Author: paigethepa

Mental health is such a taboo topic.  I went back and forth on whether I breach this topic or not, but it has been so relevant in my life especially in these last few months. Bear with me as I let my guard down a little bit and try to express to you the mental monsters I deal with in my daily life. Let me premise this by saying I am in no way, shape, or form looking for sympathy, sorrow, or attention.  I feel called to bring this up to bring awareness to mental health in our society and to open myself up as a resource for others who may be feeling alone in this battle. My experience is not to be understood as a representation of everyone who struggles with mental health, but rather as an example of what someone might be going through.

As a student in the health profession, I am constantly learning about how to help others.  We learn about how to care for, manage, treat, and cure our future patients. Throughout my education, even starting back in high school and my undergraduate studies, I have learned about mental health.  I’ve learned these things from the outside looking in, but with an inside that is screaming about how incorrect a lot of the information is, or on how those of us who have internal mental monsters KNOW that we are “going to be okay” and how we KNOW that “it’s not the end of the world” but that we cannot control the unhealthy thoughts that go on in our heads.   As an educated person, and as someone who has battled anxiety and depression since I was in late elementary/early middle school, I feel well equipped to share my thoughts on mental health with all of you.

I have had successes and failures with various counselors/therapists, I have had successes and failures with medications to help with my anxiety and depression, I have had successes and failures with self-help books/podcasts/motivational speakers, and I have had successes and failures with trying to manage my mental health on my own.  That’s just how it goes, though, we have good days and bad days. I have also found that things that used to help me in the past, don’t quite make the cut anymore, but also that things that used to not work for me, are successful at times now. The craziest thing of all is that I have the ability to know that I am acting/thinking irrationally but still cannot make it stop.  I have the knowledge and education to know that what I am feeling is not within reason, but I cannot snap out of it just because I am thinking “okay this isn’t real you can stop being dramatic now”. I can run, but I just cannot hide from it. It’s not that easy.  I think that my particular problem is trying to get over the past, look forward to the future, but to also figure out a way to be active in the present. A lot of my depression seeds from issues from my past, a lot of my anxiety stems from the unknown of the future and thus my present is the fruit of an unorganized mixture of the two.

I know for me, personally, for many years I just dealt with my mental monsters by suppressing them and pretending that I was fine. A lot of my friends and family had (and perhaps for some of you this may be the first time you’ve heard these things from me) no idea what in the heck was going on in my head. The truth is, I didn’t really know what was going on either.  I was ashamed and embarrassed. I opted to just try really hard to succeed in sports, my education, and my friendships so people couldn’t see me falling apart on the inside. As I have gotten older, more culturally aware, and let some of my walls down, I have realized that I am not the only one who is feeling this way.  I have learned that there are millions of people in this crazy world who struggle silently right along with me.  (Don’t miss that: Silently) .

We live in a society where we are blasted with social media that portrays all of these awesome experiences, happy faces and everyone’s “perfect” lives.  We don’t see the bad days.  We don’t see the struggles.  We don’t see it because people don’t want to bring up that side of their lives. It’s no wonder that middle school, high school, and even most of adulthood, is such a confusing time because what we see on the internet and what we feel on the inside at times are completely contradictory.

I know by now you’re probably wondering, what does this even have to do with being a PA student?  Why is she bringing this up on this PA school blog?  Well, let me tell you why.   Although I would never ever wish my anxiety and depression on anyone, I am a firm believer in the fact that God made me this way to shape me into the person that I am to become.  My life experiences have prepared me to help connect with many different people.  As a Resident Assistant (RA) in undergrad I was able to connect with other students better as they tried to come to terms with their own life experiences, as a big sister I have been able to connect with my other siblings about our struggles, as a girlfriend I am able to better connect and continue to grow with my boyfriend through our struggles as a couple, as a friend I can connect with other friends, and as a PA I am going to be able to connect with my patients better someday because of this. Something that we have to constantly remind ourselves is that in order to be able to successfully take care of someone else, we need to be able to take care of ourselves first.

