Happy New Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006!!!

If you're still looking for a place to go tonight, stop by Bogota!

No cover charge or inflated prices.

And I'll be hostessing!

www.bogotabistro.com

Teenagers Do the Damnedest Things!

Imagine being this kid's parent??

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051230/ap_on_re_mi_ea/journey_to_iraq

Merry Christmas!

Closing In on Semester One!

This week has been absolutely insane. I can't believe the amount of material that we're being tested on 6 hours from now in anatomy. Incredible. 200 questions, fill-in...no word bank, no multiple choice, no matching. Straight up fill-in...

The stress involved in preparing for such a test is strange. The competitive side of my personality wants to keep on studying while the rational side of my brain says, that's enough...go to bed. My brain doesn't like straight up memorization. It's not natural.

After the stress of the physical diagnosis exam (oral/practical) and the physiology exam (I passed) my brain is begging and pleading for a break...and so is my body. I'm doing everything I tell my personal training clients NOT to do. I'm skipping breakfast, drinking too much coffee, eating too much chocolate, and sitting in a chair at least 9 hours a day. My muscles are sore from being cramped in a tiny desk...terrible. I just keep telling myself it's only temporary.

Two more days. Three more exams. And then I can rest my brain and exercise my muscles and yes, I did just forget that it's Christmas. Wow...that's terrible.

Finals week should be a breeze compared to the last two weeks. But, you never know. We have one exam everyday from Tuesday to Friday with no additional classes.

And then Semester One of this bizarre experience will be done.

I cannot believe it.

The Good News...

I will have a 10-day break starting the second week in January!! whoohoooo

10 days? Hmmm....where should I go?

That's almost enough time for an international soiree.

My Japanese sister just got engaged.

Hmmm....Tokyo anyone?

Travelling is my vice.

Wait a minute...I just remembered that I'm a broke college student.

Bummer.

Welcome to Medicine

Today was just one of those days that would have been better spent curled up in bed with a good book. Not a good textbook...but a nice, sappy romance novel that has a happy ending.

Physical Diagnosis exam was ok. I was given the abdominal exam and after it was all done I realized that I had forgotten to palpate the abdominal aorta...so of course I was kicking myself in the butt for that blooper. It's ridiculous how easy it is to forget everything that you did RIGHT...but once you make a mistake...that's the only thing you can remember.

The physiology exam started 2 hours later so I was able to review most of the material (not all) one last time. But by that point my brain felt like mush and all the info was randomly sloshing around. I survived the exam, but have absolutely no idea how I did. I usually leave an exam with some kind of idea...but not today. I went in with a mushy brain and left with an even mushier brain (is that a word?).

We had another 2 hour break so I tried to get some Christmas shopping done. Then it was back to school for the last meeting of our Psychosocial class. Tonight we were discussing death and dying and a patient's right to die. We watched a 90 minute video about three different people and their terminal illnesses and how they wanted to die and the affect it has on their caregivers. It triggered a lot of suppressed emotions since I experienced this recently with someone that I love. Some people in the class were visibly upset. When the movie ended, the class president raised his hand and halfheartedly asked the instructor, "The stress of the exams this week is emotionally taxing...couldn't we have done this at the beginning of the semester?" To which the instructor replied, "Welcome to medicine, you never know what you're going to be presented with...and how it will affect you emotionally. This is something you're going to have to get used to."

So there you have it...

Step Away from the Ledge!

It starts with a text message: "I can't do this anymore! I can't focus!"

Then the phone rings, "I feel paralyzed. There is too much information that I don't even know where to start. Why are they giving us two exams tomorrow. Why are they doing this to us? My brain is frozen. It's already 10pm and I'm not even close to finishing. I'M GOING TO FAIL!"

Although I'm feeling the exact same way I calmly respond, "Yes, you can do it. I know you can do it. Go cry, scream, run around...do what you have to do and then go back to studying. YOU CAN DO IT!"

The voice on the other end responds, "Thanks, I feel better now."

"No problem. I know you'll do the same for me when I call you in a few hours with the same feelings!"

And then we laugh and simultaneously step away from the ledge.

Adios Chemistry!

On a positive note...and I mean a VERY POSITIVE NOTE...I am done with biochemistry!! We do still have a final exam coming up in January, but since I've done well on the first three exams, it will only count towards 10% of my final grade.

Isn't that nice???

Which leads me to believe, that there is indeed, a Santa Claus!

The Grinch

I've decided that the Grinch who stole Christmas does not live on top of the mountain hovering over "Who-ville"...nope, the Grinch is the director of my program.

December has been the most challenging month thus far. Intellectually, emotionally, and even physically (sitting on a hard desk chair 9+ hours a day hurts!). We had four 12 hour days this past week with three exams. This upcoming week we have four 12 hour days and 5 exams. They keep adding on new exams...and this is NOT finals week. The total for December is 11 exams. Finals start January 2nd (at least 5 more exams that week). I'm exhausted and haven't gotten much Christmas shopping done. UGH

There hasn't been enough time to properly prepare for the physiology exam on Monday either. Which makes the studying experience that much more frustrating. This exam in on Endocrinology and Sexual Reproduction, two topics that I'm interested in studying but because of the exams last week and the excrutiatingly long days in the classroom there was no other recourse but to delay the studying until this weekend.

So that means I'm sitting home studying on a Saturday night while my family is partying at two different Christmas parties. I try really hard to live a balanced life but this month it's not even possible. I've only worked out a handful of times and the personal trainers that I work with and some of the gym members have expressed their concern! And although I absolutely love what I'm doing and the journey that I'm on...I would rather be drinking egg nog and stuffing my face than studying the physiological effects of Viagra! (don't get me started...)

The last few months feel like a blur. Life outside of the classroom just doesn't seem to coincide with the intensity and focus necessary inside of the classroom...which renders an inner sense of frustration when my favorite time of year seems to be passing me by. I finish exams on the 23rd...I didn't even have time to send Santa my Christmas list this year!

I know this week will come and go and school will return to a more manageable pace...but right now, it hurts. Right now, it's not fun. Right now, it's taking every ounce of strength to suppress the urge to spontaneously combust into tears.

I'm not the only one...I've been asking around and it seems that most girls have 30 second crying outbursts and although the guys deny crying (I don't believe all of them), they do admit to screaming and throwing things (textbooks, binders, pencils etc.) out of pure frustration. This seems to be normal behavior for PA students. We cry, scream, throw things and then go back to studying. Some students have been experiencing this all throughout the semester...but it didn't really hit me until this week.

So to all the aspiring PA students: Believe The Hype - PA school will kick your butt! And you have no choice but to take it. So you better make sure that you really, really, really, really, really want to be a PA.

REALLY.

And on that note... fa la la la la la la la la! Perhaps if I sing louder, the grinch will hear me and his heart will begin to grow...and Christmas will be restored to PA students everywhere.

FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!!!!!!!!

Mondays

I don't recommend starting off your week with a Monday like the one I had today.

8am-9:30am: Biochemistry Exam
10 am-1pm: Physical Diagnosis Lab
1:30pm-4:30pm: Physiology
5pm-8pm: Psychosocial History of HealthCare (actually, not even sure if that's the name of the class!!!)

What's that organization...OSHA? (occupational safety and health admin). I wonder if they'd intervene if I gave them a call?

It also didn't help that I only had about 4 hours of sleep last night. I stopped studying at a decent hour, but the mind kept buzzing about with biochem nonsense and some nights it's hard to turn it off. Sometimes the brain just wants to keep on going...

Tonight, my brain is on strike.

Unfortunately, word has trickled down from the admin office that the next two weeks will determine who does NOT come back next semester. I am in good standing, but if I wasn't, I'd be freaking out. There is not enough time to properly prepare for the next 4 exams before the holiday break and if my entire semester were riding on the next few weeks...I'd be bugging. Some of my classmates are visibly worried and that's unsettling to me. Overall, we have a very intelligent class and we get along really well (unlike last year's class) and it'll be disheartening if people don't return.

We'll see what happens...

How does it feel...

How does it feel to have four 12 hour days and two exams this week?

How does it feel to have four 12 hour days and three exams the following week?

How does it feel to miss two Christmas parties, each scheduled during the week?

It feels like NOBODY understands...

...except for those in my class who keep calling me to complain. To complain about how nobody understands their stress.

Nobody. Except now maybe you do.

Not looking for sympathy, just a little understanding for when I have to say NO to things I definitely would rather be doing...especially at this time of year.

The Best of Both Worlds

As I was driving to Brooklyn, I started to feel guilty about not studying. I realized that it was important for me to shoot for the A in biochemistry. Luckily, I had my biochem notes with me (security blanket) in the car. When I got to the restaurant, it was hopping with hungry people. George was busy overseeing the kitchen staff and Omar was busy shmoozing with the patrons. Then I had a brilliant idea. I would study until the crowd died down and then eat dinner with my boys.

It was a brilliant plan. Their quiet office has a window that overlooks the kitchen, so I was able to get a lot of studying done (90 minutes) as well as sneak peaks at my favorite cook (the former cutie patootie bus boy!).

Sometimes all I need is a change of scenery and I get motivated again to study. It is important, it is only temporary and I will get a break in two weeks. That is what I keep telling myself. Although it feels like it will be the longest two weeks of my life!

PS- Thank you George and Omar!
www.bogotabistro.com

What should I do?

There is way too much studying to do.

It's Friday night and the thought of studying doesn't make me happy.

Biochemistry exam on Monday morning. I should study. Pharmacology exam Friday. I should study. Physiology exam and Physical Diagnosis exams the following Monday. Anatomy lecture and lab exam the following Thursday. I should study.

