Exam, Exam, Exam (3 in a row)

Me  at 1.5 weeks into studying  :)

It's 11:33 pm on a Saturday night, the last of the Halloween parties are "getting started". I'm sitting with my notes and have been studying for the past 2 weeks for the crazy triple back to back midterms.

First up Physiology on Monday. We are learning the basic science of membranes including ion changes and action potentials. This is continued with the physiology of skeletal and smooth muscle contraction and physiology of blood. This includes cells found in the blood, the coagulation/clot forming pathways and immunology. 

Second midterm on Tuesday is Anatomy. This includes the bones and muscles of the upper and lower extremities, the brain, the head, neck and face. Then you add the nerves and arteries that go with each area. It feels like I'm learning a whole new language. Lots of new terminology!

Last midterm is Pharmacology on Wednesday. Another big subject full of mysterious drug names. The midterm is on drugs for angina, blood clotting, diuretics, arrhythmias and heart failure. 
  
Yes it is stressful :) I don't know what I know at this point. I try to keep calm and do what I can. No point in worrying. Our class has already planned a costume party this coming Friday to make up for the Halloween parties we missed. I am looking forward to it! 

PATIENT ASSESSMENT

Learning the HEENT (Head, Ears, Eyes, Nose & Throat Exam)

We started our weekly labs for patient assessment. This class puts what you are learning into reality. It is great to get out of the books and learn some hands on skills.

More practice on taking blood pressure :)

Learning the Ear Exam

The First Month of PA School

Orientation Week - University of Manitoba 

University of Manitoba Physician Assistant Class of 2014 - Our class after taking individual identification pictures for our professors

The first week of school was very exciting for me. I had prepared with an expensive shopping trip in the states, buying "professional clothes" which should be added into your budget when you're accepted. The whole week we had presentations from multiple groups within the university and from different health care organizations. We were all registered with the Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba and were taught about professionalism and privacy laws (PHIA). We met with Manitoba Health and with the Canadian Association of Physician Assistants (CAPA). 

During the whole week I had mixed emotions. I went from being excited, ancy, scared and nervous. We also found out that week that we have our first midterm in biochemistry in less then 10 days and we haven't had our first class.

Inauguration ceremony

I admit I was choked up when we read the Hippocratic Oath. I was so thrilled that I will be able to help people through medicine. This is what I've always wanted to do.

Class picture - (You can't see me in this one :P)

 
ASUS Transformer Update

Something unexpected happened before classes started. I accidentally spilled water on my 6 year old MacBook so now the Asus has been my only "computer". I must admit after the first week of school I couldn't break out of my old ways of printing notes and didn't end up using the Asus as much as I wanted to. It does have alot of nice features which I've only begun learning. So in the aspect of writing notes on the Asus I haven't used it enough to form a good opinion.

Because my laptop died, the main problem I have with the Asus tablet is the lack of Microsoft word. At this point I am debating on whether to buy a new laptop, but to be fair I bought the Asus to be a secondary device with my laptop. The purpose of the Asus was for note taking from power points and lectures not for writing papers and running programs. 

Biochemistry Finished! 

We had our final exam in biochemistry last Friday. This course went by fast and we learned alot. It was intense and set the pace for what is expected in this program.

 

What I've learned from the first month of the program is aside from time allotted for school you need to plan time for yourself. As each day goes by it all begins to blur together. Time seems to be against you. It's best to take PA school one day at a time. Do what you need to do now and worry about things as they come. As for me I love school. I am finally starting to learn about medicine and every subject and topic I come across is another step closer to becoming a working PA. I do become frightened with the expectations they have for us. It is always mentioned in every class that by the end of the didactic year you will know this. Here's hoping :)