We have seen the tragedy of mental health all over social media (Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams, Demi Lovato, and MANY, MANY, MANY MORE).  Over and over again, people hear that even those who are closest to them had “no idea” or “didn’t realize it had gotten THAT bad”.  Y’all.  Listen. There are high functioning people in this world who are dealing with these mental monsters too. It doesn’t matter who you are (famous/not, rich/poor, educated/not, various races, religions, backgrounds, etc.) people are afraid to bring up their mental health struggles.  We don’t want people to know, or to feel bad, or to judge, or to make a “big deal out of things”. If you take anything out of this (very long) blog post I hope that it is this: Observe, listen, and do something.

If you personally struggle with your mental health:

Observe: know when you need to take a break, try to recognize your triggers and look for ways to help you manage the chaos going on in your mind.

Listen: You are not alone on this journey.  I’ll say it again, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There are people in this world that want to help you, connect with you, and bring peace into your life.

Do Something: Literally anything. Things are not going to change unless you are willing to take a step out of that dark place and at least try something new.  Reach out to a family member, friend or therapist.  Take a vacation, sometimes all you need is a change of scenery. Watch cute videos of puppies, or look through old photos.  Take a walk, go for a run, do some yoga, hit the gym, and get those endorphins going.

 

If you don’t struggle with mental health, but you want to be a resource/friend to someone who does:

Observe: recognize when someone you love or care about or see everyday is acting different. Notice when people are distancing themselves, or when you notice that someone is harming (or threatening to harm) themselves.  Please don’t be oblivious. Sometimes when you think someone is “acting out” or “behaving funny” it’s because they are trying to see if people are noticing.

Listen: If someone opens up to you, you need to give them your undivided attention.  Put your phone down and really listen to what they are saying.  This is a HUGE step for them to tell you about their lives. Most of us who struggle with this will tell you what we want/need from you.  It might just be that we need a hug, or that we need to cancel our dinner plans, or that we just need a girl’s day where we just have some fun.  I know for me, personally, I tried to bring my mental health up to some people and it was either brushed off as “not a big deal” or in one instance became a center of mockery of me being a “crazy person” (yeah, no wonder people don’t want to bring stuff up). Just listen to what they have to say.

Do Something: Intervene. Check in on your friends. Be an advocate for them. If you notice something unhealthy SAY SOMETHING. Let people know and understand that you are there to help them (and not judge them). Be active, honest, sincere and willing to be a voice for someone who is struggling to find theirs.

Mental health is not some new phenomenon, it has been around for years. Today, people are just a little bit more open about it as our society has backed off a little bit on judgement (we still have a long way to go). The whole concept about mental health is entirely complex and utterly confusing. We still have a ton to learn, and I could talk about this for literally hours but I want to end with this.  It is okay to not be okay.  Take it one day at a time, and as cliché as it sounds things really do get better, even on days when it doesn’t seem like it. Reach out to your friends. Check in on each other. Don’t be afraid to talk about it.  It’s time to break the silence. Let’s start today.

“Turn your demons into art, your shadow into a friend, your fear into fuel, your failures into teachers, your weaknesses into reasons to keep fighting. Don’t waste your pain. Recycle your heart.” – Andrea Balt

XOXO Paige

In PA school, sometimes it feels like we are stuck in this bubble of constantly studying, eating, taking exams, doing check offs, reading, maybe catching a few hours of sleep and repeat…And repeat… And repeat. Our lives seem so consumed in our studies that sometimes we forget that the rest of the world exists. We get set in our routine and have plans for how we are going to try to spend our day or how we are going to time manage for the weekend. We try to plan out naps and we try and plan out dinner with friends if we can swing it. What we don’t plan on, though, is when something terrible happens and we have to drop everything and drive 600 miles (about an 8 hour car ride) home for a funeral.

As someone who works in medicine I am very aware that death occurs. I did a lot of work with hospice patients and was very active as a caregiver with end of life care. No matter how many times I have experienced death, it does not make it any easier when someone you love passes away. It doesn’t make it any easier watching the people you love lose a pivotal part of their family. It doesn’t make it any easier when you have to meet people under these circumstances. The reality is, though, that life happens.

As a student, it is so easy to get caught up in the school routine, but we must not forget about our families. We are daughters/sons/sisters/brothers/grandkids/mother/father/etc and THEN we are a student. Family always comes first. Our families are with us for an unidentified amount of time, our books, however, those will always be there on the shelf indefinitely. We can stray away from studying and books will still be there for us when we decide we have time for them. The same does not go for family members (unfortunately). We may travel far and wide, and do amazing things in school, and make awesome strides as a future clinician, but if we neglect our family, they may not be there when we decide we “have time” for them.

