After more hours of studying than I can even comprehend, we all made it through the summer term! Rumor is we are the first class to do that in a couple of years! :) This summer term made me realize that it is possible, and we will all be PA's.
Some things I noticed about the summer term:
The hardest part is just the pace and the amount of information.
Constantly studying and cramming as much information in my head as fast as I could made me mentally tired most days. Unlike the spring term where I went for a run nearly every day, I did not have time/energy to do that during the summer term. Hopefully this fall term will be more conducive to a fitness lifestyle.
Looking back....the tests weren't that bad.
Our class average was about 88-90 on most exams and at the lowest maybe around mid 80's on some final exams. Granted, we did have to study a lot in order to get those grades, but hard work totally pays off. I personally noticed, for the most part, when I slacked on my study grind my grade reflected what I deserved, but when I studied and memorized correctly I did much better. Sometimes, no matter how much I studied, I would plateau out at a certain grade. Many people who I studied with would come out of an exam stating, "even if I had more time, I wouldn't have done much better or worse." Because you cannot possibly study every ounce of information and will need to use your thinking skills to figure things out on test day.
Memorizing requires more brain power than understanding.
I knew this before but this was exceptionally true, for me at least, this summer term. When there were big concepts and trends among diseases/conditions, I could learn the material so much easier with only some thought. For this type of material it also meant that I did not have to memorize much and could just figure things out on the day of the test. When I tried to memorize things, it took a shorter time to study but it made me EXTREMELY TIRED. Nevertheless, when I forced myself to memorize things I usually remember them much longer than just "figuring it out."
All this work memorizing creates a great foundation for our career.
I mean after all, it is called "Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine" for a reason.
Congrats to the PA Class of 2017!
We survived the summer term! It wasn't easy but it wasn't awful.
We will take on the fall term together and be PA's before we know it!
Some things I noticed about the summer term:
The hardest part is just the pace and the amount of information.
Constantly studying and cramming as much information in my head as fast as I could made me mentally tired most days. Unlike the spring term where I went for a run nearly every day, I did not have time/energy to do that during the summer term. Hopefully this fall term will be more conducive to a fitness lifestyle.
Looking back....the tests weren't that bad.
Our class average was about 88-90 on most exams and at the lowest maybe around mid 80's on some final exams. Granted, we did have to study a lot in order to get those grades, but hard work totally pays off. I personally noticed, for the most part, when I slacked on my study grind my grade reflected what I deserved, but when I studied and memorized correctly I did much better. Sometimes, no matter how much I studied, I would plateau out at a certain grade. Many people who I studied with would come out of an exam stating, "even if I had more time, I wouldn't have done much better or worse." Because you cannot possibly study every ounce of information and will need to use your thinking skills to figure things out on test day.
Memorizing requires more brain power than understanding.
I knew this before but this was exceptionally true, for me at least, this summer term. When there were big concepts and trends among diseases/conditions, I could learn the material so much easier with only some thought. For this type of material it also meant that I did not have to memorize much and could just figure things out on the day of the test. When I tried to memorize things, it took a shorter time to study but it made me EXTREMELY TIRED. Nevertheless, when I forced myself to memorize things I usually remember them much longer than just "figuring it out."
All this work memorizing creates a great foundation for our career.
I mean after all, it is called "Fundamentals of Clinical Medicine" for a reason.
Congrats to the PA Class of 2017!
We survived the summer term! It wasn't easy but it wasn't awful.
We will take on the fall term together and be PA's before we know it!