When I'm not studying I feel guilty. But, after 3 exams this week, my brain can't handle anymore information.

The thought of going to Bogota Latin Bistro for some bandeja paisa and a coconut martini makes me happier than staying in and studying (again).

I'm plagued by indecisiveness...it happens every night.

Will I care years from now if I get an A or a B on the biochem exam.

No.

Screw it, I'm going to Bklyn. I miss my amigos!

www.bogotabistro.com

Great Revelation...

I was suffering through biochemistry this morning when I heard my friend sitting behind me whisper, "We only have 2 more biochemistry classes left for the semester!"

Whhhooooohhhhhoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it!! The weird thing is that I've actually grown to like biochemistry. It is way more practical than organic chemistry. Organic chemistry was comparable to moving to a foreign country and trying to learn the language without any previous exposure to it. Nothing makes sense, yet you manage to piece together small tidbits of what you think may be important and you somehow manage to get by. Since I did that in Japan for two years, I am very familiar with the "what in the world is going on here" feeling. That experience continues to serve me well...

But then I had the greatest revelation of all time. I turned around to my friend and whispered back, "We only have two more chemistry classes for the REST OF OUR LIVES!!!"

My fear of chemistry nearly kept me out of the running towards being "America's Next Top PA!" (yes, I am poking fun at Tyra Bank's "America's Next Top Model show)

And there is great satisfaction in conquering your fears...

...thank you Deepa!

Tis the Season!

Why is there snow on the ground? Is it really December? Am I really almost done with the first semester of PA school?

Really? Where did the time go? What have I been doing?

When am I going to find the time to go Christmas shopping???

Classes end on the 23rd and finals begin January 2nd. Rumor has it we get bombarded with exams the first week of January but then we get the second week of January off if we pass every class. I guess if you are on the border of failing a class, they give you the chance to pass a CUMULATIVE exam in that subject during the second week in January. If you fail a class you have to get special permission to stay in the program and re-take it next year. Fail two classes and you're out of the program.

I will have that week off....more motivation to keep my head in the books right now.

Physiology Exam

The exam did live up to it's nasty reputation.

I got stuck on page #4, that had one graph with several different graphs weaved in it. There were 20 questions on the graph that equaled 20 points. It was the type of question where if you got one wrong...you were going to get them all wrong.

I feverishly wrote down all of the information I knew about the graphs and tried my damnest to figure out the answers. But no matter which way I approached the question, I wasn't satisfied with my answer. I didn't get that warm fuzzy feeling in my gut letting me know it was ok and time to move on to the next question. There was a part of me that wanted to give up and walk away. I was tired, very tired, my head was throbbing and my brain felt like it was deteriorating...quickly! At that point I took a deep breathe and looked around at some of my classmates. Some of them were giving up, some of them were leaving. That's when the competitive side came out. T-rex wasn't going down without a fight.

And then I did something I'd never done before during an exam: I raised my hand! I didn't think much about it beforehand, I was frustrated because I knew that I knew the information, I just wasn't 100% sure I was interpreting his graph (with mini graphs intertwined) correctly. The prof acknowledged my hand and came over. He kneeled down next to my desk and I could tell that he saw the frustration in my eyes. I looked at him and whispered, "I don't know what you can tell me...but I'm frustrated because I know that I know this stuff...it's just not coming out of my brain!" He gave me a sympathetic smile and looked down at my paper. I had scribbled down every single piece of information that I could extract from the graph. He looked back up at me and put his hand on my arm and said, "Yes, you do know the information, in fact, I know you can answer these questions successfully."

And that was it. I had always wondered what profs said to students during an exam...for some reason though I felt like I got gypped! As he stood back up, he patted me on my arm and I felt like I was 6 years old again standing on the sideline with my soccer coach. The prof had given me a little rest and a gentle nudge to get back in the game.

31 people failed the exam.

I passed and got every single question on that graph correct. When I returned my exam back to the prof he smiled and said, "Good job!"

The six year old inside me beamed and skipped out the door.

The 29 year old humbly thanked the prof and then tended to her friends that didn't pass the exam.

December is going to be a rough month.

MY WEEKEND

My horoscope:

It is frustrating when work gets in the way of your romantic and social life. This is likely what you are feeling today, t-rex, as your thoughts are on your evening and weekend activities but your obligations are clearly visible on the desk in front of you. Don't despair. Simply make a commitment to buckle down and do what's expected of you, then enjoy yourself this evening, secure in the knowledge that you fulfilled all your obligations

My horoscopes are really starting to freak me out! How'd the universe know that I spent my entire weekend studying physiology? How'd the universe know that tomorrow is the hardest exam of the semester...only 5 people passed this exam last year? Who'd think a simple horoscope could so accurately gauge exactly how I'm feeling at this moment in time????

Unfortunately, the entire month of December will read like this...9 exams before Christmas.

We do get a week off between Christmas and New Year's...but final exams start on January 2nd!

BAH-HUMBUG!

World AIDS Day

Today, December 1st is International World AIDS Day.

HIV/AIDS rates continue to climb in the United States as well as abroad.

Top 5 States with highest infection rates:

New York
California
Texas
Florida
New Jersey

Top 2 Suburbs:

Long Island, NY
Orange County, Ca

Age Group at Greatest Risk of Infection: 13-24 at a rate of 2 per hour=24/day in the United States!

As a former HIV/AIDS educator/test counselor for the Long Island Association for AIDS Care, www.liaac.org , HIV/AIDS is still raging in the United States. Don't be fooled into thinking it's only a problem that's getting worse overseas. Get educated and protect yourself.

Here are some of my favorite links:

http://www.worldaidsday.org/default.asp
http://www.unaids.org/en/default.asp
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/

T-Rex is NOT for Sale!!!!!

My letter to the editor of Newsday:

I am writing to point out a grammatical error in the article, "Serving in Africa" (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liarmy20,0,7654133.story). The article mistakenly refers to Karin Landmann as a physician's assistant. Physician's assistant implies ownership by a physician and is misleading.

According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants..."the relationship between a PA and the supervising physician is one of mutual trust and respect. Within the physician-PA relationship, physician assistants exercise autonomy in medical decision making and provide a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. The physician and PA practice as members of a medical team."

Thank you for taking the time to consider this correction. I look forward to future articles highlighting the exemplary work of physician assistants in Newsday.

Happy TURKEY Day!

Ok, I know this is the absolute LAST thing that you want to hear the night before Turkey Day...but I feel the responsibility of passing along some information from my microbiology professor. Prof M. is in his mid-70's and is hell bent on persuading the die-hard sushi eating students in my class that it's the stupidest thing you could do. He makes some valid points but my love for sushi and my experiences eating it in Japan will not dissuade me.

However, today he told us to NEVER EVER stuff your turkey!! I had never even thought that could be dangerous. But, as it turns out, if you stuff the bird, the stuffing inside of the turkey will never reach the same temperature as the rest of the bird. What does that mean? That means that the harmful bacteria inside of the bird, let's use SALMONELLA as an example, escapes the wrath of the hot bird by jumping ship to the stuffing! You take the stuffing out of the bird and then the little buggers jump into your GI tract! Fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps...and nobody likes ulcerated intestines on Thanksgiving.

I know what you're thinking...I've been cooking my bird with the stuffing inside for years and I've never gotten sick. Well, the class pounced on the professor with the same question. His response, "I don't have an answer why some people get sick and others don't, but I bet you that if you do get Salmonellosis...you'll never stuff your bird again! So why chance it?"

So, I shared this info with my mother and she appreciated it, so much so that she will not be stuffing the bird tomorrow. The rest of the family??? Well, I may take some heat for this one!

Hey, once you know...you can never NOT know! But...I will never stop eating sushi!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

"The world has other plans for you..."

That is what my father said to me today while I was in the kitchen trying to bake a cake. I thought for sure the oven light wasn't working, turns out I was pressing the wrong button.

Yes, some days baking a cake is beyond my scope of expertise. A couple of years ago, it was biscuits. I had ONE job for the entire Thanksgiving meal...and I blew it! Well, my cousin Jimmy is partly to blame since I had asked him to remind me that the biscuits were cooking!!! Granted, he is 17 years younger than I am...but it was technically a joint effort!

I have the best intentions, but when I put something in the oven, stove, or crock pot for that matter...I forget about it. The timer will even go off and I somehow don't hear it. Or I'll forget to include a necessary ingredient like eggs for brownies. Thankfully, I don't need to cook anything to become a PA. And I'm lucky to have such a forgiving family, although my Dad usually refuses to eat anything that I cook albeit I tend to cook healthy stuff that doesn't have much taste!

So, I'm grateful, as is my family, that the "world has other plans for me..."

A Moment of Silence

Some things are just not supposed to happen at Disneyland. I often refer to my gym as Disneyland. I have been employed as a personal trainer for the last two years and a member for three years prior. It's not your typical run of the mill, musclehead franchise. It's a family type environment and the vast majority of patrons and staff (including the owner) are females. Whenever I walk through the doors of the gym, all of my worries are washed away. It's a beautiful thing.

But, last week one of our staff members died from a rare strain of bacterial meningitis. She was vaccinated against meningitis, but it turns out that the vaccines are only 70% effective against most of the strains. She was 19 years old and away at college (upstate NY). She worked at the front desk during breaks and her mother is employed as a personal trainer. Both mother and daughter inspired many members and staff with their love and passion for health and fitness. Her death has rocked our gym "family".