Call your mom. Go out to lunch with your sister. Grab dinner with your grandparents. Send a text. Face-time your dad. Skype your best friend. YOU NEED TO DO THIS Y’ALL. Seriously, your books can wait. Is it possible you don’t do as well as you wanted to on a test? Yep. Is it possible you might lose some sleep because you need to study a little longer? Yep. Does it throw your whole schedule off? Possibly. We have to learn to be flexible. We have to adapt to our situations. I am the most type A person you will ever meet and I have to remind myself over and over that no matter how many “to-do lists” or color-coded schedules or things in my head that need to get done, that sometimes life just happens and I don’t get to do everything as planned.

Sometimes you have to unexpectedly drive 600 miles to mourn with your family, hug and cry with one another, and listen to inspiring stories about the ones you love. Sometimes you have to forego studying and go fishing to help get your mind off of things. Sometimes you have to delay your travels because you need to get breakfast with others in your family. Sometimes you have to call for help when your car makes funny noises. At some point you have to realize that there is so much more to our lives than being a student.   My hope is that you find that out before you find yourself in a situation where you regret not being present in your life outside of PA school.

Don’t get me wrong, school is tough, and demanding of our time, and a huge commitment to service in the healthcare industry, but we are nothing without our support systems. If we neglect our families, then we are failing the ones who have supported us along the way. Take the time to tell your family that you love them, and appreciate them, and care about them. There is no aspect of school that you could argue with me is more important than my family.

In that aspect, I am not sorry that I missed putting up a blog post last week because I was busy spending time with my boyfriend and his friend. I am not sorry that I didn’t get as much studying done this weekend because I had to go home unexpectedly. I am not sorry that I opted to write this post instead of using the time to study, because this is so important for you all to understand this. Be present in your family. Be more than just a student. Now, go call your family members and tell them you love them.

“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.” – Brad Henry

 

Grandpa Teed, although I was not blessed with your blood, you blessed me with your love. Thank you for always treating me like one of your own. xoxo

Please pray for peace and clarity for my boyfriend, Jake, and his entire family as they mourn the loss of the most wonderful man.

– Paige

I know what you are thinking? “What did she just say?”, “Did I read that right?”, “wait, what?”. Yep, you read it correctly. The first time I applied to PA school I applied to 7 schools. Of those schools, I had only one interview, and was put on that school’s waitlist. The other six schools I applied to, I was rejected from within one month of my CASPA being sent in. Talk about devastation, right?

I felt embarrassed, ashamed, defeated, heartbroken, and I had a moment where I pondered if PA school was meant to be. This was, quite honestly, the first time that I had ever been rejected from something so big and important before. Now, did I expect to just breeze through CASPA and get accepted into PA school right away? No. I knew getting into PA school was incredibly competitive. I did, however, think that I would have had more opportunities for interviews where I could emphasize that I was more than just what my “numbers” on my application portrayed me as. I was not expecting within one month of spending all of that time, money, and effort on CASPA to be rejected by so many schools immediately.

After taking the time to comprehend my rejection, and re-evaluate my dreams, wishes, desires, and motivation to go to PA school I decided that if I wanted to make this dream a reality, it was going to take a hell of a lot more effort to get into school. The next time around, I had to prove to those schools that I wanted to be in PA school and that I was willing to make the necessary improvements to show that I would make a great applicant. It was time for a makeover.

