First Semester of PA school

We are half way through the first semester of PA school. I am attending UC Davis which is a unique distance education school where they prefer students to stay in their communities throughout California and then come up to Sacramento for tests and extended lecture information and clinic experience. I just returned home after a long week where we had our first test. The class is Pathophysiology and it is deemed the "weeding out" class as you must get higher than 75% on both tests or you are booted out of the program. The test covers massive amounts of information and you don't know what will be asked so I had to prepare for everything. Obviously for a 112 question test only a sliver of the information is tested but like I said you have to prepare and study everything. This caused extreme stress and worries but come the morning of the test I felt well prepared. After I submitted my test the score of 86% appeared on my screen to let me know right away that I passed. What a relief and success. I like that in PA school competition for grades is finished and now its just learn the information to be a practitioner and prepare well for tests to show you know the stuff. Anyway now on to my other two classes which I have neglected and the next volume of info that I must know for the second test in a few weeks.

First week of class

The program has officially begun and I am swamped with material. PA school is a pursuit I have been focused on for several years and it was surreal being in the classroom. The first two days were an orientation with many documents to review, technology information, and q and a availability. The next few days we dove into the material and began preparing for our first exam...which is in two weeks. Pathophysiology appears to be a "weeding out" class with a 75% minimum grade required to continue in the program. We are covering a "typical" semester worth of material every two weeks. Its intense and anxiety promoting but it is assuring to think of the hundreds and hundreds who have come before me and passed and are now practicing clinicians.

Well back to the books. For those of you who are still in the process of preparing your applications and pursuing the pa path; keep up the hard work and achieve what you set out to achieve. I can't wait to have a fulfilling career that will enable me to critically think, help others, and provide a good lifestyle for my family and I.