I spent Sunday afternoon waiting 90 minutes to get inside of the funeral home. It was one of the most emotional wakes I've ever been to. Seeing others in pain is never a pleasant experience...especially when a mother has lost her teenage daughter and the majority of mourners are under the age of 20. Please include the Boyle family in your prayers this holiday season.

http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-limeni184517260nov18,0,5653278.story

Unfortunately, the bad news doesn't end there. A few days prior, I came across one of my former clients in the lockeroom. She is 21 years old and looked really sad. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that her 22 year old cousin was killed in Iraq. I had read the article in the newspaper the day before, but had no idea it was her cousin. Take a look at the article below and you'll understand why I remembered it. When I reached out to give her a hug, she exploded into tears in my arms.

Like I said, stuff like this is NOT supposed to happen at Disneyland.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lifune184517245nov18,0,1087760.story

Welcome to Brooklyn!

I studied till 3am, then woke up at 7 and studied till 8. Exam from 9-10:30am. Came home and napped till noon. Now I'm off to Bklyn to be the "hostess with the mostest" at Bogota. It seemed like a good idea in the beginning of the week...but now I'm exhausted, both mentally and physically.

I know I passed Biochem today and going to Bogota is like a reward. Bogota is like my home away from home, where my family and friends are always happy to see me. Once I hit the streets of Brooklyn, I am no longer a PA student...that identity goes straight out the window...I'm just like everyone else, meeting new people, listening to their stories and observing others on their journey...just trying to get by. The focus is not on me. I can sit back and enjoy life for a while. And not have to worry about the intricacies of the Kreb Cycle! Topping the night off with bandeja paisa, a coconut mojito and Zorro accompanying me to my car...is cathartic in and of itself.

www.bogotabistro.com

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

It's 10pm...and I just spontaneously threw down my highlighter and screamed. I didn't scream too loud...just loud enough to get the aggravation idling my chi out. What does that mean exactly? I really don't know....I only know that I have a biochem exam 11 hours from now and I somehow have to fit in at least 4 hours of sleep...and I feel like I need at least 12 more hours to study.

Whatever. This material isn't extremely difficult, it's just presented in an awkward way (my opinion, of course). I would appreciate it if this professor would take into consideration that we have 7 other classes to worry about...and that she should present the material in a more matter of fact way. But, she doesn't...

Ok, I feel better now. I need another cup of tea, then I'll search for the highlighter that disappeared when I spontaneously combusted...and then I'll get back to it.

Oh yeah, I've gone through 3 highlighters already. I don't think I've ever used up a single highlighter before in my entire life! And index cards? Forget about it...I should buy stock in an index card company with my student loan money! haha

It never ends....it really just NEVER ends!

Can you tell I'm delirious??

IT'S OVER (for now)!

Hell week #1 is finally OVER! 6 exams in 6 days...brutal. I averaged between 5-6 hours of sleep each night and there was no other way to get it all done. Some people go to bed early and wake up at 4am to study, and others (including yours truly), take a nap after school, then stay up until 2 or 3am. Then wake up an hour early to review in the school parking lot/library.

That strategy worked for me...so I'll be sticking to it. As the week progressed, more and more people started coughing and sniffling, a couple of people vomited due to nerves and lack of sleep, and others spontaneously combusted into tears.

But, we got through it. I say we because when one person goes down...there are others to help pick them back up. It's happening everyday...one key to getting through this is being able to put aside your "real" life and dive head first into this bizarre world called "PA school" or as the Dean describes it..."Accelerated Medical BOOT CAMP!"

I managed to get through relatively unscathed, the laughter, smiles, and comraderie of my classmates carried me through, and now I can exhale! (till Monday)

Waiting to Exhale

We got our physio grades back today. Same drama unfolded as last time. Walking up to the podium, one by one, to receive our graded exams. I wasn't as anxious as last time because anxiety takes up too much energy...and I still have 3 more exams to go so I don't have any extra energy to spare. But, my heart still felt like it was about to burst through my chest although I kept telling myself, "this is absolutely ridiculous "self"...knock it off!"

The prof called my name, I took a deep breathe in, looked at my paper and I saw that I PASSED (barely, but passed none-the-less!)...so I exhaled...but not fully...that won't happen until Friday afternoon...when this week from Hell finally ends.

Misery Loves Company

I may have failed my first exam in years. Physiology was a killer. Five minutes into the exam I wanted to hand it back to the professor...blank! It was that terrible. I knew the material and I don't know what I could have done to be better prepared because I just didn't know how to answer his questions. And that hasn't happened to me in a long time.

Luckily, I'm not the only one. Although for 2 hours, I felt like I was the only one pulling my hair out. Afterwards, everyone walked around with puzzled looks on their faces saying, "I think I failed." This is a group of people that is not used to failing.

It almost feels as though the exam was made more difficult for a reason. Perhaps because not enough people failed the first exam as was predicted by the prof. Perhaps because they keep saying that our class is the smartest class in years. Perhaps...the excuses are endless and at this point it doesn't matter. It's over.

We'll find out tomorrow if we did, indeed, fail. There's not enough time to get worked up over one test...besides I aced the physical diagnosis test that was given before physiology. And I have to start studying for the 3 other exams this week.

You win some, you lose some.

3 down...3 more to go...then I can sleep.

Marathon

PA school has been described as running a marathon, in hell, with no shoes on.

Well, I ran the NYC marathon 4 years ago TODAY and it was an abnormally HOT day (like today)...but, I did have shoes on. 4 years later, I'm just as exhausted...instead of running for 5 hours....I studied three times longer...

What? 15 hours?

Yup, 15 hours in one day...total for the weekend: 35 hours (typical work week sans lunch)

NO WONDER WHY I'M CRANKY!

So, I'm going to revise the above description of PA school...and say that it's similar to completing an IronMan competition (100+ miles)...and at that distance, temperature and footwear don't even register. You're in for the long haul...and the only way out is to keep your eyes on the finish line and KEEP ON RUNNING!

Time for sleep...

Not Fun

I'm not having fun. Too much information, not enough time. I can't even procrastinate...my brain feels like it's going to explode. Tomorrow is Physical Diagnosis, so I have to "perform". One hour later is the physiology exam (heart). Each requires different types of energies...and I'm exhausted already.

So much for Sunday being a day of rest.

Sooooo COOL!!!

Writing this blog has been a good way for me to keep in touch with the friends that I've made all around the world. However, sometimes it is not easy for them to understand everything that I write in English. But, I think I may have found a solution:

http://babelfish.altavista.com/

So, hypothetically speaking, if I wanted someone from Mexico to be able to understand what I'm writing, all they have to do is scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the Spanish flag. Another window opens up on their computer and my blog is magically translated into Spanish. If my Japanese friends wanted a translation, they would click on the Japanese flag and my blog magically appears in kanji! It's really cool...give it a try! Scroll down to the bottom of this page and pick a country!

1 down...5 more to go

Microbiology: DONE

Physiology Exam & Physical Diagnosis Lab Exam: Monday
Anatomy Lecture Exam & Cadaver Lab Exam: Thursday
Pharmacology Exam: Friday

To those that are working on their pre-requisites now, if a school recommends that you take a certain class (ie. Microbiology), you should take that class before the program starts. If I hadn't taken Microbio last Spring, today's exam would have put me in a really bad mood.

Moral of the story...if you can take the recommended classes...do it...it'll make your life a little bit easier.

WARNING

This is a post to my family and friends...

I apologize in advance for being a sleep deprived, cranky, hypersensitive, SOB...symptoms will subside in approximately 8 days. However, symptoms are likely to reappear one week later when the next wave of exams begin.

Treatment? Chocolate, hugs, and exercise.

When all else fails....red wine, tequila, beer!

Thank you for your cooperation.

T-rex ;)

Karma

On Monday morning, before physical diagnosis lab, I took advantage of the flu vaccine that was being offered to the students. I have no problem with needles except for when they're coming at me!! I have no problem with blood...unless it's my own blood. So, I really wasn't too thrilled by the experience.

After that, I was informed that my physical diagnosis instructor had an emergency. So, my group merged with another group. And we were observing a nasal/sinus exam. Well, the instructor asked for a volunteer to practice being the PA. Nobody volunteered and guess who she picked? Yup, lucky me. I wanted to crawl under the table and hide. I don't like being thrown into positions without being fully prepared.

It was Monday morning, I just survived an inoculation of the flu vaccine, I had never met this particular instructor before, and the secretary didn't give us the notes for us to review over the weekend (as promised!). So,I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing. And, I wasn't happy about it. Yes, the instructor did demonstrate the exam moments before she called on me...but, it was Monday morning and I was still thinking about the fun I had at Bogota over the weekend! And I rarely learn things on the first try...I'm one of those people that has to read things over and over and over again until I finally get it. So, the last thing I wanted to do that morning was stand in front of 20 of my peers and look like a moron.

But, I stood up and walked over to the table. One of my peers was the patient and he was just as surprised as I was when he was selected. So, in his defense...he didn't have the chance to BLOW HIS NOSE before the exam. Yes, remember that point! And of course he is one of the few students that I haven't formally met in class. Which made the experience even more awkward!

So, I'm nervous and trying not to sweat. Ever since I was in elementary school, if the teacher called on me, I'd turn bright red and sweat...for no apparent reason...even if I knew the answer the same reaction would occur. And, even though I'm 29...I still have to make a conscious effort NOT to turn red and sweat!

So, I'm trying not to turn red, trying not to sweat, trying not to let everyone see that my hand was shaking and I started to do the exam. I'm palpating this guy's nose and sinuses while announcing the structures. The sinuses were easy, but we never got the handout on the anatomy of the nose. So, the instructor walked me through it...and I was familiar with most of it until she said, "Ala Nasi". And I thought "Ala What?" It sounded like a dish from my favorite Indian restaurant! She seriously had to repeat herself several times before I just accepted the fact that I had no idea what she was saying! And, for the record, your "Ala Nasi" are the two semicircular bumps around the openings of your nose! Nobody else in our group chimed in, so I'm going to assume they didn't know that either!

