When a friend calls to me from the road　And slows his horse to a meaning walk,　I don't stand still and look around　On all the hills I haven't hoed,　And shout from where I am, What is it?　No, not as there is a time to talk.　I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,　Blade-end up and five feet tall,　And plod: I go up to the stone wall　For a friendly ...

Terry Clarke, student nurse here. I am in an accelerated nurse practitioner program at UMASS Worcester. We just finished our year-long RN BSN equivalency. I've been feeling like a hand-stamped 18-year-old at a bar, able to join the conversations but not order a beer. As my NCLEX draws nigh, I finally feel competent to write about this experience. ...

In discussion with a colleague, we came to an impasse. Both of our viewpoints were opinion based; neither of us was willing to sway. She ended our exchange by saying, ''This is why you are going to die old and alone.'' I know this to be a joke of affection, but also a reference to one of the things we, as a culture, fear most. What brings this ...

Last semester was rough. For the first time in my life, I feared not passing a class. I believed I was sure to be devastated.  I did not do well on one test, which seemed to shake my test-taking confidence to the core for the entire rest of the semester. So it seems I have lost my test taking mojo. I tried to find it all semester, and there ...

Doctor: ''Nurse, the diabetic patient in room 8 is waiting for his insulin shot.'' Nurse: ''What diabetic patient? Bed 1 or 2?'' Doctor: ''Umm...the bed by the window. I'm blanking on the name right now. John? No, Tom. I think. To be honest, I'm not quite sure. Check the chart. He is the cellulitis patient who is been here for 2 ...

Privet (hello in Russian), my name is Olga. Yes, it is a typical Russian name, but my story does not unfold how most people expect it to. I was born in Moscow, Russia, but I spent most of my childhood years on the other side of the world - in the evergreen, banana-exporting country of Ecuador. I speak and write Russian but do not consider myself ...

Last weekend and into early this week, I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta for the AAPA annual PA Conference with my classmates and a few of my professors. Aside from getting the chance to bond with my peers and connect with my mentors on a personal level outside of the classroom, I was able to attend several seminars and conference events ...

This weekend, several of my classmates and I are making the trip down to Atlanta, Geor., for the start of the AAPA's 38th Annual PA Conference. As Saturday approaches, I'm finding myself more and more excited to have the opportunity to get out of the classroom and learn about so many different and interesting topics from a variety of knowledgeable ...

With 95% of my class entering a new rotation this week, I will be returning to the same clinic for part two of my family medicine rotation. I have said it before that I was surprised by how interesting family medicine is, and I am excited to go back for more! Last week we had our monthly PASS day, where all of the 3rd year PA students come back to ...