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5 Things I Wish I Knew Before PA School

You’ve been accepted into a Physician Assistant program to pursue your dreams. I’m sure you’re filled with so many questions and want to jump in feet first. Be patient and keep reading to learn the 5 things I wish I knew before I began my program!

You are more prepared than you think you are.

Imposter syndrome is real, but you have to squash that early on. You were selected for your program because they are confident that you will succeed. Thousands of students apply for PA school each and every year, yet you were lucky enough to land an interview, and even an acceptance! You should be proud of yourself, I know I am!

Your program will challenge you, but their goal is to have you graduate as a competent provider. They do not want you to fail. You deserve to be here. MyPABox helped ensure that you found the right schools to apply to that fit your past experiences. You will succeed!

There is always time for a mental health check.

PA school has a knack for consuming your time. There is an endless amount of studying, and courses that will seem impossible at first. Plus, you might have just moved to a new location, with new people. Or you’re still at home and your family probably doesn’t  understand that you have to spend hours studying. All of this builds up, creating unneeded anxiety and stress.

But we all need and deserve mental check-ins with ourselves. There are many hidden moments in our day that we can do this. 10 minutes of your drive into school, a 30 minute run on the treadmill, or even a lunchtime walk. These are perfect times to acknowledge your thoughts and anxieties, both personal and school related.

I failed to do this throughout the beginning of my fall semester, and gradually became riddled with anxiety as the exams packed on. Once I took time to be honest with myself, I was able to minimize that anxiety and was able to tackle my days with more confidence.

You are different from your classmates.

There are not many things worse in PA school than comparing yourself to your classmates. But let me tell you this once, IT IS NOT WORTH IT. We are all different, and come with different experiences. Rather than letting this get you down, use this to your advantage. Maybe one of your classmates was a paramedic and already knows how to read EKGs, while another classmate worked in a dermatology office and can see psoriasis from a mile away.

That’s one of the best perks of MyPABox! It allows you to find the programs that you’re a match for. But the unique thing about PA program requirements is that various experiences can check the same box! Because of this, your classmates are your best resources, and will soon become your best allies! Celebrate your differences, rather than being upset that you do not have their experiences, because they secretly wish they had some of your qualities too! 

Stick to your exercise routine.

Many people in my program, myself included, chose studying over exercise during our first semester. This led to a lot of us having built up energy and guilt over not exercising, especially because we spend Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm sitting in a classroom, then Saturday and Sunday studying. It will always feel like there isn’t enough time to do the things you love, such as exercising, but that is not entirely true.

Even before PA school, time management is essential. This is where MyPABox comes to your advantage. You don’t have to waste time looking at hundreds of programs to find the ones you reach the requirements of, instead MyPABox does it for you!

This allows you extra time to design an exercise schedule that you can stick to during when you’re in PA school! Whether that means waking up a half hour earlier everyday to lift some weights in your room, or hitting the gym after class a few days a week. You will be better off mentally and physically if you carve out that time for yourself. It is proven that exercise has numerous benefits, and even helps you learn better! And if you are feeling too guilty, you can always listen to a medical podcast while going for a walk!

Trust the process!

It is so easy to feel like you have to be doing something before school starts, or that there is more to be done throughout the didactic year. But sometimes you have to take the back seat, and trust the process. You have made it this far, and your program has graduated many classes of students before you. You have to trust that your program will get you where you need to be.

It is easy to feel like you aren’t learning enough or that you are forgetting all of the information that you learned a month ago, but know that there is repetition in our future. The information we are learning now in the didactic year, will be applied throughout the clinical year. It will all come together, and we will finally have those epiphanies when we see a person in real life presenting with all of the symptoms we are memorizing now.

Use code “PATIPS20” to save 20% on your subscription to myPAbox

There will always be more to learn, and more to do. But at the end of the day, we are chasing our dream to be a Physician Assistant and be an incredible, compassionate provider. Keep your nose in the books and do not give up!

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