So, there I was...palpating his nose, trying to make it look like I knew what I was doing and when I made eye contact with the "patient", I almost started laughing because he looked just as uncomfortable as I did! But, instead of laughing, I tilted his head back and shoved the opthalmoscope up his nose....I took a look and saw the biggest booger EVER trapped in his HAIRY nose!!! I almost lost it! And then I hear the instructor ask me if I noticed his DEVIATED SEPTUM?

"What deviated septum, all I'm seeing is a huge booger!" But, of course I couldn't say that.

So, I took a deep breathe and told the deviant voice inside of my head to "quit it"! And, I switched to the left nostril and hoped for a better environment. But, to my horror, the left nostril had even more boogers than the right nostril! I tried my best to mask any expression on my face while describing the inside of his nose as intelligently as possible.

After I finished the exam, the "patient" came over and explained that he had a cold and apologized for whatever I saw up there! I was finally able to let out a good, hearty giggle! But what do you think happened to me a few hours later? I was sitting in class and my girlfriend looked at me and whispered, "You have something by your nose!"

Yup....you guessed it....a booger!

Happy Halloween!

In the spirit of Halloween...I figured it's time for the cadaver introduction. If you get spooked thinking about dead bodies...skip this post. You've been warned!!!

Not every program uses cadavers. Some programs use computer simulations and some schools just teach anatomy straight out of the book. At other schools, a small group of students work on one cadaver for an entire semester. They dissect the cadaver at their own pace. At my school, we have 3 hours of anatomy lecture each week and then we break into smaller groups that same evening to observe the prosection done by an MD.

There are 30 cadavers in the "cadaver room". Each cadaver is individually laid out on a metal table and enclosed in a white body bag. The two cadavers that we work on are located in the back of the room. So, you have to walk past 28 cadavers to get to them. Each one is chemically preserved and by the time you get to the back of the room and closer to the exposed body...it literally takes your breathe away. The smell is noxious.

I was "lucky" enough to participate in cadaver "night" last year at a local university. I thought we'd be viewing the dissection of one body. But, I was wrong. When I walked into the room, I couldn't believe my eyes. There were 20 bodies lying about, fully exposed, that already had been dissected by the medical students. It was my first experience and it was a shocking introduction to "life after death."

The experience this time around is much more intimate. We have a male and a female cadaver. So far, we have observed prosections of the back, thorax and abdominal cavities. The MD points out different organs and structures and the ten of us collectively "ooohh" and "ahhh". Then we all put on our gloves and we each take turns holding, touching, even caressing the organs. It's a phenomal experience. I do not possess the words to explain how incredibe it is to literally wrap your hands around another person's heart. I can't imagine what it would be like to experience that with a beating heart! Time will tell...

There are many lessons to be learned from each prosection. It is a humbling experience and I'm very grateful for those who chose to donate their bodies to science. For the most part, the person is unrecognizable. Each section of the body that is not being observed is covered with white towels, including the face. We do not know what they look like...the head/neck/face is covered until the last week of class.

The most amazing aspect of this experience thus far? The realization that as human beings, we are so much more than just our bodies. Our bodies are created, function for a certain amount of time and then die. Our bodies die...but our spirit?

Although we haven't seen their faces and we don't know anything about their history, we've learned a lot about the factors that attributed to their deaths. We discovered that the male had an abdominal aortic aneurysm...it was incredible when we located the hole, and the dried blood that stained the walls of the organs around it. And we've determined that the female most likely had a myocardial infarction based on the amount of plaque that we removed from her arteries. The MD literally scraped out chunks of plaque. Chunks. And removed a marble sized gall stone from her gallbladder. She also suffered from constipation, and I'll just leave it at that...

These dead bodies, were once filled with spirit. And each week we try to put together another piece of the puzzle. We don't know and never will know anything about their lives. I can only imagine what their lives were like...which makes the process even more mystical, more enchanting...and even more beautiful.

Affirmation

After tonight, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that being a PA is for me. I was celebrating my Nana's 83rd birthday with my family and my Nana asked me to do her blood pressure! So, I whipped out my tool box of fancy medical gadgets and eagerly pumped away! Then my Dad wanted his done. Then my sister asked me to look in her ears and although "ears" is tomorrow's lesson in Physical Diagnosis Lab, she urged me to take a look. Lo and behold...I saw something. Not exactly sure what it was...but the right ear looked a lot different than the left ear! And she had been complaining about having pain.

Now, I'm not happy that my sister has some kind of funky goo in her ear...but it was thrilling for me! haha And she's not going to be happy that I'm sharing this with the world...but damn...it was thrilling!

And I cannot wait until 10am tomorrow morning when we learn about the EAR!!! I'll be a nice sister and give her a call to let her know what I learned! :)

THIS IS WHAT PA SCHOOL IS ALL ABOUT!!!

What's the quickest way to start widespread panic in a classroom?

Schedule 5 exams within 6 days...with 2 exams (back to back) on a Monday!

What exams? You know...the "EASY" ones:

Microbiology
Physiology
Anatomy
Pharmacology
Physical Diagnosis Lab (where we play PA)

(and I'm kidding about the "easy" part!)

During the last week of every month, we are given a monthly schedule for exams/classes/meetings for the following month (which are always subject to change...and they often do, AT THE LAST MINUTE!). It is unfortunate that we don't have this information earlier...but that's the way things are done here. Exams start next Friday and continue to the following Friday, with 9 hour lectures scheduled on the days in between! That's the KICKER! My brain is fried after 9 hours of lecture...so it won't be easy coming home to study afterwards.

Some people are seriously flipping out about the schedule. When I see other people flip out, I automatically become calm, especially in situations where I have no control (this trait should serve me well in the ER!!!!) I've been told many times, by many PA's, that no matter what school you choose, this is what PA school is all about!! Although I'm not pleased...I'm not surprised. Some people want to go to the director to break up the exams...but I think it's better to let it be (besides, it's too early to be asking for favors!). There are 3 more weeks after this exam week in November...which means more exams will be scheduled...

...and round 2 of biochemistry will be one of them.

And we all know how I feel about biochem! (Results will be in next week...)

Vietnam

"Sam" the Cambodian man in my class approached me the other day in the lunchroom. He told me that he spoke to the director of the program about going to Vietnam for a rotation. He told me that the program director loved the idea and told him to recruit some other students.

So, he asked me if I was interested in going to Vietnam to do a rotation. A rotation is between 4-6 weeks. I didn't even give it a second thought..."absolutely."

We'll see where this goes...

Friday

So, the biochem exam wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. All of the concepts finally clicked around midnight last night. All of a sudden, the lightbulb switched on. Big sigh of relief. But, I still don't like it!

Exam ended at 10:30am and Happy Hour started soon thereafter. :)

And now we're off till Thursday again...which is good and bad. Good because I have time to catch up in Physio, Pharm, and Microbio.

Bad, because we're gonna pay for it in November.

Boots

I feel a lot better tonight than I did last night. For some reason, I just spooked myself. And it's totally because we have so much time off this month. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop...but, it hasn't dropped yet...so I need to just chill and stay in the moment.

Yes, in a few weeks, we'll be having 2-4 exams per week and I will not have the luxury of focusing on one subject for 3 days straight. But, for now...I have the time, so that's what I've been doing.

I also feel better today because there was a boot sale going on at a local department store. So, I took a much needed study break and checked out the sale. So, even if I fail the exam Friday...at least I know I'll look good doing it!

;)

Ganbatte!

I know there are those that don't understand the inherent gifts that abound when one decides to leave familiar territory and venture into the unknown. I've been lucky enough to receive many gifts from my travel days...as well as the awareness that they indeed are gifts.

The greatest gift right now...having friends in Japan that are sitting at their computers while I'm up studying at 2am (it's 3pm in Japan). Nobody likes to be alone (well, not all the time)...especially in a room with biochem. Absolutely frightening! It's nice to have friends on the other side of the world.

So, to my friends in Nippon: Arigato Gozaimasu!

I think I can?

I've been quiet because I've been studying biochemistry. I'm about to hit the panic button though. I've finished reviewing all of my notes and am doing practice questions...and getting them wrong. My head hurts, my stomach is in knots...sounds like fun, eh?

I'm fighting off the panic stage by thinking about my favorite children's book, "The Little Engine That Could".

"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can."

I thank my mother for reading this book to me every night before I went to bed.

My "Vietnamese" Buddy

The directors of our program are very proud of the fact that we have an ethnically diverse student body. They pointed this out during the first week of class and introduced a few of the international students. One man was introduced as being from Vietnam.

I finally had the chance to introduce myself to the Vietnamese man, Samlain. I approached him during a 15 minute break from biochemistry. I introduced myself and asked, "Where in Vietnam are you from?" To which he responded, "I'm not from Vietnam, I am from Cambodia! Many Americans don't know about my country, they get it confused sometimes!" He has a very thick accent and I couldn't help but smile as I was trying to understand every word that he said. It brought back a lot of memories.

He explained that although he was born in Cambodia he did live in Vietnam for several years, and that since Cambodia and Vietnam are close to each other, that was probably why the directors confused his homeland. "Sam" is very humble. I certainly wouldn't be so understanding if I moved to a country that haphazardly confused the US with Canada!

So, I asked Sam what city he lived in while in Vietnam.

And he responded, "Why you ask me about Vietnam? Nobody asks me about Vietnam!"

