Coming Up for Air

You know when you're a kid and you dive into the deep end of the pool to touch the bottom and then swim back up?  Do you remember what it felt like those times when you weren't sure you got quite enough air before submersion or didn't push off the bottom hard enough to get back up?  You wondered if you were going to make it back up to the top.  And then, after some of the longest seconds of your life, you made it back up to the top.  And then the very instant your mouth and nose broke the plane out of the water, you took the biggest, deepest breath.  And it felt so good.

That is what this weekend was like...ok, maybe not quite that dramatic.  But it did feel good to go about 30 hours without doing schoolwork or studying.  And now I know that I need a little bit bigger of a breath as I jump back in.

My tests last week went just fine - I think anatomy went better than physiology, but we'll see once the grades are all in.  The days were long (several 10-12 hour days on campus), but I think it paid off.

After each anatomy test, we (all of the PA, PT, OT students, as well as our professor and TAs) have a party - called a "Post Gross."  They rent out a bar (or restaurant, if you prefer) downtown and we all go hang out.  Our professor has been doing this for years and loves it.  It was great to get to hang out with people outside of class and meet some new folks, as well.

And then, to make the weekend that much better, I got a little taste of Greenville and Grace.  Joe and Stephanie were down visiting Joe's family, so I got to spend some time with them.  I also got to meet up with Wes and Mac to watch one of Mac's baseball games - sorry, no pictures, but it was great to see them!

Now, ready or not, it's time to dive back in!

The School Path

image from http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/musc/

So it’s 8:27pm on Friday, the third Friday that I have been in class (10^th day of class) and I’m taking a study break to write this blog.  My intent was to update everyone on what life looks like for me now…and I think that paints a pretty accurate picture.

It’s not as bleak as it might seem at first glance, though.  First of all, most of you know I can be nerdy at times, so studying on a Friday night would not necessarily have been an anomaly before school.  The volume has certainly increased, though.  Also, most of what I’m learning really interests me.  And if the particular topic doesn’t interest me as much, I know it’s a means to the end goal – becoming a PA.

Here’s a little synopsis of what’s been going on:

• -       Moved to Charleston on May 18
• -       Started orientation on May 22
• -       Started class on May 24
• -       My first tests will be June 11, 13, and 14

The classes I’m currently taking are:

• -       Gross Anatomy (yes, cadavers and all)
• -       Physiology (which will turn into Pathophysiology)
• -       Pharmacology
• -       Bioethics and Behavioral Medicine
• -       Intro to the PA Profession
• -       Inter-professional Project (with PT and OT students)

I spend roughly 25 hours per week in class, as in being taught.  I’m usually on campus studying with groups and/or tutors when I’m not in class during the day – will probably end up being around 8-10 hours/day on campus and then studying on my own (or at least off campus in a group) at night.  Weekends are for catch-up – both sleep and study.

They have thrown a ton of information at us from day one.  No one expects us to learn it all…but they do expect us to learn a lot.  The way I look at it is this is my job (granted, I’m paying to do this work), so I’m going to work as hard as I can at it.

A friend back home told/warned me that this would be like trying to drink from a fire hydrant – you can’t drink it all, just don’t get hurt. 

I’ll update the blog when I can so that those of you who are interested can keep up.  I promise no pictures of cadavers, April.