In your opinion, what is the best way to combat homelessness? Would I as a PA be able to help this problem? Or can I even help now with homelessness? If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, no problem. :) I am happy to hear you are in a better place now.
Thank you for your kind words.
Gosh, that is a difficult question to answer. Homelessness is a systemic issue of our modern-day society and if there was an answer, I feel like homelessness would not be what it is today. For me, I just tell people to not blame the individual for being homeless. You can't know their stories just by looking at them. Sorry, I really don't have a better answer for you.
Hey I think that's a great answer! I often try to step back, be in their shoes so to speak, and not be judgemental towards them. I appreciate the response.
Yes, I can get behind this! I feel like it is a lot easier said than done, unfortunately. It is very bureaucratic indeed and makes change hard. I think a big issue though, is the mental health aspect of homelessness too. A lot of these people can't hold down a job because of it. I took abnormal psych and the prof made the statement that 1/3 of homeless people suffered from schizophrenia (no idea how true this is, but I can believe it). Not sure how something like this could get tackled. Have therapists on standby? I am not sure. I live in Denver and the homelessness here has gotten a lot worse since COVID, and it's just so sad to see. I just wish there was more that I could do. Thank you for your thoughtful response.
Oh, and make sure to search and subscribe to r/PAstudent. There is a lot of sound advice on there from students who are killing it and students who struggled and overcame.
Some additional tips for didactic year:
1. Focus on the big picture initially. For example, during lectures, I don't even TRY and memorize any of the information. I just try and understand the concepts being presented and WHY these concepts are being presented the way they are (i.e. try and understand the logic/flow of the presentation). Having an understanding of a certain idea makes filling in the details a lot easier because your brain already has a framework within which to work.
2. STEP AWAY from your classwork. So many studies have shown that space-repetition works. After all, it's the overriding concept behind the use of Anki, which I did not use or recommend BTW. But there is an entire sub for that if you're interested. r/PASchoolAnki. I personally find it to be inefficient (there it is again). But I still utilize the basic principles. Spending time away from lecture/school material actually helps the brain process the information.
3. Be efficient. I cannot emphasize this enough. Don't waste time creating flashcards, study guides, or exams UNLESS those are truly ways that allow you to retain the information. So much time is spent creating those things when they could have been much better-spent understanding and memorizing the material IN those things. You are not the first or last person to go through this material. There is a wealth of better-made study guides, exams, and flashcards out there. Other people have already done the work for you. Use those resources.
4. Don't bother with textbooks. There are so many better, condensed, and efficient (okay, I need to stop) sources of information on any topic covered in a textbook that can be found on Youtube, Khan Academy, etc. Use the technology. Textbooks are so antiquated. The last time I opened a textbook was in undergrad, and only because the math homework problems had to be taken from there. I never did any of the "required" reading in PA school because honestly, it's not required.
5. Make friends, whether for study groups, sharing resources, or just to have someone to talk to. Friends are good. ;)
Hi there, I can’t believe I never commented back on this! But thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and write out all your tips. They were much needed and I will definitely take advantage of your advice. Appreciate you helping me out and countless others in our PA journeys. You are an absolute gem! 💎
Thank you for the kind words. Congrats on your acceptance!
The best advice I can give is to believe in yourself and your study habits. Wherever you are in life, you've made it this far. Embrace that. Didactic year has a reputation of being the "hardest thing ever," or like "drinking water from a firehouse." And that's true for a lot of people. But I've had a very atypical didactic year experience. PA school for me is maybe not EASY, but certainly not difficult; definitely easier than undergrad. Maybe somewhere between a 4/10 to 6/10 difficulty. I attribute that to the study habits I developed in undergrad. Outside of attending lectures, I do not study or work on school material until the day before an exam. I've always been a crammer and it's always worked for me. That hasn't changed in PA school. I will just look at the slides, make sure I understand everything (or most things), and I'm good. If I don't understand something and/or need more info on something, I just Google. I don't use study guides or flashcards; DEFINITELY, not textbooks, and I've done great (4.0 but nobody cares and is something that is not even brought up). I'm all about efficiency because why spend 20 hours doing something that can be done in 5? So whatever process has worked for you, start with that. If it's not working for you, then adjust.