I laughed and answered, "I visited Vietnam for 2 weeks with my father five years ago."

"You WHAT?!?!"

It's been a long time since I've seen someone so excited about something that came out of my mouth! He began to quickly rattle off the names of the Vietnamese cities that he lived in. He also rattled off the things he loved about the cuisine, culture, environment....all the while I smiled and tried my best to understand.

I explained how I was teaching English in Japan at the time and had the opportunity to travel to a lot of SE Asian countries. It turned out that we both had visited some of the same cities in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. He continued to rave about Vietnam and the people and how much he wanted to go back to Vietnam as a PA.

I wasn't aware that there are international programs for PAs to work in Vietnam. And I nearly fell over laughing when he suggested, "Yes! You come back to Vietnam with me and we help the sick people, together! They love American girl in Vietnam!"

When I asked him when he last visited his home country (Cambodia), he responded, "I went to Phnom Penn this summer to look for my sister."

Phnom Penn. Phnom Penn. Phnom Penn. "Did he just say, PHNOM PENN?"

Now, I am not a history expert. But, Cambodia was a country that I tried to visit. I did a fair share of reading about the country's tumultuous political history and had hopes of visiting Phnom Penn and the infamous "killing fields" when I was backpacking in that area. So, when he mentioned Phnom Penn...bells and whistles went off in my head.

And then it occurred to me that the Khmer Rouge invasion was not a part of ancient history....that it was in the late 70's. And that was less than 30 years ago. And...

...and then I looked at Sam a little closer and realized there was a hell of lot more behind the story.

I asked, "What city was your family from in Cambodia?" He responded, "Phnom Penn."
My stomach dropped. He looked at me and asked, "Do you know what happened in Phnom Penn? Do you know what happened to my people?"

I responded, "Yes, I know a little bit about it."

He continued, "Well, I left Cambodia as a refugee and that is why I lived in Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and that is why I am an AMERICAN citizen today! I have been an American citizen for 15 years!"

His pride of being an Amerian citizen was palpable as he grinned from ear to ear.

I was hoping for a miracle when I asked, "So, did your family come to America too?"

But, he became silent.

He leaned into me and put his hand on my shoulder and whispered, "My family never left Phnom Penn, only I left Phnom Penn."

I was confused because he was whispering, I was confused because we were on a 15 minute break from Biochemistry, I was confused because the rational part of my brain did not want to believe that his entire family was killed by the Khmer Rouge.

But, by the look on his face, I knew that is exactly what happened.

And when he went back to Cambodia this past summer, he went back hoping to find his sister's remains. He was hoping to identify her skull, among the MILLIONS that were left behind.

But, he was unsuccessful.

http://www.dithpran.org/killingfields.htm

And now Sam and I sit in the same class studying to be Physician Assistants. I am humbled by his courage. He is determined to study hard so he can "give back to society". Those are his words...not mine.

We are becoming buddies and this morning I showed him an article that was written by a young girl about her trip to Vietnam with her father, a Vietnam Veteran. As he read the article, tears started to well up in his eyes. He stopped reading and looked at me and said, "I think you understand where I am from...these people (motioned towards the class)....they don't understand...it makes me very happy that I have someone that can appreciate where I am from!"

Little does he know how nice it is for me as well. As the years go by, I get further and further away from the young girl that had the guts to up and leave everything behind to follow a dream. It's nice to be reminded that she's still alive and kicking.

Rain, Rain...Go Away!

So, this is rainy day #6...that's 6 consecutive days of rain. And according to the weather "people", it's not letting up for another 2 days. I'm not talking about sunny days with occasional raindrops. The sun disappeared almost a week ago and it's been dumping every since! And to top it all off...it's a cold rain. It feels like we jumped from summer to winter in one week. And that doesn't make me happy.

So...I went to yoga tonight and the instructor led us in sun salutations. She told us to close our eyes and imagine the sun, way up in the sky...and then added, "Each and every one you has a sun inside of your hearts, feel the warmth, feel the glow...the weather outside can't hinder your own personal sunshine."

Ahhhh....now doesn't that feel good?

Namaste!

What is a PA, continued...

http://www.acponline.org/journals/news/oct05/pa.htm

Public Service Announcement

I am always ecstatic when I meet someone that has studied, worked or even took a couple of months to travel overseas. And having lived the life of a "gaijin" (foreigner), I have a lot of respect for those that leave their home country and come to America to follow their dreams.

For two years, I was that person that held up the line you were standing on because I couldn't fully understand the cashier. I was the person that held up the bus trying to figure out if I was getting off at the right stop. I was the person that rode my bike on the opposite side of the road and caused major headaches at the intersection as a result. I was the person that tried to speak a foreign language in a foreign land and was made to feel stupid on numerous occasions. I frustrated a lot of Japanese people, but never intentionally.

I was that person. And because I wore those shoes, I understand how difficult it is for those that are non-native English speakers living here in America. The world can be a very scary place when you realize that nobody can understand you, and that your mere presence is enough to aggravate them. I've lived it. I've felt it. I was that person.

That concludes today's public service announcement.

Chemistry

So, our Yankee party was short lived. I called it a night after Bubba and Sheffield smashed into each other. I had a feeling it was going downhill after that. And what kind of name is "Bubba?"

During the first couple of innings, my sisters and I debated over who had a crush on Mike Mussina first. I swore it was me, during last year's series...but Kristen wholeheartedly disagreed and tried to convince me that my crush was on Tanyon Sturtze (who?!?). We proceeded to argue until she looked up his age on the internet....turns out, Mikey is closer to 40 than she is to 30...so this prompted my darling little sister to say, "Geez...he's old...you're closer in age to him...you can have him!"

Don't you just love sisters?? And now you know what happens when girls sit around and watch baseball!!! For the record, I'm not interested anymore!!!

As far as PA school...things are going well. Got my grades back for all 4 exams...and I'm happy with them. I'm on vacation again, until next Thursday. The first biochem exam is next Friday, so I have plenty of time to catch up and make sure I do well on that exam. Biochem is the enemy...it has surpassed physiology on my scale of difficulty. If I can't see it, feel it, touch it, smell it, etc. I'm just not interested. And yes, viruses, bacteria, fungi are tiny, but you can see them under a microscope...so, I don't have any problems with those buggers. Ions, molecules, atoms, acids, bases...YUCK! I didn't like chemistry in high school, I avoided it like the plague the first time through college and questioned my ability to get into PA school because of the pre-requisite chem classes that I needed to take. But, I made it through Chem 1, 2, and organic chemistry. This Biochemistry class is the last time I will ever have to take chemistry again!!!

Well, I probably shouldn't say that...who knows what I'm going to want to be when I grow up 10 years from now!

obnoxious

Don't you love it when the easiest class of the semester delivers the hardest test so far?

Everyone was whining afterwards...so, I don't have much else to say about that.

On a positive note, we learned how to examine the eye today using an ophthalmoscope. I didn't even know what an ophthalmoscope was a month ago...so it was pretty cool to learn how to turn it on and look at the blood vessels inside of the eye. Even cooler to come home and find my Nana was visiting. Who knew I'd grow up and be able to look inside of my Nana's eyes.

The best part was that she giggled the entire time!!

Ok, gotta go put on my Yankee hat...we're having a PARTY! (although I'll probably fall asleep by the 4th inning!)

Yankee Fever

Kind of stinks when you have an exam at 8am and the Yanks go up 1 run in the 7th. And you hear your family and the neighbors cheering as you sit at your desk studying.

So much for going to bed early!

Adios Mio!

When I first moved to Japan, I didn't know a word of Japanese. So everytime I tried to communicate with someone, Spanish would come out of my mouth. It was frustrating at times but Japanese started to sink in....slowly but surely.

Unfortunately, the same thing is happening now. Everytime I try to speak Spanish...Japanese comes to mind. This is not a good thing when you're living in the NYC metro area. Especially when you really want to be able to converse with someone.

The conversation goes a little something like this:

Him: "Hola, mi amor!"

Me: "Que?"

Him: "Tienes una sonrisa muy simpática!"

Me: "Que?!" "Tu tiene apprendar ingles!"

Him: "No!" "Tu tienes estudiar Espanol entonces tu puedes ayudar los gentes estan mal de salud en Mexico!"

Me: OK!

"Entonces, vivieron felices y comieron!"

**this post is not based on actual events...all characters are fictional...** ;)

www.bogotabistro.com

"Thank You"

Being of service to others is important, but make sure that as you do this, that you are taking care of yourself as well. Today is a day to turn up the heat on things and let yourself expand into other worlds. There may be an extra amount of dramatic flair that goes along with the events of the day so feel free to participate in the absurd. This may be exactly the break from reality that you are hoping to find.

So, that was Friday's horoscope. I'm not a big believer in that stuff, but it's kind of funny when your day turns out to be exactly what the horoscope predicted! And even funnier, when you read the horoscope after you've finished your day...for me, it was 3am Saturday morning after hostessing at George & Omar's restaurant, BOGOTA, in Brooklyn.

We had our anatomy exam Friday morning and it was a very fair exam. I was surprised at how fair it was...which made me wonder..."what in the world is going on here?" Perhaps they want everyone to get through the first semester, so that they can charge for second semester's tuition?? Call me a cynic, but we've only had to pay for the "arm" so far....the "leg" is due in January. ugh

It was 100 fill-in questions. That got me nervous at first, but after a while I got into the rhythm of the exam and got through it. There is a very interesting psychological twist to all of these exams though. Since grades don't necessarily matter, once I know I've gotten to the passing point, I chill out a bit. By chilling out, I mean I'm not going to sit and bang my head against the desk over one or two questions. Last year, it was a different story. Last year, getting A's was a MUST in order to get a seat in this program. But, now that I'm sitting in that seat...I'm more focused on learning and not memorizing. There were a few questions on the exam that stumped me and I came home and looked up the answers. Essentially it's because there is a purpose to all of this knowledge. There is a reason why we're learning what we're learning at the pace and order that we're learning it. And in a very short time, I'm going to be using that knowledge which I am very excited about!

