Fall Semester: Weeks 1/2

Ah, a much needed 3 day weekend.  Things have been quite busy around here.  So busy, it took me a week to write my last post and another week to get around to writing this one.

Fall semester began last Wednesday, and they didn't waste any time getting down to business.  We've already had 32 hrs 15 mins of lectures, 2 hrs 40 mins of lab, a 4 hour AHEC Tobacco Training and Cessation-Initial Training (ATTAC-IT) seminar, 2 quizzes, and a Dermatology exam.  It makes me tired just writing about it.

This semester has been pretty cool though.  Here's a run down of the classes I'm taking and what we've been up to these past couple weeks.

Medicine 1
This semester is comprised of Dermatology, Ophthalmology/Dental, ENT, Hematology/Oncology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Cardiology,  Urology/Nephrology, and Gastroenterology.

So far, we have completed the entire Dermatology section...in 1.5 weeks.  One girl in the class had printed out all the lecture powerpoints (two slides to a page) and it took up an entire 3 inch binder.  It was because of this class that I was in library until about 8 or 9 PM most of last week.  I think I have learned that I do not want to go into dermatology.  They make great money and work great hours, but it was kind of boring.  Besides, those lectures had some of the grossest pictures we'll look at all year.  But, we had our exam on Friday and I think it went really well.  They haven't posted test grades yet, but I feel good about it.

Physical Diagnosis
PDx is the class where we learn how to do a physical exam, using all the tools you see in a clinic setting.  We have one lecture and one lab a week.  Last week, we talked about a general assessment and vital signs.  This week, we learned how to examine the eye using the ophthalmoscope.  Those things are really hard to get the hang of.  I really couldn't see much through it.  They have newer ones called panoptic scopes (these are the ones that are gun-shaped).  They are soooo much better.  You can see a lot more clearly the structures inside the eye.

Pharmacology
So far, we've just gotten into learning the basic conceptual stuff behind pharmacodynamics (how the drug interacts with the body) and pharmacokinetics (how the body interacts with the drug i.e. - absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion).  In the next week or so we'll start getting into specific drugs

Physiology
Membrane transport, action potentials, muscle physiology.  Stuff we've all already seen in undergrad, but a necessary reminder.

Behavioral and Community Medicine
I think this is kind of a misnomer.  Really, it's just a general topics class where they couch all the lectures that don't belong anywhere else.  For instance, we'll have lectures on end of life care, preventative medicine, disparities in healthcare, ethics in medicine, etc.  This week, we just had an intro to the "biopsychosocial" model of medicine.  Basically, that it's more than the disease itself that contributes to a person's health.

And that's how my semester will shape up.  There is a ton to learn and a ton to do.  But, I'm excited about learning it all...or at least as much as my puny brain can soak up.

Oh, and I mentioned that ATTAC-IT seminar above.  Sometime this semester we will be going out to middle schools with other health science students to teach kids about the evils of tobacco use.  So, this Thursday, we had an "Afternoon of Learning" to become familiar with the program.  Well, this picture of me was taken during that seminar.

I look totally bald in this picture.

Yes, I slept through much of the large group portion.  I was tired and it was kinda boring, plus my brain was fried from all the studying.  So, no, I don't feel bad about it :) 

It's great to be back in school learning what I've looked forward to learning for so long.  I really do love PA school.

 I'll post again sometime tomorrow about my very first Gator football game.  Have a good night.

Orientation: Take 2

Day two of Orientation has come and gone.  This is great news, because orientations bore me.  I'm sorry.  That's kind of negative, but it's true.  It's probably just that I'm anxious to get cracking on the actual learning-how-to-be-a-PA part of PA school.

At least I took some pictures today.  Well, I took one of the class, and it was at the end of a break, so not everyone is in their seat.  It's a pretty lame pic, but I wanted to post it to show you what our classroom looks like.  The room is pretty much full once everybody is in it.

 Oh, and I forgot to add this picture the other day.  Back on Wednesday night, about half of the class got together for food/drinks at a place downtown.  It was cool to get to meet a lot of my classmates before orientation on Thursday.

