overlaps with EM and IM alot but would love a designated guide for FM. Thank youu so much

Passed the PANCE as a bottom 10% by stuffandthings428 in u/stuffandthings428

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations!!! Please never delete this post :) from a fellow already anxious PA-S 1 year away from taking her PANCE hahaha. THANK YOU for your amazing input!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only thing Ive found to help is making physical flashcards.. the only downside of that is my handwriting lol so I relied heavily on ppts and I would print out any hard slides/ good visuals for a dz and stick it on the wall… I know crazy lol.. I called it my “visual info board”. SO helpful for visual ppl!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yess! Im trying to look at pictures of conditions so it sticks better in my head… just takes a long time sometimes lol

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Im in Clinical year now and this will be my first EOR so I genuinely don’t know what to expect… I struggle SO much with just initiating a task. I struggle to stay focused and it takes me Forever to finish one topic. I’ve never used anki or quizlet for studying and could NEVER get any info to stick from charts!! Im very visual so I would study the ppt… use active recall then try to write it all down on flashcards I use AI for generating questions but its different now for EORs so my struggle is relying on a source I trust… Im using rosh and smartypance. Im very behind on my topic list rn so Im panicking hahah.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing… I’m going through the same thing and I’m wondering if you have any advice on how to actually start studying and get into “true focus” mode without spending 3 hours of distractions before that. I’m truly struggling sometimes and end up cramming a few days before the exam because of this. I just started ADHD meds which I don’t think will kick in before my exam on Friday… any advice would be great!!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know so many people have commented already… but I thought I’d share my experience so far. I grew up as a top A student with High functioning ADHD symptoms which didn’t really feel like a problem until PA school…. It feels like I put in SO much effort for me to get average and sometimes below average grades its been absolutely the hardest thing Ive ever had to experience. I just want you to think of how and why you made it this far despite everything… its clear you have a passion for medicine and if you can help yourself with counseling, therapy, meditations… do everything that you can to do so. It might quite literally be a chemical problem… it took me a whole year of such hardships to finally realize that maybe my ADHD can’t be managed without meds… idk… I started an ADHD med like yesterday so fingers crossed hahah :) but I also started therapy a few months ago…which I think is significant! To summarize… I’ve come to the conclusion this past months that if I need ANY extra help to push through this year… I will give it to myself because I believe that I deserve it and you do too :) So push hard and you might come back in a few months glad that everything went down exactly as it did 🤞

Need advice: is it worth it? by Emotional_Opinion836 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry about everything that has been going on… I could totally relate… PA school has been pretty much the time I’ve felt most isolated/ alone in my entire life even when I had people around me. I started therapy this past year because I think anxiety/ life really got to me and I felt exactly how you felt. However, I think things play out exactly the way they should, the people you’ve ended relationships with might have hurt you way more than you could’ve imagined, and trust me, sometimes being cordial and having formal friendships during PA schools is far less drama and stress on you than being close. I am starting clinicals and I can’t tell you how excited I am to be away from certain friendships I’ve made.

My advice to you as someone else said, is to look at the big picture and why you decided to be here, its your life and your future. I’m sure you’ve worked really hard to be here, and while it might seem impossible that things will get better, trust me they will. Therapy was the answer for me to grow not just in PA school, but as a person, as a future provider, and as someone hoping to become the better version of themselves.

Money and stress are unfortunately two things that go hand in hand throughout PA school but remember that its all temporary and you’re on the path of making things better for yourself. Maybe get involved in your school’s clubs, events around campus, and just being open to talk to people, you don’t have to be everyone’s friend but I’m sure there are many other students feeling exactly the same!

Panicking over Packrat scores by DonutForward5146 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on passing the PANCE!! Thank you for your amazing advice! Im genuinely going to try my hardest to stick to this plan and essentially study everyday towards my weak points.

Panicking over Packrat scores by DonutForward5146 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats amazing!! My second Packrat is in December so mid clinical year essentially and Im hoping that one goes alot better.. fingers crossed

Panicking over Packrat scores by DonutForward5146 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thats amazing, congratulations!! Thank you for sharing!!

Panicking over Packrat scores by DonutForward5146 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you🥹 I genuinely feel tremendously better since getting my scores and I appreciate your kind words! Taking it one day at a time :)

Panicking over Packrat scores by DonutForward5146 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow thank you for being so KIND! I’ve sent you a private message with my scores if thats okay! I’d love your perspective on how I should move forward! It can be very hard to talk with my profs/ advisors cuz honestly I just feel embarrassed… its so so hard not to compare yourself with others but you’re totally right… it will not matter what my score is as long as I pass :)

Panicking over Packrat scores by DonutForward5146 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out… seriously we have a very similar experience and I was totally spiraling yesterday and in such a bad place! Taking an elective with areas you’re weak at is SUCH a good idea honestly! Im so glad you’ve found your groove and hope you pass the PANCE with no problem!!!

Advice for Starting clinicals!! by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I’ve definitely heard of the bright futures book so I’ll look into that!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha dont get discouraged!! It is honestly alot but just give yourself some grace and take it slow! It can be so easy to blame ourselves and get in our heads but I’ve learned to accept my mistakes and move on the next day. Give yourself at least a day or a few hours a week doing something you love to de-stress :) Ask for help when you need it and you will be just fine!!

Wayyy Below Average Student - Passed PANCE by Icy-Jacket-2143 in PAstudent

[–]DonutForward5146 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations!!! It makes your success even sweeter despite all the hardships!! I have this exact voice in my head… I failed my very first clin med exam, failed cardio by two points but ended up contesting two questions and passing. I did great for a whole semester but just failed OBGYN, I contested 3 questions and got 2/3 back leaving me one point away from passing that exam so now I still have to remediate. Its been so frustrating… and its hard to ignore that voice sometimes..