Random Rant

Hey guys!

I just wanted to write about something that has been really bothering me lately. In class last week, one of our professors told us that dermatology is the highest paying specialty for PAs. It seems like ever since then I have been hearing that more and more of my classmates want to go into dermatology. It is fine if you want to go into derm if you genuinely are interested in it, but don't just do it for the money. It isn't worth it because you won't be happy. I guess PAs are lucky in this sense since we can switch to another specialty fairly easily. I have been interested in dermatology since I was in high school, and I didn't know that it was a high paying specialty at that time. I would want to work in dermatology even if it was the lowest paying speciality because I am genuinely interested in it. I honestly wish it wasn't the highest paying specialty because that makes it more competitive, and I'm scared that I won't be able to find a job working in derm...but who knows? Maybe I will change my mind after my rotations and find out that I'm even more interested in something else.

If you are in PA school or medical school right now, what area of medicine do you think you want to work in?

-C

Long Overdue Update!

Hi everyone! I'm still alive! PA school hasn't killed me...yet. Haha! I'm sorry I haven't updated in quite some time. I have been super busy with school and school comes first! We are more than halfway through our first semester, and I cannot wait until our break in December!

The most difficult class for me has been Gross Anatomy. I mean...I'm doing okay in the class I guess, but I just hate getting anything below an A. I did really well in my anatomy class in undergraduate, so it just really bothers me. I think it is a combination of the professor and the amount of material in such a short period of time (...but mostly the professor...since there is a lot of material in the other classes and I'm doing well in them). I definitely recommend reviewing anatomy before starting PA school, especially if it has been awhile since you took the class in undergrad! If I had done that, maybe I wouldn't be having such a hard time in the class. I'm just glad that we will be done with Gross Anatomy after this semester!

We had our second Physical Diagnosis lab practical earlier today. It was on the Lungs/Thorax, Heart/Peripheral Vascular, and Abdomen. We had 30 minutes to do it. I did pretty well on it, but I made a couple stupid mistakes because I was so nervous. I literally felt like I was going to pass out or throw up. I'm always a nervous wreck, but I try my hardest not to show it. I was even more nervous because the professor who was grading me (and who is also my advisor) said I had such good grades beforehand and was expecting me to do really well. That just made me more nervous because I didn't want to let him down! I'm such a perfectionist that I am never satisfied, even if my grade is a 90-something. I will only be satisfied with a 100, which is obviously really hard to get. Anyone else have this problem? It is a really horrible mindset to have, and I'm trying not to beat myself up over grades that are still good. I'm definitely happy that I did a lot better on this practical than on my last one! I ended up running out of time on the last one because I talked/explained too much.

I have to go study for my Pathophysiology exam now, but I'm going to leave you with this picture of Ryan Gosling that I found online with the heart auscultation locations! Haha!

Image: Pinterest.com

Who doesn't love Ryan Gosling?? 

-C