Honestly though, orientation was a little better today.  Aside from the hour we took going through the entire Academic Year Student Manual, there some highlights.  After breakfast, Dr. Syed (Coordinator of Tobacco Education) came and talked to us about Red Ribbon Week.  Red Ribbon Week is an alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention/awareness campaign held in October.  Apparently we get to go with him to middle schools around Gainesville and talk to kids about how tobacco is bad for them.  He said the kids can get a little feisty.  I think it sounds fun!

Our financial aid coordinator also came and talked to us.  Now, I wouldn't exactly call learning about the crushing debt that will soon be hanging over me fun, but it at least it was...informative.

 Then the president of the Class of 2013 came and talked to us about the student officer positions and elections.  I guess we'll hold these at the end of Summer term. There are the standard offices (Pres. VP, Secretary, Treasurer), but there are a ton of other ways to serve: PA school rep to the College of Medicine student council, Florida Academy of Physician Assistants (FAPA) student rep, intramural sports coordinator, social events coordinator, and lots more.

Lastly, a 4th year med student came and talked to us about the Equal Access Clinic.  This is a free clinic run completely by students of the College of Medicine (med students, pharm D students, PAs, etc).  The clinic provides access to health care for the rather large uninsured population of Alachua County.  The cool thing is, we can start volunteering there right away.  The more we learn in class, the more we can do in the clinic.  It gives us a chance to get some hands-on experience long before we get to our hospital practicum or our second-year clinical rotations.

After that last little spiel, we all headed out to Lake Wauberg for welcome lunch with some 2nd year students and some of the faculty.  This place is pretty cool.  It's a lake owned by the university where they rent out kayaks and canoes and sailboats for free to students.  They also have a little beach with a roped off swimming area and picnic tables and whatnot.  I did remember to take pictures here :)

After talking to most everybody, it seems like many of us share a similar personality type, but our backgrounds and situations are really diverse.  It's going to be interesting to learn everybody's strengths and where I fit into the class.

And that was orientation.  Monday we jump right in with anatomy lecture and dissection lab in the morning (yes, we get to dissect our cadavers) followed by Medical Communications in the afternoon.  Wish me luck!! 

First day...sort of

Remember how your mom used to take those really awful pictures of you on your first day of school?

For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to do it to myself.

Today was the first day of orientation.  I got to campus right on time.  I ended up driving because some parking lots aren't being enforced until Monday.

They gave us a name tag and a canvas tote filled with paperwork and supplies (notebook, pen, highlighter, etc.)

We started by getting introduced to all the important people we will likely never see again until graduation (the Dean of the College of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs, etc).  Then the PA program faculty and staff introduced themselves.  Many were people I had met during interviews, but there were some new faces.  Honestly, the faculty is one of the big selling points of UF's program.  They are all incredibly down-to-earth and friendly.  The assistant director is from Utah.  She graduated from the U and was actually in my current ward until she moved a few months ago.  I think that is the only other Mormon associated with the program.

We were then told to turn to the person next to us and learn some things about them so that we could introduce them to the class.  Turns out just about every single person in that room has either a dog, a cat, or both.  I just don't understand the hairy, slobbery, poopy pet thing.  I'd rather not, thanks.

Besides a lunch break, the rest of the day was filled with the administrivia you would expect of an orientation session: introductions of ancillary faculty and staff, paperwork, and getting pictures taken for ID cards and badges.

I brought my camera to at least pepper this boring post with stuff to look at, but in typical Baker fashion, I forgot to actually take any photos.  Sorry, I'll try to do better tomorrow.

I got to meet a few more students that didn't come to the little get-together we had last night, including a couple that were in my interview group.  It was nice to see some familiar faces.  and even though we don't know each other super well, I kind of feel a connection with them via the shared anxiety ridden experience of interviews.  Speaking of interviews, somebody pointed out something insane last night.  In just a few short months, WE will be the know-it-all PA students welcoming interviewees to UF.  CRAZY.

All in all, it was kind of a boring day.  But I wasn't expecting to do anything exciting like insert a chest tube or drop an IV on the first day of orientation.  That stuff will come later.  I'm really just proud of myself for not falling asleep after getting only 2 hours of restless sleep last night.  Don't worry, I think I'll sleep just fine tonight.