Below are 10 things that I decided to do to for my second attempt at the application cycle to help me stand out in a sea of thousands of applicants:

1. More PA Shadowing – I had only completed 4 job shadows (about 25-30 hours) the first time I applied. I reached out to more medical professionals and shadowed another 38 hours with three PAs, an MD, and a Nurse Anesthetist. Goal : show that I was truly dedicated to the profession and that I was interested in seeing the many aspects and opportunities that healthcare has to offer.
2. New Job– I had worked in the nursing home as a CNA for over two years. It was time to switch things up. I opted to try out being a private caregiver where I was more hands on and was able to provide a lot more care to my patients. I had also contemplated going back to school to get my EMT certification or something similar but decided against it for financial reasons. Goal: show that I was willing to take on more responsibility and broaden my skills in the healthcare field.
3. Retook the GRE – The first time I took the GRE I got a 298 and a 4 on my writing. A lot of the schools were interested in students having at least a 300. I decided that I was going to retake it and try to reach that 300 mark. I studied a little bit harder on it this time and felt more confident while taking the test. New score : 299 (I could have just screamed), and a 6 on my writing. I was super bummed, but my writing score did go up to a ‘perfect score’ of 6. Goal: show that I was willing to try and improve my score.
4. Revamped my personal statement– My personal statement was well written my first application cycle, but it didn’t stand out in the crowd. The second time around I focused on how I had changed from my first time applying and how dedicated I was to applying to PA school. Goal: Show how I had grown from the previous year and show my dedication to the profession.
5. More letters of recommendation- I only had 2 letters of recommendation the first time around (most schools say 2-3 but you can have up to 5 on CASPA). I had 2 from PAs that allowed me to shadow them, one from a professor that I did research with, one from a supervisor for a major medical company, and one from my boss at the nursing home I used to work at. I had great conversations with each of them, still keep in contact with them, and wrote them thank you letters for helping me with this journey. Some schools have certain requirements for who they want their letters of recommendation to be from, they are serious about this so be sure to look at each school’s requirements. Goal: show that I had a large support system of professionals who were willing to vouch that I was an ideal candidate for PA schools.
6. Continuing education – I opted to take more classes in the time between application cycles. I took a pharmacology class (immensely helpful now that I am in PA school and have seen some of these drugs before), a clinical nutrition class, and a lifespan developmental psychology course. Not only did this get me back into the swing of class (I had been out of college for over a year) but helped meet more pre-requisite requirements for additional PA schools that I didn’t qualify for the first round. Goal: show that I was willing to put in the time and effort to make myself better equipped for the demands of PA schools.
7. Completed and submitted CASPA earlier – the first time I applied to PA school I didn’t submit CASPA until mid July. I was waiting on a letter of recommendation; I was working 50hr weeks and highly underestimated the amount of time it would take to complete it. My second application was completed and submitted by mid May. I had received interview invitations the second year before I had even submitted my application the year prior. Most PA schools are on a running admission, therefore the earlier you submit, the higher chances (most likely) that the schools will see your application before they fill up their interview slots. Goal: increase my chances of PA schools who would look at my application and have a spot for me to interview.
8. Applied to more schools – The first application cycle I applied to 7 schools. Most of them were local schools within close proximity to Michigan, plus Duke University (just to say I applied really, my chance of getting into the #1 PA program in the US was highly unlikely) and a few other schools in North Carolina. My second time applying I applied to 13 schools, all over the United States. I decided that if I was meant to be in PA school, I would be able to handle the difficulties of moving away from home. I didn’t allow the distance to hold me back. Goal: improve my chances of getting in my increasing the number of schools; also, show that I am willing to travel distances to make my dream a reality.
9. Volunteering – PA schools are looking for applicants who are willing to dedicate their time to volunteering in their community. I had done a few volunteering opportunities for my first application cycle, but I did a heck of a lot more my second time applying. I did a lot of my volunteering at the Children’s Healing Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I also volunteered at the local elementary school. If you have the opportunity to volunteer more of your time and gain some sort of experience (medical or non-medical) that will help set you apart from other applicants. Goal: show your love for your community
10. Prepared for my interviews– My interview my first time around actually went pretty well. I felt confident and well prepared walking in, but I felt a huge disconnect when I sat down and I was asked certain questions. I had prepared far too much about why I wanted to be a PA and why I wanted to attend that school and far less about the PA profession itself. My second interview I was far more prepared not only to answer the questions about why I wanted to go to PA school, but also why the PA profession is so important and the history of the profession. I was also very open and honest in the interviews about how devastated I was that I hadn’t gotten accepted the year before and took the opportunity to show how I had grown and made myself a better applicant. Goal: show preparedness, dedication, and honesty

 

My second attempt at applying to PA school I received 5 interview invitations, but was accepted into a program within 2 days of my first interview. Because I loved the school that I got accepted to, I decided to give up my additional interviews to allow the opportunity for another applicant. I whole-heartedly believe that because I took the time and effort to revamp my application, it made a huge impact on my second application cycle.

