10 EXAMS, 3 WEEKS

As the title says, we have 10 exams coming up (plus one assignment) and 3 weeks left in our first year of PA school. We finished off this week with a 100% genetics final and are in (or trying to be in) super study mode for the rest coming up. *Sigh :)

WEEK 1

#1 - Wednesday July 10^th – Patient assessment formative exam. Here is where we are evaluated for our head to toe physical exam from all the systems we have learned through the entire year.


I found this to be quite true :P

#2 - Thursday July 11^th – Adult medicine exam in musculoskeletal (MSK). This includes joint pathology, rheumatology as well as treatment and approach to different conditions.

# 3 - Friday July 12^th – Patient assessment written test. A cumulative test from all the systems we have learned in patient assessment.

WEEK 2

hand tie surgical knot practice with dental floss :)

#4 - Tuesday July 16 – Adult medicine exam in dermatology and ears, nose, throat (ENT). This includes general dermatology including skin cancer and eczema. As well as ENT pathologies.

#5 - Thursday July 18 – Patient Assessment OSCE/Clinical skills. We are given a patient (actor) with a complaint and need to do a focused history and physical exam within 20 minutes. We will have two stations to complete.

Suturing :)

WEEK 3

#6 - Monday July 22 – Diagnostic Imaging final exam – We will be given x-rays to interpret.

#7 - Tuesday July 23 – Pediatrics Final Exam

I'm ready to suture someone! Any volunteers :P

#8 - Wednesday July 24 – Emergency Final Exam

#9 - Thursday July 25 – Adult Medicine Final Exam – which includes every system we have learned in the last two semesters in adult medicine

#10 - Friday July 26 – Comprehensive year end exam – This includes everything we have learned in the whole year! :S :S

CAPSTONE PRESENTATIONS

A few weeks ago we were able to watch the 2^nd year PA students give their presentation on their capstone project. I was impressed and also intimidated. Most students did a review of literature on a topic that interested them such as diabetes or cannabinoids. Other students discussed how a PA can affect a field in medicine. There was a few that did some primary research including bench work which I have no clue how they found the time to do it. The capstone project is done during the second year of PA school when we are doing our clinical rotations. The presentations got me thinking of what topics interested me. I have many ideas. One including health in the Filipino population in Manitoba. I am Filipino and in Winnipeg Tagalog (the primary language in the Philippines) is the 2^nd most spoken language aside from English. Although I’m leaning towards a topic in genetics such as newborn screening but that will be a discussion for next year.

Congrats goes out to all the 2^nd year PA students.

REFLECTION PRESENTATIONS

To be honest most of the class wasn’t fond about this assignment at first. Coming from a science background never in my education had I talked about “my feelings” :P. This was surprisingly a very fun and eye opening morning. We were all asked to talk about one of our experiences in early exposure and how a certain situation made you feel. I mentioned this in one of my previous posts where I witnessed a patient cry in front of me. It is moments like these that really give us the foundation of why we are in medicine. It made me realize that patients are people not just a condition or disease.

CANADA DAY celebrations - our last "freeish" weekend