I had a preview to the satisfaction of being able to educate someone about physiology this weekend. I met a young woman (31) that was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) the day before. As she was telling me about the experience she admitted that she was so upset by the diagnosis that she wasn't able to remember anything the doctor had told her about the disease. Her focus was on the medication that the doc told her she was going to have to inject into her muscle once a week for the rest of her life. So then she asked me..."do you know anything about MS?" Initially, I thought..."nope, we've only had one month of school so far!" But then I remembered that we did have a lengthy discussion about MS and it's effect on the nervous system and exactly what happens. So, I opened my mouth and out came everything I had learned...in a way that was easy for her to understand. Sometimes it feels like the stuff we learn in class just cannot fit into my brain, especially by the 9th hour of class. But, to my surprise...it's sitting up there...waiting to be used. It was pretty cool when she smiled and said, "Thank you."

And that's enough motivation to get out of bed and show up for yet another exam tomorrow morning.

International Job Opportunities

The best thing about being a PA is that their are jobs available all over the United States as well as abroad.

So, if I decided that I wanted to run away to Mexico with a cutie patootie, 22 year-old, "no hablo ingles" busboy...I could, and be gainfully employed.

www.bogotabistro.com

"I'M PREGNANT!"

No, no...not me!

My bestest bestest friend in the whole wide world is expecting. She called me Friday night to tell me and afterwards she said, "Well, I wanted to tell you earlier in the week, but I knew you had exams, so I figured I'd wait because I didn't want to stress you out." And that, my friends...is the reason why she's my bestest bestest friend in the whole wide world!

One by one, my girlfriends from High School have been afflicted with this pregnancy fever! It's like a freaking epidemic. If my epidemiology skills are correct...I think this benign "virus" first surfaced while we were all in Cyprus together...and they've slowly been coming down with it one by one over the years! Ok, I guess you can call it true love, too. Somehow I managed to avoid it, I took my chances in Japan with SARS instead. What can I tell you, I like to live on the edge!The stress is not a bad stress....it's more of a "Holy crap...who are my kids going to play with type of stress?" Their kids are going to be babysitting my kids at the rate I'm going!

Her being pregnant has occupied my mind more than the fact that I have an anatomy exam on Friday! She's like a sister to me and for some reason...girl's just have a way of taking on their friend's emotions, you would think that I'm the one having a baby. For example: I went to Barnes and Noble to get her some kind of pregnancy book. Her sister already bought her the bible of all pregnancy books "What to Expect When You're Expecting", so I spent a solid 45 minutes looking through all of the other pregnancy books. I would pick up a book, flip through it and then ask myself, "If I was preggo...would I want this?" My answer was NO to a lot of them. Some of them were pretty lame. Anyway, I came across this book that was so incredibly sappy that I almost started crying in the middle of the aisle. The fact that my bestest bestest friend in the whole entire world has a freakin baby growing inside of her really hit me....OH MY GOD, what a BEAUTIFUL thing!!! And then the tears started to form, I thought I was going to lose it in the store!

Yet, there was another book that broke down the baby's development week by week...so I flipped to week 9 and read that this week her baby is developing GONADS!!!!!!

So, then I started cracking up and more tears started to form as a result! I don't think I'll be going back to that Barnes and Noble for a while, they must think I'm a wacko! So, I've decided that I need to write a book after this whole PA thing is over. It will be entitled, "What to expect when your best friend is expecting." Because I need to learn how to better deal with this... :)

Yes, my mind will play all sorts of tricks to help me procrastinate and avoid studying!

Gotta love it!

Oprah

I need to write Oprah a letter to tell her that Airborne didn't work for me. My sinuses are never happy when the seasons change. And every year around this time, I get a little cold. But, it's official...I have a "bad" cold. And I'm not happy about it.

I haven't had a full-on stuffy head, runny nose, sore throat, itchy eyes, bronchial spasm-type cold in a very long time. I knew I shouldn't have worked out Thursday night as hard as I did. Not enough sleep, too much studying, and then I threw in a hard core elliptical workout that left me drenched in sweat. It felt great at the time! But, when I finished my workout I knew I had pushed my body too far. It's almost like I felt the switch go off.

After class on Friday, a bunch of us went to happy hour. Actually, it was barely noon and we were the only ones in the bar! I wasn't feeling great, but felt it was important to get to know some of my peers. It's incredibly strange to find yourself surrounded by the same people day in/day out and then have the opportunity to actually get to know them outside of that setting. I realized that our class schedule doesn't enable us to get to know each other during the day. In the morning, everyone rushes to get to class on-time. If you're late to class, the doors lock and you are not allowed into class until the break (something I don't agree with)...that's typically 60-90 minutes of lecture before we get a 15 minute break. During that break, people either rush outside to smoke or to the cafeteria to finish their coffee/breakfast (since we can't eat/drink in the classroom...can you tell that this still bothers me???).

No matter what you fancy, people are trying to find things they can put into their mouth to stimulate them in order to get through the second half of lecture. It's really quite a sight to see! I'm becoming known as "squirrel", since I usually whip out a handful of almonds and eat them one by one to make them last longer! But, there is no time to get personal. Everything is surface conversation, and since the only thing we do everyday and every night is schoolwork...that is all that is spoken about. It is really strange. It's like we're in a cult or something. And people are still watching other people. People are still trying to figure each other out. It's amazing how much you think you know about someone simply based on the way they dress and where they choose to sit in class. Yup, dorks in the front. Bad asses in the back. My posse sits in the middle... ;)

Then everyone rushes back into class...tape recorders are assembled and we barrel through another 90 minutes of lecture. Then people rush out in order to find lunch. Depending on whether or not we have one or two classes in the afternoon/evening helps me decide what I want to do for lunch. If I have two classes left for the day, I speed home to get a break from the "cult". If I only have one more class, then I usually find someone to go out to lunch with. Again, conversations are still pretty superficial at this point. I'm treating my peers as co-workers and everything is still new....you don't know who you can/can't trust. One of the administrator's relatives is in our class. You never know who you are talking to....again, surface conversation rules.

So, it was nice to get outside of the classroom setting. There were only 10 of us at the bar and it was an eclectic sampling of our class, which was very cool. People that sit in the front, middle AND back of the class! And although we've been in class for a month already, I only knew 1 person fairly well. She's part of my posse and I was actually relieved that the two other girls weren't there because sometimes you fall into a "clique" without even knowing it. And, I abhor cliques. So, I spent a couple of hours getting to know them. And it was really nice to be able to sit down and talk about the oddities of our everyday life. It was really nice to know that everyone is still overwhelmed and anxious. That other people are home on Saturday nights studying pharmacology. Extremely nice to know that everyone else feels like "nobody outside of school really understands what we're doing..."

I know I feel that way sometimes, but then I think...."do we every really ever know what other people do everyday?" No. We don't. Unless you're in it...you have no idea.

But I think the reason why we feel it to such a great extent is because we're learning medicine in a short amount of time. 4 years of medical school crammed into 2 years. And we don't do a residency. We learn on the job. And if all goes well...we're going to be practicing medicine in 1 year, 11 months from now. That means we only have 1 year, 11 months to learn everything we need to know to keep someone alive and kickin'!!! And that's a huge amount of responsibility that every single person has to wrestle with....I know I do. This transformation, for me, is going to be a humbling experience. The PA that I shadowed (my mentor) flat out told me that, "You have to get comfortable with the fact that you are not going to know everything. Not only are you not going to know everything, but you're going to have to get comfortable with the insecurity of not knowing everything. Medicine is always changing and you're given a lot of information and training in 2 short years and it takes about 5 before you start to feel comfortable."

So, I think that's why we feel...."nobody understands..." I chose this path, I accept it, but there will be days (and there have been already) when I think, "what in the world possessed me to choose this path?" Although it is a career with "assistant" as part of the title, PAs need to be autonomous in their thinking, reasoning and diagnosing. Every discipline of medicine has it's own rules...and there is a steep learning curve. Did I mention that we must pass a board exam every 6 years to remain certified? Good thing I like to learn!!

So far, this has been the most unproductive weekend. I've spent more time watching the Yankees than studying. Everytime I try to study, I get distracted by how crummy I feel. But, I'm letting myself off the hook. I have an anatomy exam on Friday....and I'm off until then. I have plenty of time to catch up with all of my work. So, I'm giving myself the weekend to "rest"....which is kind of hard when you look at the books sitting on my desk. I just don't feel motivated to do anything. But, watching the Yanks beat Boston did make me feel better :)

So, instead of studying, maybe I'll write that letter to Oprah instead.

It's that time of year again!

Let's go YANKEES!!!

The best thing about October is baseball. The best thing about my PA Program...we only have 9 days of school in October (religious private school). Another reason to convert?!?!?!

So you know what that means? Free time to watch the Yanks whip Boston and win the World Series. Actually, I'll just settle for whipping the Red Sox.

Oh wait...I meant to write, ample time to catch up on Biochemistry! While listening to the Yanks on the radio ;)

Coming Attractions: Cadaver Dissection

Icky Sicky

It's kind of gross to be sitting in microbiology learning about all of these respiratory illnesses and having half of the class sneezing the entire time! And since I already spent a semester looking at these friendly bugs, I can envision them as they make their way into my respiratory system.