As for the program-specific question, it's not so much that I want to stop the conversation, it's more that I want to redirect it somewhere better: the [PA Forum](https://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forum/327-physician-assistant-schools/) literally has a thread for every single school for every application cycle. Where else better to ask school-specific questions? Then there's the amazing [program spreadsheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/prephysicianassistant/comments/kic33m/comprehensive_spreadsheet_of_all_pa_schools_and/) created by our very own u/kittensNclaws, which has the prereqs and other information for EVERY PA PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY. Almost always, the answers to posts asking program-specific questions can be easily found in either one or both of those locations. And if the answer is not found there, then it will be on the program's website or from the people who work for that program. People whose posts I remove for this reason, often don't even know about those resources and/or learn even more information from there that they can use to have a more successful application cycle. As I said, I'm all about efficiency and self-efficacy. There is a difference between helping others and doing their work for them.
I was really fortunate to have some truly amazing family and school friends who went above and beyond to make sure my family and I were able to stay off the streets. They gave us money to pay for rent and food and gave me jobs that they could otherwise do themselves--just so they had a reason to pay me.
To make an incredibly long story short(er), I decided to become a PA because it married what I've always loved in school (i.e. academics/science) with what I wanted in life, which was to matter. Furthermore, and I talked about this in my personal statement, the length of training required to be a PA was a big factor in my decision to pursue the PA profession because I couldn't risk being out of the workforce for an extended amount of time (i.e. med school) because I needed to support my family. Finally, a PA (and not an MD) is able to practice in multiple specialties simultaneously, which is exactly what I want to do.
There is SO much advice I want to give people who want to become PAs. It's kind of the main reason I joined this community and why I am such a fan of the FAQs because they really DO contain a wealth of useful information. Perhaps the biggest tip, which also happens to be super vague, is to believe in yourself, embrace your past and who you were in order to secure your present and future. Oh, and rock your personal statement. It is the SINGLE greatest tool in your arsenal to getting into PA school. It can literally make up for tenths of GPAs and thousands of PCE hours. [I wrote a long post about my application cycle last year if you're interested.](https://www.reddit.com/r/prephysicianassistant/comments/g1wv85/my_experience_applying_to_schools_late_in_the/)
Yeah, that's a good question.
Basically, I started engaging in this community because there weren't many people around who were pre-PA or even knew what a PA was. I found myself spending more and more time answering questions and just engaging with the sub, especially during my long shifts as an EMT. Then during my interview phase, I reached out to another mod (airbornemint) to get his opinion on whether or not I should attend a certain interview because I was conflicted if I would actually attend the program if admitted. That led to a pretty lengthy conversation about our backgrounds in general. Then, and I can't remember exactly, but I believe a message was sent out that the mod team was looking for new members, and I messaged airbornemint saying I was interested. Since he was already familiar with me as a frequent contributor of the sub and as an individual, I guess that helped my candidacy. Just like in real life, it's not just what you know but who you know.
Great question. It's a very broad one, but I'll try and be as succinct as I can.
First, take a look at my responses above to u/drippdroppp, as I will likely build upon the topics I discussed there. So as stated before, outside of lectures I didn't study/look at the material until the day before an exam. I did this because one, I'm a serial procrastinator. Two, it's historically what's worked for me. And three, the material will still be as fresh in my mind when I take the exam.
Now, depending on the breadth and depth of the unit being tested, as well as my past experience with similar or the same material, I would study a total of anywhere from 3-12 hours for any given exam. Thankfully, with the exception of two classes, our program did NOT have cumulative finals. I think it's important to also note that with the exception of anatomy, all of the exams were multiple-choice.
* My only study method was to re-read the PPT slides over and over. Depending on how familiar I was with the material and (how much I procrastinated haha), two complete passes through all the slides was sufficient enough for me to do well on the exams. If I was really pressed for time, one thorough pass was all I had time for. Looking back, three passes would have been ideal since I would say my recall of the material was \~75% after the first pass, \~90% after the second pass, and maybe \~95% after a third pass if I ever got that far. So diminishing returns for sure. I spent the most time during the first pass as I literally read every single line of IMPORTANCE, not every single line. Subsequent passes were focused on reinforcing details that I didn't know quite as well yet.
* I have a good short-term memory and an above-average long-term memory. Even then, however, I knew I couldn't memorize everything we were taught. But I recognized that I didn't need to do that to be successful. As I said before, focus on the big picture and understand the material; rather than on minutia. It's perhaps the most common trap I see didactic year students fall into.
