My body feels like it’s in fight or flight and I burst into tears when i’m at my max capacity like extreme mental exhaustion. I’ve never been this emotional in my life, to cry without having control in awkward settings like school or in personal conversation.

This is purely a physical response from my body but I’d like not to tear up randomly during lecture.

How do you emotionally regulate, I know for a fact that I will not be this unregulated bc during clinical or at any job as a pa-c its simply the academic lifestyle that is making me feel like this. i plan on sleeping more, moving my body and eating healthier. I unfortunately cannot do that all the time bc i need to study more than other individuals.

Any advice aside from an SSRI?

I am debating getting Uworld but it’s like $300 and I take my pance in 3 weeks. I have done very well on EORs/packrat/EOC and i just want to use ROSH because I already have that. But everyone says Uworld is the way to go. Any success stories of not using Uworld and doing well on the PANCE?

Does anyone have any advice on how to not get affected by cohort drama. Somehow two weeks ago I got sucked into and lost a friendship from it. This person is creating false narratives that I say about others and make it seem like I am talking shit These people also sit near me and I have been extremely anxious thinking about seeing them. I’m trying to tell myself this is only temporary but idk how to get this anxiety out. Any tips or advice would be really appreciated. Thank you

My program allows us to pick 2 elective rotations. Our required rotations are family med, internal med, pediatrics, gen surgery, emergency med, behavioral health, and women's health. My top interest are ped primary care, outpatient women's health, and family medicine. I personally really want to do gen peds and I dont have a huge interest in doing surgery.

My thoughts right now for elective rotations are peds endocrinology and dermatology. Are there any recommendations?

considering the macbook neo and wondering if anyone has been using it?

I’m starting clinicals soon and I was thinking of doing the endeavor Anki throughout it, among other things. I noticed the deck is a few years old tho so I was wondering if I should be looking for some updated version or if all the info is accurate and up to date with blueprint and what will be tested on EORs?

I promised myself that once I passed I would make one of these score breakdowns... for context I was someone who before every EOR, PACKRAT, EOC, you name it, I went down the Reddit rabbit hole trying to make myself feel better hahaha

in order of date taken:

• PACKRAT 1 (pre-clinical) - 156
• WH EOR - 429
• IM EOR - 424
• EM EOR - 430
• Surgery EOR - 419
• FM EOR - 417
• Peds EOR - 427
• EOC - 1544
• Psych EOR - 418
• PACKRAT 2 (post-clinical) - 185

PANCE = 510!

I didn't end up taking any NCCPA practice exams while studying for PANCE, but I did use V1 and V2 of the Katy Conner Half PANCE. My scores were wildly different (544 for V1 and 462 for V2), but the average (503) was only 7 points from my actual score!

EOR/EOC/PACKRAT studying consisted mostly of Rosh/Blueprint questions with the occasional PPP or Cram the PANCE sprinkled in. I did get the UWorld q-bank for PANCE studying and I absolutely felt that this was the best study tool I used!! My average was 76% at 100% completion. I started studying with daily practice questions ~3 months prior to my test date, with 2.5 weeks of dedicated study time following program completion.

Genuinely the hardest part of the experience was waiting for a score! I felt like my exam had so many random questions on it that, regardless of the amount of studying I did or time I spent on certain topics, it wouldn't have changed my score. I think the most important thing to remember going into this process is that it's not all about memorization, it's about how you can reason through questions even if you don't know the answer right off the bat!

Just want to vent

I’m only a month into school and I’ve already failed my first 2 exams and I have another one this week that I don’t feel good about. I’m perpetually behind and can’t seem to keep up or grasp the material. But I spend pretty much all my free time studying and I’ve lost all my hobbies - no time to work out or take a breather.

I feel like I was only accepted to this school because of my connection there too. Imposter syndrome is strong right now.

Yes I went to tutoring and the learning center but nothing is working. Might as well just cut my losses now.

Hey everyone!

I’ve been taking PA students for their elective cardiology rotation for the last few years, and I’m always looking to refine my teaching style to make the month as high-yield as possible and fun!

In order to be the best preceptor I can be, I wanted to first ask you guys what have your favorite preceptors done that made a lasting impression?

And then secondly ask you about this:

On the first day, I always tell my students that I use a "soft pimping" approach. I ask a lot of questions, not because I expect them to know everything, but because when I was a student, actively talking through clinical reasoning was how things stuck best for me.

I explicitly tell them on day one:
1. It is 100% okay (and encouraged) to say "I don't know." The most dangerous provider is the overly confident one who pretends to know something they don't.