YUCK!

I'll bet money that the "sneezing, sniffling, PA student epidemic" is directly related to the stress from Monday's exam. You usually see this during final exam week, but since this was the first exam, I don't think our immune systems were ready for it! I know mine wasn't after a summer of fun!

I've armed myself with Airborne. The vitamin supplement developed by a teacher and made famous by Oprah. If it's good enough for Oprah...then it has to work, right?!?!?! (chuckle, chuckle). I'll let you know...

My boy Chad

I'm so upset about Chad Pennington. :(

He's the reason why I got into football in the first place. I'm a big fan of young men who have goals, ambition and passion...and look good in tight pants?!?!?! haha

Get well, Chad!

the results are in...

After 3 hours of physiology, the professor asked, "are you guys in a rush to get out of here, or do you want to stay to get your exams back?"

"What?" So much for the 2 week reprieve!! I could feel my heart rate go up...and the feeling I got the first time I went on an upside down roller coaster, the "Screamin' Demon"!!!

The professor then called out the names of the people that got A's....only FIVE out of 65 people.
Then he turned to the board and wrote the breakdown of the other grades.

A: 5
B: 16
C: 20
D: 14
F: 10

In order to pass any exam in the program, you need a C...but there is no Bell Curve! Some programs require a B to pass exams, but the Bell Curve does exist there. Those programs usually put you in classes with other health science students (ie. med school, physical therapy, etc.). But, with our program...we sit in one room with the same people...day after day after day after day...... haha Don't worry, we get to see the hottie Physical therapy students in the hallways on breaks!

Ok, back to the terrifying story...

The prof proceeded to call us up to the front of the room, in alphabetical order. Thankfully, my last name is towards the beginning of the alphabet, because my heart was THUMPING. It was terrible. The prof stands on a "stage" that is about a foot above the ground. So, instead of thinking that I was marching towards my death...I imagined I was walking up to the stage to get my diploma! That image kept me from falling over!!

He called my name, THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I looked up at the professor and made eye contact, and for some reason I felt like no matter what, it was going to be ok. I took a deep breathe, and looked at my grade. I PASSED! I wanted to do cartwheels back to my seat! But, since a considerable number of people failed, I didn't think that would go over well. (and I actually can't do cartwheels!)

I got back to my desk and the rest of my posse felt relieved to see that I was smiling. I was happy that I passed. And even happier when my friends passed too. All of our grades were in the same range...which is pretty cool!

We had to return the exams to the prof after we reviewed them. When I handed him my exam, he asked, "So, Ms. ____ are you happy with your result?"

I hesitated because I wasn't sure if this was another trick question! The exam was loaded with them. But, I looked up at him and gave an emphatic, "Yes!"

He smiled and said, "That's good...cause if you're happy, then I'm happy!" (now, isn't that nice?)

So, I gave myself the night off....went to the gym and watched the Yankees with my family. I'm going to sleep more soundly than the last two nights, that's for sure!

Exam, Skin, Religion...

"So, what did you think of the test?"

"I expected worse", "I think I passed", and "it's one big cruel joke if we didn't pass!"

This is the consensus from the 3 other "sassy lassies" that make up my posse. It's funny how people gravitate towards each other and become friends, or rather, comrades. When the tension reaches an all-time high...all I have to do is look over at one of them and we laugh. We are 3 girls that have taken ourselves seriously our entire lives....and for some reason...this intense environment draws out our suppressed silliness! It's so nice to have that...

So, that's the consensus....rumor has it we won't get our grades back for 2 weeks. I can see the benefit in waiting...I can see people freaking out if they failed the first exam. Geez...I think I'd freak out...I'm going to stop talking about that now since anything is possible. (eek)

As far as the skin physical...I was the only one in my group that followed protocol! I had my shorts and sports bra...while the 3 other girls in my group pledged religion as their excuse. Now, I've done my fair share of world travelling, and consider myself to be culturally sensitive, but this really blew me away! I jokingly said, "Geez...I need to switch religions!" Luckily, they found that to be funny!

I didn't even ask for details at that point. Looking back though, I realize that these girls always wear long sleeved shirts. So, instead of examing their backs/chests....I got an arm to look at!!

So, there I was, a fair-skinned, light haired, sun-worshipping, befreckled (?) caucasian...letting it all hang out...showing off my "beauty" marks and the bumps and bruises from 22 years of playing soccer. I had to laugh...and the 3 girls were laughing too. I'm curious to find out more about their religion. What a fascinating world...

Oh yeah, to top it all off......the guys kept their shirts on!

But, the instructor did thank me for "participating!" ;)

Home away from home...

I have to say that I'm really start to like all of my classmates.

Imagine a room full of somewhat neurotic, Type-A, overachieving students, all of whom have been super-duper competitive up until this point. And then you finally get into the PA program and the directors and instructors start telling you that you no longer have to compete with one another. That you have gotten to where you are because of your own hard work, but the only way you'll make it to you next goal (graduation) is through teamwork.

It makes sense when PA school is likened to "taking a drink of water from a fire hydrant"...but I was skeptical. I've been studying solo for the last year and a half...

But one of my classmates suggested the class join a yahoo group. About half the class has done so and almost everyone is contributing in some way, shape, or form. Students are posting notes (tremendous relief to know there is back up!), study tips (nice to know there is a method to this madness), helpful web site links (www.physicianassistant.net) and support (www.xanax.com!) (JOKE!). I'm duly impressed and right now the vibe in the class is very positive.

I hope it stays that way!

exam one

It's over. I think I did ok. By ok, I'm pretty sure I passed. I think I knew more than I didn't know. I think that is a good sign.

But, it hurts right now to think....so hopefully my gut feeling prevails!

I'm taking a 20 min power nap and then going back for more.

2 more exams this week: medical terminology and epidemiology (thurs and fri).

Romantic Haze???

Oh well...the timing of today's horoscope is WAY OFF!!! ;)

Romance blossoms for you today and commitment and/or marriage may be just over the horizon. You and your beloved may have recently reached a new understanding of each other that has bonded you more tightly than before. Don't feel silly if you spend the entire day together walking around in a romantic haze. That's perfectly acceptable - it's part of the joy of love, and could well last for a while. Make the most of it!

Perhaps it's my new-found love affair with books?!?!

What's a girl to do...

Skin

Gone are the days when you cram all night for an exam, wake up 20 minutes before class starts, run in and answer the questions and then sprint back to your dorm room to go back into REM. Those days are gone!!!

Instead, I have to sit through 3 hours of class before the exam!

We have physical diagnosis lab tomorrow morning from 10am-1pm. During lab, the students examine each other and take turns at playing PA and patient. Well, tomorrow is the "skin" lab. The girls have to wear sports bras and shorts and the guys get to wear shorts and a t-shirt. Ain't that nice? I mean, what else would I rather do before an exam?!?!?!

All I have to say is, "If I have to sit there in a sports bra...those shirts better be coming off of the guys!" (I'm all about equal rights!)

So, after 3 fun-filled hours of examining each other's skin...we have a 30 minute break before our 3 hour exam. 30 minutes to inhale a sandwich, chug a cup of coffee and review my notes?!?!? And, I'll have to fit in a trip to the ladies room....since we're not allowed to leave the classroom during the exam...but I know I won't have to go until question #25!

And then after that exam...we have 90 minutes to recooperate before 3 more hours of Pharmacology.

BRING IT ON!

My horoscope...SWEET!!

Gotta love it when your horoscope predicts what you need from the day!

Today is a great day for you. Everything seems to be flowing your way as more and more pieces of the puzzle come into place. Your ever-fluctuating emotions are grounded and calm, affording you the luxury of being able to stand back and evaluate your true inner state. Have you been giving yourself the attention you deserve lately? This is your day. Get things done. Pull up your bootstraps and get to work. You can accomplish quite a bit using the sobering astral energy, so hop to it.


But, what in the world is "SOBERING ASTRAL ENERGY!"

Been doing this all weekend...

Exam on Monday. It feels like I'm studying for a comprehensive final exam...in actuality, it's only the FIRST exam of the semester. Yikes. I finish one packet of notes and feel pretty confident. Then I go on to another packet of notes and think I understand that pretty well. But, then I go back to the original packet and realize that there is more to know...then concepts start to blur and a vicious cycle begins. Staying confident seems to be the biggest challenge.

It's 8:30 on Saturday night and I'm already sleepy.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And now it's 1am and I'm still at it....leftover birthday cake and a cup of tea helped me overcome the desire to sleep....and now nerves have taken over! I could bore you by telling you everything you never wanted to know about nerves...misery does love company afterall....instead, I'll just let you know that human physiology is incredibly complex, extremely challenging to fully grasp; but it's fascinating enough for me to turn the page and study on.

Sleep well, my friends.

surrender all control

Yesterday was my actual birthday so after biochem and physio, I treated myself to an hour at the gym followed by cake and presents with my family. My guests left around 9:30pm so I studied until 1am.

We had a 9am class this morning. We were supposed to only have 2 classes today. BUT...at 11am, they interrupted our microbio class to let us know that we were expected to stay after our physio class (ends at 4:30) and attend another class from 5-8pm.

No if's, and's, or but's about it.

Of course, I wasn't thrilled by the news. But then I looked over at the single moms in the program and realized that I didn't have much to complain about. And realized how liberating it felt to not have to call anyone to let them know that my schedule had changed. It's quite nice to only have to worry about getting myself to and from school in one piece. I can't imagine having to take care of others in that capacity right now...I'm having a hard enough time making sure I eat breakfast before class!