By getting rejected the first time around that I am way more thankful and appreciative for the opportunity to continue my education in the medical field. I am so blessed to have my seat in my PA program and there is nothing that can take that gratitude away. In a way, I found the beauty in the pain. I learned a lot in my year off between application cycles, I not only grew as an applicant, but there was a lot of personal growth in there too.   I had to have my dream ripped from my fingertips before I could appreciate the opportunity in front of me. I don’t take a single day of PA school for granted.

If you have been rejected before, or if you get rejected this time around, please don’t give up. You are capable of doing this! Try to find ways to set yourself apart from other applicants. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Dedicate some serious time to applying to PA school and really think about your school choices, sacrifices you’re willing to make, how much money you are willing to spend on applying, and think about why you really want to do this. If you want to get into PA school as bad as I wanted to (and I assume you do) you have to be willing to work for it! I believe in you. Now I need you to believe in you.

“Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” – Wilma Rudolph

 

-Paige

It’s Monday morning at 4am and the sound of my alarm clock awakens me. Snooze. Okay world, five more minutes. My next alarm goes off. Snooze. My internal thoughts, and the sound of my boyfriend’s voice saying, “your routine is important, get out of bed”. Although he is over 500 miles away, somehow he is still the one who gets me out of bed each day. It’s either his voice in my head, or his early morning phone calls on his way to work that guilt me into getting up and moving for the day. I shuffle out to the kitchen to get my first cup of coffee. Bless thee who discovered the delicacy that is coffee, seriously, my life depends on it. First sip goes down, and my brain starts to awaken. My day can officially begin.

An example of how my typical Monday goes is below. An example of my typical week is shown above.

Monday To do list:

• Wakeup + coffee 4am
• Study 4:15-6am
• Get ready: 6-6:45am
• Clinical Medicine exam 8am
• Clinical Medicine lecture from 9am-12pm
• Lunch 12-1pm
• Clinical Medicine lecture from 1-4pm
• Workout with Beth from 5-5:30pm
• Shower 5:35pm
• Eat Dinner, call/facetime mom or boyfriend 6pm
• Study for Tuesday and Wednesday classes/tests 6:15-?
• Bedtime: 10-10:30pm

Since I have an exam at 8am, my morning is spent looking over my notes and my practice questions. My clinical medicine notes are typically over 250-300 powerpoint slides which equates to about 50+ pages of notes. I just read and read and read. Over the weekend I spent time doodling all over my notes with various colored pens trying to make associations in my brain.

My roommate, Beth, and I like to leave extra early on exam days (which, as you will see is almost every single day). On Monday mornings we leave our house about 6:45am. Around 5:50-6am, I begin trying to make myself look presentable–hair, makeup, brush teeth, and then of course the daily struggle of trying to figure out what to wear. Our dress code for each week is Monday-Wednesday: business professional, Thursday: scrubs, and Friday: casual. You know, I have a million combinations of clothes but yeah, like most people of the female gender: I will spend about 5-10 minutes trying on different combos trying to find the perfect one.

After tearing through my closet and leaving more clothes on the floor than when I started I head out to the kitchen for more coffee (DUH!) and pack my lunch for the day. Packing my lunch not only keeps me on my “diet”, but it saves me money by not going out to eat all of the time. On Mondays we are on our school’s main campus, and we don’t have access to a refrigerator there. There is a microwave across campus, but since I’m lazy I typically pack myself food that can easily be kept fresh with an icepack and doesn’t require to be heated up (ie sandwich, granola bars, banana, yogurt, crackers, and my yeti full of, you guessed it, more coffee).

Our drive to McKenzie campus is about 20 minutes from our house. Beth and I typically jam out to 90s country, chat about the upcoming week or just have more girl talk that we never seem to get enough of. Once we hit the school though, its go-time. Before exams, we are very quiet, allowing ourselves to get into “the zone” before our test begins. In PA school, in order to pass your test you have to obtain an 80% or better. To some, an 80% seems like an easy feat, but the reality is with ~30 credit hours, exams everyday, and trying to figure out your scheduling/organization/routine, occasionally an 80% sneaks up on you. You might go into a test with confidence and be 10 questions in and wondering if you are going to pass it.