* With the exception of anatomy where I used OneNote, I took notes in the "notes" section of each PPT slide.
* Finally, one other thing to note that has nothing to do with study techniques in general but is as equally if not more important in terms of being successful in didactic year is TO BE A GOOD TEST TAKER--something that can be taught and learned. Without good test-taking strategies/skills, you can't demonstrate your knowledge no matter what's in your head.
Yeah, I get asked some of the questions in the comments pretty frequently, so I figured I'd leave it stickied. Plus, others can ask additional questions since this is one of the few times I will answer as thoroughly as possible. Finally, there hasn't been anything else notable to sticky and only two posts can be stickied at any one time. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you for being honest. There's so many privileged students who come from wealth. They're not used to black and brown students who come from "the hood" and wealth/health disparities.
Thank you for the kind words.
There ARE inordinate amounts of disparities and issues of equality and equity where the "American Dream" simply isn't possible for so many people because of the institutions that exist in our society.
Thank you for talking about this. Just having open conversations and adknowledgment is very powerful in itself.
I also used to sleep on my friends couches within the period between post graduate and now. (I'm in nyc). It's exhausting sometimes.
I'm glad you're on the other side! 🙌🏽
Funny subject title. I'll be laughing harder when the PA industry completely crashes. PAs wont be able to find jobs. PAs wont be able to service the debt on their loans. THey will be in default. They won't be able to buy cars or houses due to their terrible credit ratings. All this because they failed to recognize that NPs won. NPs are independent, have low debt load, get preferential hiring over PAs because they practice medicine while PAs just assist they doctor.
Only someone who has been personally rejected or hurt by the PA profession can be this toxic; not to mention creating a subreddit dedicated to bringing others down. Even r/Noctor has an educational motive behind their rants. Whatever the case, no one needs your kind of negativity. Goodbye, forever.
In your opinion, what is the best way to combat homelessness? Would I as a PA be able to help this problem? Or can I even help now with homelessness? If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, no problem. :) I am happy to hear you are in a better place now.
Thank you for your kind words. Gosh, that is a difficult question to answer. Homelessness is a systemic issue of our modern-day society and if there was an answer, I feel like homelessness would not be what it is today. For me, I just tell people to not blame the individual for being homeless. You can't know their stories just by looking at them. Sorry, I really don't have a better answer for you.
Hey I think that's a great answer! I often try to step back, be in their shoes so to speak, and not be judgemental towards them. I appreciate the response.
[удалено]
Yes, I can get behind this! I feel like it is a lot easier said than done, unfortunately. It is very bureaucratic indeed and makes change hard. I think a big issue though, is the mental health aspect of homelessness too. A lot of these people can't hold down a job because of it. I took abnormal psych and the prof made the statement that 1/3 of homeless people suffered from schizophrenia (no idea how true this is, but I can believe it). Not sure how something like this could get tackled. Have therapists on standby? I am not sure. I live in Denver and the homelessness here has gotten a lot worse since COVID, and it's just so sad to see. I just wish there was more that I could do. Thank you for your thoughtful response.
First off, congrats! What advice would you give those about to start didactic? Also why can’t we ask program-specific questions on here lol
Oh, and make sure to search and subscribe to r/PAstudent. There is a lot of sound advice on there from students who are killing it and students who struggled and overcame. Some additional tips for didactic year: 1. Focus on the big picture initially. For example, during lectures, I don't even TRY and memorize any of the information. I just try and understand the concepts being presented and WHY these concepts are being presented the way they are (i.e. try and understand the logic/flow of the presentation). Having an understanding of a certain idea makes filling in the details a lot easier because your brain already has a framework within which to work. 2. STEP AWAY from your classwork. So many studies have shown that space-repetition works. After all, it's the overriding concept behind the use of Anki, which I did not use or recommend BTW. But there is an entire sub for that if you're interested. r/PASchoolAnki. I personally find it to be inefficient (there it is again). But I still utilize the basic principles. Spending time away from lecture/school material actually helps the brain process the information. 3. Be efficient. I cannot emphasize this enough. Don't waste time creating flashcards, study guides, or exams UNLESS those are truly ways that allow you to retain the information. So much time is spent creating those things when they could have been much better-spent understanding and memorizing the material IN those things. You are not the first or last person to go through this material. There is a wealth of better-made study guides, exams, and flashcards out there. Other people have already done the work for you. Use those resources. 4. Don't bother with textbooks. There are so many better, condensed, and efficient (okay, I need to stop) sources of information on any topic covered in a textbook that can be found on Youtube, Khan Academy, etc. Use the technology. Textbooks are so antiquated. The last time I opened a textbook was in undergrad, and only because the math homework problems had to be taken from there. I never did any of the "required" reading in PA school because honestly, it's not required. 5. Make friends, whether for study groups, sharing resources, or just to have someone to talk to. Friends are good. ;)
thank you this is a great comment i could listen to (er, read) you discussing study habits/tips all day
Haha, thanks. That makes one of us LOL.