So, to those thinking about PA school....you have to be willing and ABLE (emphasis on ABLE) to surrender all control of life as you once knew it. For those that are entering programs straight out of college, it probably won't seem like a big difference. But, for those of us who have been in the "real" world for a while....it takes some getting used to.

What classes?

We've entered the point of no return. We've had a touch of all 7 classes that we are taking this semester. 7 classes worth 20 credits.

Yes, 20 credits.

I will rank them in order of difficulty (of course, this is subjective!):

Physiology
Biochemistry
Anatomy
Pharmacology
Microbiology
Epidemiology
Physical Diagnosis (PD)

We had PD, Physio and Pharmacology today. I'm beat. We started at 10am, finished at 9pm...at around 8pm, the entire class got the giggles. At that point, I felt like I had the same teacher as Charlie Brown..."wah, wah, wah, wah".

I need to sleep.

Test anxiety

The first exam of this whole process is coming up quick...9/26. We were informed by the director of the program (who loves to remind us that the worst is yet to come) that the physiology exams are so difficult that the majority of us will fail.

Nice. Welcome to PA school.

I recognize that he's using his power to provoke fear in order to motivate us...but that doesn't work for me. Since I have some experience teaching...I know that fear doesn't necessarily work for everyone. Encouraging people to focus on their own intrinsic motivation is more my style. But, with 65 people in our program...that would be too time consuming.

So, fear it is...let the test anxiety begin!

Birthday

My sisters treated me to dinner Saturday night in celebration of my 29th birthday! The three of us drove to Brooklyn to eat at Bogota Latin Bistro. The owner of Bogota is one of my closest friends. We met in biology class during out senior year in high school. He went to NYU and I went to SUNY Albany. We both studied abroad, I chose Australia and he chose Semester at Sea. He visited 11 different countries during his experience, while I explored the mysterious world under the sea! We both returned to NY and realized that we both had the same plan post-college graduation. We both wanted to go to Japan to teach English. Both of us were introduced to the JET program during our time abroad. As fate would have it...we were both accepted into the program and sat next to each other on the plane to Tokyo!

Although we lived several hours apart, we saw each other often and traveled to Thailand to celebrate our first Christmas abroad. George completed his one year contract with the JET program and returned to NYC. I decided to stay in Japan for two years.

George's long time dream was to open his own restaurant. And I knew it was only a matter of time before that happened. Three years ago, he and his partner, Omar, started to turn their dreams into a reality. They opened their restaurant two months ago in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and it has been successful on all levels.

So, it was an absolute delight to celebrate my 29th birthday in the company of my sisters and friends. I waitressed throughout the summer and became very friendly with the staff. There is one particular staff member that I have become quite fond of...his sweet smile makes me smile...and who doesn't like it when that happens! Too bad he's 8 years younger....or perhaps I need to start thinking like Demi Moore! tee hee hee So it was a treat to spend my b-day surrounded by my favorite people.

So, the next time I get stressed over this "becoming a PA thing"...tell me to go to Brooklyn!

www.bogotabistro.com click on weblog!

Friday

Thank God it's Friday!

Tomorrow I'm training a couple of clients. I have a handful of amazing people that want to continue training with me. Fitness is such an important component in everyone's lives...and it's such an honor to be in the position to motivate, encourage, and teach others about something that I am so passionate about. I have worked with clients that have turned their lives around and they attribute it to their newfound love of exercise. I'm not talking about clients that work out to get 6-pack abs, but the clients who are thrilled that they can now walk up and down stairs without holding the railing. Clients that are thrilled their body fat % is now in the healthy bracket. Clients who can reach their hands behind their back for the first time in 7 years.

I love my work as a trainer...and I'm excited about bringing my experience as a trainer into medicine. I want to be able to help people in other areas, as well as fitness. And that is why I am where I am right now.

The personal training certification course is what made me realize that I had the ability to conquer anatomy as well as the desire to learn as much about the body as I possibly could. It was that training that lit the "fire".

I never saw it coming...I'm glad I kept my options open!

Incredible

I'm finishing up week #2 of PA school. Only 102 more weeks until graduation!?!?!

Seriously, I still haven't fully grasped what I'm doing right now. I absolutely LOVE learning. And I can feel the subtle shift within my brain already, but when I think about what's coming up around the corner...and I stop to realize all of the work that needs to get done this weekend...I want to run and hide.

What in the world am I doing? Why am I doing this? What is this all for? And how in the world did I get myself into this situation?

And then I have to stop and laugh and think about the big picture. The problem though, is that I don't have a clear shot of what the big picture is. I can imagine me in the white coat and a stethoscope...and I can envision myself prepping for surgery...and I can envision myself examining people of all ages, races, and color and helping people feel better. But, I can't imagine where I will be working. I can't imagine if I'll stay in NY or go international...in a hospital, walk-in office, specialty or and HIV-clinic in Africa.

I guess it all depends on the characters that I meet over the next couple of years.

Like I said, it's incredibly exciting. Incredibly frightening. And it's not even about taking it day by day....it's more like taking it "minute by minute!"

But, overall....it really is incredible!

Volunteers Needed!

The wise MD also advised us to begin practicing histories and physicals ASAP. We start our rotations one year from now and we need to master the "art" (his word) of physical diagnosis. So, after I'm done torturing my family and friends...I'll be looking for volunteers!

Single, eligible bachelors would be greatly appreciated! (tee hee hee)

MD

We started Physical Diagnosis today and our teacher is an MD. He very bluntly told us to master anatomy, physiology and biochemistry because we need to be able to explain to patients as well as physicians and other health care clinicians...the who, what, when, where, and WHY. It's the WHY component that keeps people from graduating. He also sternly reminded us that writing the wrong word on a chart could kill a patient.

Gulp.

The entire room was silenced. Nobody made a noise and nobody (not even THAT guy) asked a question.

It was the reality check that we all needed.

I have to go study physiology now. So, I can tell you...WHY.

Night Owl

Why is it that I get 8 hours of sleep, yet drag throughout the day, but once the sun goes down, I feel renewed, energized and hit my prime study time at 11pm??? It drives me insane...but that seems to be the way of my circadian rhythm. But, then a vicious cycle is set up...b/c I won't be getting 8 hours of sleep tonight and I have three 3-hour classes tomorrow. Oh, the drama...

So, I didn't go to the gym tonight. We had two 3-hour classes and it was a frustrating day. The material was doable...but there is a student in our class that incessantly asks inane questions! This is only our second week of class and I'm starting to feel for his safety! People moan out loud everytime he puts his hand up!

So the day started out pretty pleasant. I got to school 10 minutes early and enjoyed my Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee (my addiction) in the parking lot. But within an hour of our biochem class, the entire mood of the class changed. The material got tougher and the students were getting antsy. By the time 4:30pm rolled around...people were rushing to get out of the class.

Something's gotta give...

Let me regress to the...not getting to the gym part. I came home and tried to download the lectures from my handy-dandy, "supposed to make my life easier", digital recorder. Well, it took me over 2 hours to figure it out. I had to download the software onto my new computer and for some unknown reason...it just wouldn't work. I had to walk away from the computer a few times b/c I thought I was going to lose my mind. I got cranky with my sister and she told me to walk away. I did. I came back and it still didn't work! So, I gave it one last try...and it miraculously worked. But, I wasted over 2 hours of precious time.

So much for making my life easier.

Ok, time to review some biochem and try to sleep. I have to change this sleep/wake cycle. When I was going through the Personal Trainer certification process, I envisioned myself waking up early and training clients at 5am and then having boundless energy throughout the day. WELL, I gave that a try until one of my 6am clients jokingly asked, "Isn't the trainer supposed to be perkier than the client?" So, that's when I knew I was better off working nights! Luckily, this client changed her schedule to work with me! Too funny.

So as a PA in training...I have no delusions of suddenly becoming a perky, morning person.

Ok, gotta hit the books... if I fall asleep right now...I'd get 8 hours. My goal is at least 6!

Michael

I totally forgot to let you know that Michael never came back to class!!! I guess it wasn't meant to be (sigh!). So, here's my advice to single men looking for beautiful, intelligent, driven women...GO TO PA SCHOOL! Our class is about 75% female and 25% male. The director of our program is short. And the majority of the guys in our class are short. Now, I have nothing against short guys...quite the contrary. I'm just seeing some favoritism towards shorties in our program!

I hope being 5'7" doesn't work against me! LOL

Physiology

Physiology ain't easy! But, at least our prof is entertaining. He's cheerful and witty...makes the 3 hours somewhat tolerable. He is extremely precise and wants us to be able to explain these concepts to our grandmothers with ease. Um...that ain't happening right now!

Biochem is another doozy. I felt really overwhelmed the first class. Again, all of our classes are 3 hours long. My internal panic button was close to being pushed...but I started my yogic breathing and reminded myself that one year ago I felt the exact same way in organic chemistry. So, perhaps...this too shall pass.

Passing grade is a 70. Of course, I want to do better than a 70...but chemistry has never been a favorite subject...it challenges every piece of my brain!

As far as challenges are concerned...staying satiated through class is an issue. During Physical Diagnosis this morning, my stomach started growling and the girl next to me started laughing. I had eaten 2 waffles with peanut butter...and 2 hours later, my stomach was screaming! Luckily, the prof gave us a 5 minute break, so I ran to the hallway and downed a handful of almonds. We're not allowed to eat or drink in class...unless it's water. Also, the cafeteria DOESN'T sell food! There are a couple of vending machines, so in order to get food you have to leave campus and go across the street. It's not that far, but when you only have 30 minutes between 3 hour classes....it's too far! And a concern once the weather changes.

So, that means I should go make lunch now for tomorrow!