At 7:50 we take our seats and one of our classmates or professors will pray over us before we take our exam. Once 8am hits our lockdown browsers are engaged and our brains (hopefully) carry us through our exam. Usually the exam is about 50 questions long and we have just under an hour to complete it. After the exam we head to the lecture hall for lecture. I try to get a head start on my notes before lecture begins so I can try to keep up with our professor as she begins the material. Monday lectures are from 9am until we break for lunch at 12 and then we continue from 1-4. It’s a long day of lecture for one class, but it’s arguably our most important class. Luckily for us, our professor does a pretty good job at keeping us engaged.

4pm hits and we are released from the lecture hall to travel home. Once we get home Beth and I get our butts whooped by Autumn Calabrese via her Beachbody workout videos (if you haven’t tried it I would suggest looking into it!). As you could imagine there is a lot of complaining, laughing and sweating that occurs for 30 minutes. It’s then shower time followed by dinner. One of the smartest things that I learned from Beachbody is how to meal prep and let me tell you, it has saved my life in PA school. Over the weekend I cook a ton of food for the week and then Monday through whenever my food runs out, I just have to heat it up. I don’t have to spend my study time cooking meals since I have them already prepped and ready to go—it’s a lifesaver!

While I eat my dinner, I usually spend that time to talk to my mom and/or my boyfriend. One of the most important things that I have learned in PA school is that it is incredibly important to take the time to talk to your loved ones. We are so busy, that is true, but you are never too busy to take the time to decompress and talk to family/friends. It works wonders on your mental health, and it helps immensely with homesickness if you live far away from home, like I do (more on that in a later blog-stay tuned!). After taking my time getting my mind off of school related things for a while it is then time to jump back in and study before heading to bed.

In my opinion the most important aspect in regards to PA school is your organization and time management. I have gotten to the point where if I need to do something and it is not written down on my to-do list, then there is a high probability that it will not get done. I have 2 calendars, a planner, and reminders in my phone about what I need to have done (or try to get done) each day. Use those planners, sticky notes, reminders in your phone, whatever it is that works for you, to keep yourself organized. Once you fall behind just a little bit, you will find that it is a very slippery slope trying to regain your organizational control. At the end of the day we all have the same 24 hours to utilize. How you choose to utilize your time is up to you. For me, I wake up at 4am to get my day started. There are other people in my class who wake up 20 minutes before they have to leave for class. Whatever your situation is, you will need to figure out a routine that works for you to utilize your day efficiently.

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. – Napoleon Hill”

-Paige

For as long as I can remember, medical school was the ultimate dream of mine. When I was in high school I LOVED it when people asked me what my future plans were for after high school. Every opportunity I had, I proudly and confidently would state that I was going to study pre-medicine and would one day go to medical school.

I stuck with that dream until my sophomore year of undergrad at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. I had a supervisor of mine ask me exactly WHY I wanted to go to medical school. What was it about medical school that pulled me in? I, of course, answered quickly with the “ I want to help people” response, followed by “because I want to make a difference” and “it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do”. He wasn’t satisfied with those answers. He must have poked and prodded me about the WHY for at least 30 minutes. At first it was a little agitating, but then it really dawned on me that I didn’t really have a solid reason for my desire to go to medical school. The truth of the matter is, I didn’t really give any other profession a chance in my mind. Some may call that determination, some may call it perseverance, hell, some may even call it a form of passion, but the reality of it is that I was stubborn, closed minded and pretty vain about the whole thing. It’s okay, I can admit it.

So after realizing that I needed to maybe think about WHY it was that I was pursuing this education and putting myself through the agonizing hell also known as organic chemistry, I set aside some time for my thoughts. It was pretty alarming to me to realize how I was just going through the motions of college and had basically settled for my career without even having any particular reasons in mind other than the typical cliché answers you hear. It was not until this point that I had even considered other career options. I knew that I had a calling for medicine, but I didn’t have the slightest clue about what the other areas of medicine had to offer. An entire weekend (and then some) was spent looking into physician assistant programs, physical therapy programs, occupational therapy programs, nurse practitioner programs, nurse anesthetist programs, and probably others that I cannot recall at this time.

