I failed my first exam

Luckily I am still passing, but geez does that sting! Got the lowest grade in the class which is a first for me in my PA studies. I will take this as a sign that I need to get my ass in gear and study better and more often.

I got the new iPod touch and is it sweet. I discovered skyscape I am amazed at all they give you for free.

5 tests this week

3 tests are in the books, one huge test tomorrow and another on Friday. I should be studying now but I need a break. I am REALLY looking forward to spring break.

Just to clarify my previous post: I was miffed that an instructor of mine tested us on a poor quality photo that we had never seen before and were asked, as we have been many times before, what is the medical problem that this person has. So, in any given lecture we will be given 100-200 PowerPoint slides with 1/3 of them containing photos of various disease processes. Then for the test, a new, poor quality photo is cast upon the whiteboard, all washed out and glaring. There would be no way to study for such things and unless you have an exceptionally good eye and ESP, it is difficult to figure out what is going on with this "patient."

I am also really grateful for some awesome instructors who really know their stuff, want to teach and care about us as people and students. They put forth the same kind of effort that demanded from us students daily and I appreciate that. I have taught before and know how difficult a job it is. I don't think I'll ever do it again because I feel to be a good teacher you need to know your shit forward and back, put a fair amount of time into your presentation and have an engaging delivery of the material. I am lucky to get 2 of those criteria on any day and I don't think it's fair to short change students with anything less.

There are tough teachers and then there are unreasonable teachers

Guess which type we dealt with yesterday? One of our core classes is taught by a rather hyper, unorganized and socially awkward person. She uses 10-12 different fonts in her hand-outs, tests us on poor quality photos of vague skin conditions and material and procedures that are the personal preference of various guest lecturers. e.g. "According the Dr. x, from his lecture in early February, the examination of y should be in the following order." It doesn't matter if our instructor never covered the right way to do it or that several multiple choice options are right. So I am pretty sure I failed the first test of my PA student "career." The only reasonable thing about our instructor is that he allows us to throw out one test. I didn't think I'd have to use this option, but I have changed my mind now. If only I didn't spend 2 hours late last night laying in bed thinking about it. Moving on....

I survived

My 'standardized patient' experience was better than I thought it would be. It was still a little odd but overall a good thing to get done. At least now I know for sure how perform these exams along with all nuances and such. The teaching associates were very patient and spent a great deal of time teaching us the ins and outs (no pun intended, I think) of these very invasive and uncomfortable exams. They didn't seem to be terribly odd people and one of them mentioned they get paid "very, very well" so that clears it up a bit. Still, I'd think there would be many other jobs I'd rather have.

I've got two exams tomorrow and four next week; then spring break. Will the fun never end?

Thanks

Thanks for the words of support. I plan on continuing the blog, if only because it is a good means of letting off some steam. And boy, do I have some steam built up lately.

On a lighter note, I face my first encounter with standardized patients next week. This includes the full female breast/pelvic exam and male rectal/GU exam. These standardized patients are people who receive special trainnig regarding the speificds of the exam and they then teach the students and guide them through the exam. I often put myself in other's shoes in order to gain a portion of their perspective, but I can't fathom why any "normal" or "average" person would want to do this? I understand they contribute a great deal to medical education and are an invaluable resource, but from a person-to-person interaction standpoint this seems extremely strange to me. I've heard that prostitutes are commonly used - they would seem to be the best fit for something like this - but I also know that there are just as many people, if not a lot more that are not prostitutes or the like. I'd like to know what motivates these people and what they really think about they are doing. Ideas?

Pile it on

My dad, who has a 70 pack year history just had to undergo emergent CABG. They bypassed 3 coronary arteries that were 90% occluded. He has come out of it as well as expected, but he is still really gorked. It's tough seeing your hard-ass, drill Sargent, bar brawling dad near comatose and helpless as a baby. It is tough having so much extra crap to think about.

Pratice on my classmates?!

So for our history and physical class we have to practice almost all physical exam techniques on each other. That of course means that one must also be the patient. It is a little weird for me to see my classmates at various, albeit not necessarily inappropriate, levels of undress and to palpate their abdomens and percuss their backs etc. We have standardized patients for the DRE and pelvic exams, but we are expected to practice frequently on each other for all the other examinations. Not something you think of - I am not even sure it is common across programs - but as much as I'd prefer not to be shirtless for an hour in front of my classmates, I understand its necessity.