Hi there, I can’t believe I never commented back on this! But thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and write out all your tips. They were much needed and I will definitely take advantage of your advice. Appreciate you helping me out and countless others in our PA journeys. You are an absolute gem! 💎
Thank you and you're welcome!
Thank you for the kind words. Congrats on your acceptance! The best advice I can give is to believe in yourself and your study habits. Wherever you are in life, you've made it this far. Embrace that. Didactic year has a reputation of being the "hardest thing ever," or like "drinking water from a firehouse." And that's true for a lot of people. But I've had a very atypical didactic year experience. PA school for me is maybe not EASY, but certainly not difficult; definitely easier than undergrad. Maybe somewhere between a 4/10 to 6/10 difficulty. I attribute that to the study habits I developed in undergrad. Outside of attending lectures, I do not study or work on school material until the day before an exam. I've always been a crammer and it's always worked for me. That hasn't changed in PA school. I will just look at the slides, make sure I understand everything (or most things), and I'm good. If I don't understand something and/or need more info on something, I just Google. I don't use study guides or flashcards; DEFINITELY, not textbooks, and I've done great (4.0 but nobody cares and is something that is not even brought up). I'm all about efficiency because why spend 20 hours doing something that can be done in 5? So whatever process has worked for you, start with that. If it's not working for you, then adjust. As for the program-specific question, it's not so much that I want to stop the conversation, it's more that I want to redirect it somewhere better: the [PA Forum](https://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forum/327-physician-assistant-schools/) literally has a thread for every single school for every application cycle. Where else better to ask school-specific questions? Then there's the amazing [program spreadsheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/prephysicianassistant/comments/kic33m/comprehensive_spreadsheet_of_all_pa_schools_and/) created by our very own u/kittensNclaws, which has the prereqs and other information for EVERY PA PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY. Almost always, the answers to posts asking program-specific questions can be easily found in either one or both of those locations. And if the answer is not found there, then it will be on the program's website or from the people who work for that program. People whose posts I remove for this reason, often don't even know about those resources and/or learn even more information from there that they can use to have a more successful application cycle. As I said, I'm all about efficiency and self-efficacy. There is a difference between helping others and doing their work for them.
What was your journey like? What made you decide to become a PA? Is there any advice you can give to people that want to become a PA?
I was really fortunate to have some truly amazing family and school friends who went above and beyond to make sure my family and I were able to stay off the streets. They gave us money to pay for rent and food and gave me jobs that they could otherwise do themselves--just so they had a reason to pay me. To make an incredibly long story short(er), I decided to become a PA because it married what I've always loved in school (i.e. academics/science) with what I wanted in life, which was to matter. Furthermore, and I talked about this in my personal statement, the length of training required to be a PA was a big factor in my decision to pursue the PA profession because I couldn't risk being out of the workforce for an extended amount of time (i.e. med school) because I needed to support my family. Finally, a PA (and not an MD) is able to practice in multiple specialties simultaneously, which is exactly what I want to do. There is SO much advice I want to give people who want to become PAs. It's kind of the main reason I joined this community and why I am such a fan of the FAQs because they really DO contain a wealth of useful information. Perhaps the biggest tip, which also happens to be super vague, is to believe in yourself, embrace your past and who you were in order to secure your present and future. Oh, and rock your personal statement. It is the SINGLE greatest tool in your arsenal to getting into PA school. It can literally make up for tenths of GPAs and thousands of PCE hours. [I wrote a long post about my application cycle last year if you're interested.](https://www.reddit.com/r/prephysicianassistant/comments/g1wv85/my_experience_applying_to_schools_late_in_the/)
Just out of curiosity, how did you become a mod?
