Reflections of a PA Student

More Than a Medical School

2009-11-17T13:20:00Z

Last week I attended a meeting in which students discussed how our school, the University of Northern Texas Health Science Center, is perceived in the community. I sat with a few student leaders from other campus programs. We all realized how many components of the health care team are represented at the Health Science Center but are underappreciated due to the predominant local idea that this is only a "medical school." We talked about how important interdisciplinary collaboration is in improving...(read more)

Finding Time for Community Service

2009-11-09T19:09:00Z

Students in PA school encounter many opportunities to participate in community outreach events. Participation varies due to perceived or actual time constraints (see my previous post ). Last week I spoke with a medical student who is highly involved in community outreach programs. He is always talking about how the medical school is doing this and that. Meanwhile, I wondered how he and other med students were able to inspire involvement with everyone being so busy. That's when he explained to me...(read more)

You Can 'Have A Life' in PA School

2009-11-03T16:32:00Z

One of my roles at school is to be a student ambassador. I team up with a couple of my classmates to host prospective students on their interview day. We take them out to lunch and lead them on a tour across campus. Along the way, they ask me questions and I do my best to answer. Recently, an applicant told me a story of a third-year PA student who was married with kids. She asked me, "In PA school, do you have a life? Because I talked with a third-year PA student who said he was a ghost to his kids...(read more)

Dealing With Conflict

2009-10-26T19:41:00Z

PA school provides many opportunities for students to test their character and develop a sense of what it means to be a professional. Recently, I have observed how conflict can be a refining fire for us. There seem to be two general methods of dealing with a problem: the initial, emotionally-driven reaction or a careful, thought-out response. It is natural to internalize emotions when we are either hurt or have a disagreement. However, the residual effects of that internalization linger when moving...(read more)

Evidence-Based Medicine: It Just Makes Sense

2009-10-20T15:08:00Z

In clinical practice, we will work with health care professionals who confidently make a treatment decision based on their own experience. On the other hand, we will work with health care professionals who move forward with treatment on the basis of proven data. Experience- and evidence-based medicine are constantly at odds in clinical practice. Lately, I have noticed how confident and trustworthy a clinician appears when he states that "recent data suggests" a particular treatment. Having now been...(read more)

Always A Patient

2009-10-12T19:38:00Z

What does it feel like to wait nearly an hour in a cold room with only a thin cloth separating your private parts from the outside world? More than likely, we have all had some uncomfortable incident where we were the patient. Now, the dominant perspective has us behind the white coat. As PAs or aspiring PAs, it is possible for the clinical viewpoint to prevail and crowd out our memories of being the patient. How often have you observed insensitivity or yourself been disdainful towards a patient?...(read more)

The Learning Process: Were You Robbed?

2009-10-05T13:49:00Z

Many would assume that people who pursue post-undergraduate education must love to learn. Why subject yourself to Socratic methods and difficult testing? Does that not make you incredibly uncomfortable? Absolutely! When it comes down to it, students love to learn but endure learning. The process of learning does not occur on your terms. You are stretched, challenged, humbled and pushed. Who would willingly subject themselves to that sort of process? Those who love to learn do so by their own initiative....(read more)

A Patient Is Not A Number

2009-10-01T15:53:00Z

When PA students are exposed to the clinical environment, dilemmas are sure to arise, namely between how we imagine we'll practice as PAs and the reality of the clinical atmosphere. In the clinic, you are bound to encounter patients who provide information that is excessive or totally unrelated. But a working medical office operates under time constraints, so we have to take charge of the situation without being rude. How do we treat the volume of patients who filter through an office in one day...(read more)

The Student's Demands

2009-09-21T18:18:00Z

It has become apparent to me how particular PA students can be about their academic experience, and I am no exception. Our increased expectations for the academic experience may have something to do with our limited amount of time in the program and the immense amount of material we need to cram in that time. Can you blame us for being ruffled when we have so much to learn? Students know that there are no PowerPoint presentations, objectives, or one-hour lectures that will cover everything one needs...(read more)

Spinning Plates While Walking the Tightrope

2009-09-14T18:12:00Z

Not everyone has experienced a “block” schedule before. This is where you have two to three classes at a time for three to four weeks. So, when you come to PA school, this type of setup might present some challenges. Every program is different, but most offer some sort of clinical medicine. This course is kind of like the classroom version of rotations. For instance, we had dermatology, OB/GYN and pulmonology all at once for four weeks, but as we are taking the finals a new class begins. Why is this...(read more)

The Harsh Environment: Who’s To Blame?

2009-09-08T13:01:00Z

Have you ever wondered why things are the way they are? One of my readers brought up a great point about reaping the benefits—or in her case, the detriments—from past students on rotations. Could it be that some negative opposition during rotations may be a result of a previous experience with a haughty student? The reality is that a harsh interaction with a nurse or preceptor may have nothing to do with us. How do we deal with that? What about the positive encounters we have in the clinic? It probably...(read more)

Outside the Norm

2009-09-01T12:43:00Z

Prior to clinical exposure, PA students become accustomed to the normalcy of the physical exam. We can identify the S1 heart sound, palpate the typical abdomen, visualize the tympanic membrane and even examine a healthy retina. Lectures provide systemic pathology with the associated signs and symptoms, which calibrates our approach to the history. However, it is much harder to perform a physical exam on diseased patients. Our hands, eyes and ears are more comfortable assessing healthy patients. Our...(read more)

Working With Nurses

2009-08-26T14:18:00Z

The hospital can be a hostile environment if you are not aware of whose house it really is. Right now, I am taking a class called Supervised Practice where we spend one day per week in a clinical setting. The other day I performed rounds in the hospital with a PA who was doing GI consults. It felt like a foreign land, being that we were far away from the base clinic. There, we entered the territory of the nursing staff, the true keepers of the realm. These were the people who cared for the patients...(read more)

Gentle Communication: An Elusive Skill

2009-08-24T14:59:00Z

Authentic patient interactions have a different feel from those in the practice room. The reality of verbal intimacy is precarious to say the least. Over the past couple of weeks, we have spent time in the clinic as sort of a pre-rotation, if you will. The objective is to follow around a physician assistant and perform basic H&Ps (history and physicals). For some reason, this experience is much different than the shadowing we have all done prior to PA school. I am sure it has something to do...(read more)

Mea Culpa: Following Our Own Advice

2009-08-10T13:48:00Z

How many readers have sat in a class that made you feel a little uncomfortable? And I am not talking about OBGYN lectures. A couple of weeks ago, we had our first dermatology scolding. The physician emphasized strongly the importance of sunscreen and exactly what happens to the skin when UV rays have their way. I felt somewhat frightened but, more than anything, I felt guilty for being laissez faire about the matter. I tend to tan better after the first burn of the season and rarely require sunscreen...(read more)