Yesterday I graduated. It was awesome and awe inspiring. I, along with 18 other outstanding individuals, received the certificate that will allow us to practice medicine. I am humbled to be in this group. Our school has graduated almost 1500 PAs over its history and I am honored to be in this group.
I also received an award for exemplifying the spirit of our school. Our founder had a vision for the PA profession - namely participation in rural communities, improvement of access to the underserved, and commitment to excellence in medicine. On top of that, the school has made a commitment to the success of their students. To be very frank, I had no hopes of special awards and didn't purposefully alter any behaviors to achieve any. But my goal all along has been to be of service and support to my classmates, to maintain a positive attitude throughout all of the challenges we've faced, and, ultimately, to glorify God as Christians are called to do. I give Him all the credit for any achievements or excellence that I obtained over the past couple of years.
The past 2.5 years have been a wild ride. In reflection I went from someone who thought he knew a lot to someone who realizes, at least to a certain extent, just how little I really understand about science and the human body. There is a lot I have to learn and now I have been given the magical piece of paper that says I'm allowed to. Very exciting times.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
T minus...
3 days and counting.
This week we are presenting and defending our final projects and performing some board review. So far, so good. I have been greatly edified by the board review and I feel a bit more confident today than I had been feeling about passing the exam that has appeared as the guide-post over the past 2.5 years.
I still find myself terrified of the responsibility that is coming, but I feel ready to pass the certification exam, get my license, and begin practicing as a PA. I have a job (I don't recall if I mentioned that yet) and am thankful for that. With all of this going on I have been humbled by the number of my classmates who have not had even an interview yet, let alone multiple interviews without a job offer. I am one of the fortunate - blessed - ones.
All is well, and I'm ready to go. Just 3 more days. And what a great 3 days it will be.
This week we are presenting and defending our final projects and performing some board review. So far, so good. I have been greatly edified by the board review and I feel a bit more confident today than I had been feeling about passing the exam that has appeared as the guide-post over the past 2.5 years.
I still find myself terrified of the responsibility that is coming, but I feel ready to pass the certification exam, get my license, and begin practicing as a PA. I have a job (I don't recall if I mentioned that yet) and am thankful for that. With all of this going on I have been humbled by the number of my classmates who have not had even an interview yet, let alone multiple interviews without a job offer. I am one of the fortunate - blessed - ones.
All is well, and I'm ready to go. Just 3 more days. And what a great 3 days it will be.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The last day
As it turns out, my last day of clinical rotations was a day earlier than I expected. At about 1430 and 3 patients into our "minor care" afternoon I experienced sudden onset of shaking chills, dizziness, fatigue, slight confusion (I kept getting words mixed up), and what later turned out to be a temp over 101. This developed into what I think was strep pharyngitis and otitis media. The first ear infection I ever remember having. Long story short, I didn't make it to work on Friday.
Thus Friday was a bittersweet day for me. Very sweet in that I knew there were no more clinical hours to be logged by me... No more patients to be entered into the computer tracking software... No more of the tedium of that part of becoming a PA. But it was quite bitter in that I had made it through 119 out of my 120 day rotation without an illness of any kind to be laid low by something so simple. It was frustrating - like being pulled from the big game in the last minute of the fourth quarter because my shoe came untied and I tripped.
That said - I did manage to have a good and productive week. I was reminded again that cultural differences mean volumes when addressing patients and working at providing good patient care. I must remind myself of this often. I need to be wary of bringing my pre-conceived ideas into the exam room when discussing options or the best method for caring for the patient, or even in how I approach decisions so simple as, "Sew 'em or send 'em to the ER?"
In all, though, I feel an enormous and immeasurable sense of relief. It is so good to be done with all of that. I can't really put it into words. Just a few small steps now until graduation and until I get that -C after my PA. Then the world will take shape and I'll actually realize what I've gotten myself into! I still can't wait.
Thus Friday was a bittersweet day for me. Very sweet in that I knew there were no more clinical hours to be logged by me... No more patients to be entered into the computer tracking software... No more of the tedium of that part of becoming a PA. But it was quite bitter in that I had made it through 119 out of my 120 day rotation without an illness of any kind to be laid low by something so simple. It was frustrating - like being pulled from the big game in the last minute of the fourth quarter because my shoe came untied and I tripped.
That said - I did manage to have a good and productive week. I was reminded again that cultural differences mean volumes when addressing patients and working at providing good patient care. I must remind myself of this often. I need to be wary of bringing my pre-conceived ideas into the exam room when discussing options or the best method for caring for the patient, or even in how I approach decisions so simple as, "Sew 'em or send 'em to the ER?"
In all, though, I feel an enormous and immeasurable sense of relief. It is so good to be done with all of that. I can't really put it into words. Just a few small steps now until graduation and until I get that -C after my PA. Then the world will take shape and I'll actually realize what I've gotten myself into! I still can't wait.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
1 week to go
There is one more week until I finish my clinical training. I am unbelievably happy about this. The excitement is barely containable. I have struggled with "short-timer's" syndrome a lot, but I think that I can finish strong.
Unfortunately, I don't have any in-depth insights on this upcoming week. It feels as if I have learned all the clinical year had to offer me. I know that the forty or so patients I will see in this upcoming week will teach me something, though. Let me just look back at what the patients in the past week have taught me:
1. When someone complains of a fever and shaking chills, ALWAYS check their ears. I knew this already, but got slapped and humiliated this week for an instant of complacency. Just because the patient doesn't complain of ear problems does not mean they don't have ear problems.
2. Hepatitis C is a nasty virus, but it is very treatable and our patients don't have to die of cirrhosis and horrible liver failure just because they've got this bug. Apparently, genotypes II and III are cureable at a rate of 70% and new medications on the market have brought genotype I up to a cure rate of at least 50%.
3. I will get yelled at occasionally by my patients no matter how much I know or how good my bedside manner is. There is always one out there that cannot be pleased.
4. 11 patients in one day is a lot for me, but I can do it, even if some of them are very sick or complex.
These are but a few of the lessons I've learned in the past week, but it shows that each week there is a list of lessons that can be gleaned. So hopefully as I enter the last week of my clinical training and as all those who come after me reach the same milestone, we will avoid complacency, we will always be ready to learn something, and hopefully this last week goes off without a hitch.
Unfortunately, I don't have any in-depth insights on this upcoming week. It feels as if I have learned all the clinical year had to offer me. I know that the forty or so patients I will see in this upcoming week will teach me something, though. Let me just look back at what the patients in the past week have taught me:
1. When someone complains of a fever and shaking chills, ALWAYS check their ears. I knew this already, but got slapped and humiliated this week for an instant of complacency. Just because the patient doesn't complain of ear problems does not mean they don't have ear problems.
2. Hepatitis C is a nasty virus, but it is very treatable and our patients don't have to die of cirrhosis and horrible liver failure just because they've got this bug. Apparently, genotypes II and III are cureable at a rate of 70% and new medications on the market have brought genotype I up to a cure rate of at least 50%.
3. I will get yelled at occasionally by my patients no matter how much I know or how good my bedside manner is. There is always one out there that cannot be pleased.
4. 11 patients in one day is a lot for me, but I can do it, even if some of them are very sick or complex.
These are but a few of the lessons I've learned in the past week, but it shows that each week there is a list of lessons that can be gleaned. So hopefully as I enter the last week of my clinical training and as all those who come after me reach the same milestone, we will avoid complacency, we will always be ready to learn something, and hopefully this last week goes off without a hitch.
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