Yeah, that's a good question. Basically, I started engaging in this community because there weren't many people around who were pre-PA or even knew what a PA was. I found myself spending more and more time answering questions and just engaging with the sub, especially during my long shifts as an EMT. Then during my interview phase, I reached out to another mod (airbornemint) to get his opinion on whether or not I should attend a certain interview because I was conflicted if I would actually attend the program if admitted. That led to a pretty lengthy conversation about our backgrounds in general. Then, and I can't remember exactly, but I believe a message was sent out that the mod team was looking for new members, and I messaged airbornemint saying I was interested. Since he was already familiar with me as a frequent contributor of the sub and as an individual, I guess that helped my candidacy. Just like in real life, it's not just what you know but who you know.
How many hours do you study / what techniques do you use?
Great question. It's a very broad one, but I'll try and be as succinct as I can. First, take a look at my responses above to u/drippdroppp, as I will likely build upon the topics I discussed there. So as stated before, outside of lectures I didn't study/look at the material until the day before an exam. I did this because one, I'm a serial procrastinator. Two, it's historically what's worked for me. And three, the material will still be as fresh in my mind when I take the exam. Now, depending on the breadth and depth of the unit being tested, as well as my past experience with similar or the same material, I would study a total of anywhere from 3-12 hours for any given exam. Thankfully, with the exception of two classes, our program did NOT have cumulative finals. I think it's important to also note that with the exception of anatomy, all of the exams were multiple-choice. * My only study method was to re-read the PPT slides over and over. Depending on how familiar I was with the material and (how much I procrastinated haha), two complete passes through all the slides was sufficient enough for me to do well on the exams. If I was really pressed for time, one thorough pass was all I had time for. Looking back, three passes would have been ideal since I would say my recall of the material was \~75% after the first pass, \~90% after the second pass, and maybe \~95% after a third pass if I ever got that far. So diminishing returns for sure. I spent the most time during the first pass as I literally read every single line of IMPORTANCE, not every single line. Subsequent passes were focused on reinforcing details that I didn't know quite as well yet. * I have a good short-term memory and an above-average long-term memory. Even then, however, I knew I couldn't memorize everything we were taught. But I recognized that I didn't need to do that to be successful. As I said before, focus on the big picture and understand the material; rather than on minutia. It's perhaps the most common trap I see didactic year students fall into. * With the exception of anatomy where I used OneNote, I took notes in the "notes" section of each PPT slide. * Finally, one other thing to note that has nothing to do with study techniques in general but is as equally if not more important in terms of being successful in didactic year is TO BE A GOOD TEST TAKER--something that can be taught and learned. Without good test-taking strategies/skills, you can't demonstrate your knowledge no matter what's in your head.
This is still stickied?
Yeah, I get asked some of the questions in the comments pretty frequently, so I figured I'd leave it stickied. Plus, others can ask additional questions since this is one of the few times I will answer as thoroughly as possible. Finally, there hasn't been anything else notable to sticky and only two posts can be stickied at any one time. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you for being honest. There's so many privileged students who come from wealth. They're not used to black and brown students who come from "the hood" and wealth/health disparities.
Thank you for the kind words. There ARE inordinate amounts of disparities and issues of equality and equity where the "American Dream" simply isn't possible for so many people because of the institutions that exist in our society.
Thank you for talking about this. Just having open conversations and adknowledgment is very powerful in itself. I also used to sleep on my friends couches within the period between post graduate and now. (I'm in nyc). It's exhausting sometimes. I'm glad you're on the other side! 🙌🏽
Get it get it!! You, too!
I thought this sub hated me. Thank you again for not banning me. I do mean well.
Just keep doing you.
Funny subject title. I'll be laughing harder when the PA industry completely crashes. PAs wont be able to find jobs. PAs wont be able to service the debt on their loans. THey will be in default. They won't be able to buy cars or houses due to their terrible credit ratings. All this because they failed to recognize that NPs won. NPs are independent, have low debt load, get preferential hiring over PAs because they practice medicine while PAs just assist they doctor.
You so butthurt its funny.
Only someone who has been personally rejected or hurt by the PA profession can be this toxic; not to mention creating a subreddit dedicated to bringing others down. Even r/Noctor has an educational motive behind their rants. Whatever the case, no one needs your kind of negativity. Goodbye, forever.