Shortly after looking into my options, I had this inclination toward the PA route. I decided to research more into what exactly a PA was, what it took to become a PA, and if I even had a shot at getting into a program. It seemed like the more I looked into it, the more I found myself thinking “wow, why had I never looked into this before”. Over time, I ended up changing my major from biomedical sciences to allied health science with a physician assistant emphasis, per recommendation of my academic advisor. I bought a GRE study book, signed up for a GRE review course that my college offered, started doing more job shadows of PAs and when I went home over the summer I quit my job as a bartender and took my Certified Nursing Assistant course and got a job at a local nursing home. It was time to show the world that although I had changed my mind about medical school, I was willing to put in the time and effort it took to shape myself into physician assistant student applicant.

If I had the opportunity to talk to my supervisor today about my WHYs of choosing PA school I would have these things to say.

1. Teamwork makes the dream work. I love the fact that as a PA I will have a supervising physician that I can turn to with questions/concerns that I have and continue to be a lifelong learner with them. The term physician assistant is often misunderstood as working “underneath” a physician but the reality is that the two positions are more collaborative than anything else.
2. I don’t have to go to school as long. I learn what they learn in 4+ years of medical school in 27 months. This can be good or bad depending on the person, but to me it was a huge plus! Saved me a lot of student debt too!
3. I don’t have to specialize! The beautiful thing about PA school is that you learn a little bit of everything and at the end you don’t have to specialize if you don’t want to. You are not stuck in one area of medicine. You could do cardiology for a few years and then decide that you want to do dermatology for a while and then who knows after a couple of years opt for surgery. The opportunities are endless. That is not typically a luxury for physicians. There are ways to specialize if you choose to do so, but because most programs are designed to teach their students to be in primary care/family medicine and then we can do electives in clinical year to get more experience in a specialty field.
4. I can still do all of the “cool medical stuff” that physicians do. I still get to assess, diagnose, and treat patients. I can prescribe medications (within certain parameters) and yes, I even get a white coat too. I still get what I deemed as the “perks” of medical school, but I have an accelerated program (seriously, about 30 credits each semester).

No matter what your path of choice is in the medical field, I encourage you to think about WHY you want to be there. You should want to choose a career path because you can’t imagine doing anything else. You should have a passion in your soul that gives you the drive and motivation to get to your final destination. PA school is incredibly hard (as is medical school, NP school, Nursing school etc.), if that passion/drive/dedication/motivation isn’t there, you will find it very difficult to persevere.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said , “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals”. Anyone is capable of opening up a book, studying, and passing a test. But only true, passionate individuals who are willing to put in the work are going to wind up doing something that they love so fiercely.

My biggest internal struggle was feeling like I was going to let people down if I ended up not going to medical school, heck, that was all I talked about in high school and my early undergraduate college years. The reality is though, the only person you let down when you continue on a path you may not want to be on, is yourself. Do not settle for a career path because you think that “its too late to change”, or because “my parents/family/friends/coworkers will be disappointed in me” or whatever the reason may be. Do this because you want to. Take the time to ponder your future and take the time to evaluate the amount of time/effort/sacrifices you are willing to make to make your dream a reality. Figure out WHY you want this so bad, and then go for it! You are unstoppable.

So tell me, what is your WHY?

-Paige

Thank you for joining me on my PA school journey! In the past six months I have had an overwhelming amount of people asking me questions about PA school. Some of my favorite questions include “what exactly is a PA?”, “how in the heck are you managing 30 credit hours in one semester?”, “do you ever sleep?”, “how does it feel living 500 miles from home?”, “what does it take to get into PA school?” and “do you think I am capable of getting into PA school?”. I went back and forth about if I wanted to actually write a blog or not, and since you are here you can see that I decided to try it out. Although I am still learning the ropes myself, I am excited for the opportunity to share my experiences with all of you. My intention is to answer those questions above, and many more, from my perspective as a PA student. If you are a fellow PA student, a pre-PA student, a practicing PA, another medical professional , or just someone who is genuinely interested in the PA profession, follow my blog as I introduce you into the realities of what the life of a PA student looks like!

“Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination” – Joseph B Wirthlin

– Paige