Actually our program uses the quarter system... but we just finished our second quarter in our PA program at UC Davis. I decided to write about the feelings and details involved in ending classes in pa school.
Finals were stressful!! We had comprehensive finals so everything was fair game on the final, which was an enormous amount of material. Coupled with the fact that there were 4 finals over 3 days with the 2 hardest finals being back to back; before lunch then after lunch. What stress! It is over now and I passed my classes so I can take a deep breath and enjoy a few weeks of time off and have a good Christmas and New Years.
The main areas we covered this quarter were ENT, ophthalmology, dermatology, hematology, oncology, and respiratory. The nuances and details can be complex and remembering all of the associated diseases, the associated treatments, specific drugs (along with first line, second line) was especially difficult for me with my limited background experience. However; I feel that I learned an incredible amount and I am so pleased that I passed every test and can continue to the next sections.
On a certain final many of us felt the test was very difficult with poorly written complex questions, questions in areas we never covered, and questions in areas we were told not to study.... As you can imagine many people were upset. My feelings after the test were frustrating more than anything. I had the feeling that I knew I passed the test but the many questions that were foreign to me left an uneasy frustrating feeling. I wondered what my feelings would have been like if the test was simple and I answered every question correctly. Would I be positive and excited? Why would I have different feeling if ultimately I would know and have learned the same amount of information? Its funny what a test can do to you... an easy test doesn't mean that I know any more about the subject; my studies dictated how well I learned the new material not the questions proposed by our professor. I really want to become a competent and knowledge filled PA and I realized that my studies, learning techniques, and thorough reading will determine how much I learn and prepare myself... then ultimately solidify and expand my knowledge after graduation while in the clinic.
How do you study
ReplyDeleteWell everyone has their own method of studying.... I approach it like a puzzle; I start with the edge pieces and complete the outer border. I follow this by working on an area and moving on one area at a time until I have worked in each area. Finally I spend time and concentration on the last few pieces. So to interpret this, the outside border = beginning by looking over what I need to know and writing it down (I use a small white board in my office). I then read with a pad of paper and take notes on the areas I think are important. I then use supplemental information such as study guides, my notes and other texts to better understand key areas and convert this to notecards. Before the test I study with my notecards and go over and over them making sure I know the areas I chose to focus on. Several times it has occured that there have been questions on the test that I never studied. I realize that I cannot cover everything and I sometimes miss a few areas as I omitted them while deciding what to study in the beginning steps. This happens but sticking to a plan and following it I have found allows me to study with less stress and helps me feel prepared come test time.
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