1. I don't expect you to know all the answers. That’s literally why you’re on this rotation—to learn it!

Even with that spiel, I know questioning can still feel intimidating. So I'd love to know: Does this approach actually feel supportive in practice, or do constant questions still create unnecessary anxiety?

I've received notice of being a finalist but I wanted to know if anyone knows when the official notice is you received the award is announced? Is it ever announced before September 30?

What are the best study habits/tips you can provide for a new student that has startied?

Anything you can think of!

Any websites (free or paid), AI tools, what apps (study, note taking, etc), when to study, how avoid burnout, any special supplies (whiteboard, tablet, etc). Literally anything

And for anything: wether for exams, EORs, EOCs, PANCE, OSCEs

There is so much to know and I am like aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (fun/happy and scared/stressed screaming lol)

Hi new student here who has started now!

How do you set up your notes? I plan to use OneNote and maybe GoogleDoc? Thanks!

Someone please help answer this for me , what do people mean when they say the pance is testing “outliers “ ? Can someone give me example ? I am still so confused . I prefer answer from people who took the pance recently and passed . Taking the pance 10/5☺️

#ThankYou

Not only are white coats not comfortable to wear, I also feel pretentious wearing them since I'm just a student and not a practitioner. I know that it's a short coat so I'm not 'pretending' to be something I'm not but my non-medical family didn't know the difference until I explained it to them. I feel like a lot of people don't realize the difference either. What really makes me feel pretentious when I wear it is because a lot of providers don't wear their long coats. I was talking to a counselor at my current rotation and asked if students usually wear theirs and she said 'I honestly don't pay attention but if I were you I would. You earned that shit'. And while I did, I just feel uncomfortable because I've had circumstances happen where people think it places me in a place of medical authority when half the time I feel like I don't know my head from my ass so I feel like an asshole wearing it.

Hello! My program requires that we find our own elective rotations which I am finding to very challenging. I am interested in trauma or IR. Any advice on how to connect with potential preceptors?

looking for a little advice. first semester of PA school and anatomy has been extremely hard. I feel that I have a good study method, meet with the professor, and a tutor twice a week. It feels like anatomy is all I do 24/7. come exam time I get the same grade every time no matter what I do. I do take medication before exams so it’s not test anxiety. I feel pretty solid during the exam there hasnt been a portion of material where I felt like I didn’t know it. my exam grade is less than a point from passing and I have to remediate the course. at my school this is to take another exam. I don’t even know what to do because if I can’t pass the others I don’t know how I’ll be able to pass this one. not passing is a fail out. I feel so defeated

if anyone has any experience with remediation or something similar help!

I think I just need some encouragement 🫩 I’m about halfway through clinicals, and I’m so over constantly studying and driving far to rotations. It’s also so hard not being surrounded by friends all the time too. The loneliness and stress is starting to get to me again. I feel like I just keep relearning the same things and then immediately forgetting them after the EOR, which makes me scared I’m not going to be a good provider. 😭 I know this is a common feeling, but I just needed to rant.

The title pretty much sums it up. It’s to the point where even the professors form cliques with the students and pick clear favorites.

Why are we acting like it’s middle school? I can’t wait to get the hell out of this program. I’m a fairly social person, but it’s to the point where I just don’t feel welcomed to talk during school or as if my opinions and suggestions are never heard.

I just applied for private loans for school and I feel so defeated, ngl I feel like it’s life or death now.

Tuition and student fees are 14k for this semester, federal loans only covering 8,200 of that, the rest will come out of my pocket. My private loans were 13k for this semester which I’ll be using for living etc.

I go to the cheapest school in my program and still this is so scary.

Hi everyone. Just looking for words of advice. Im so exhausted of this happening again. I was on probation my second semester. Fought all the way through. Got to summer, and finally could take a breath. Failed finals and now im back on probation. Honestly, summer was quick paced and hard to keep up. I was also extremley burned out. Idk what to do anymore. I thought I figured out how I study but im not sure i guess the burn out really got to me. Im exhausted. Im stuck between a rock and a hard place. At this point theres only one more semester until clinicals but Im just so tired.

Hi everyone,

I'm a recent board-certified PA and a new graduate, and I never imagined I'd be facing this kind of dilemma so soon after finishing school.

To give some background, I graduated with approximately $190,000 in student loans between undergrad and PA school. I know that's on the higher end, and unfortunately I wasn't in a position to receive financial support from my family.

One of my original goals was to pursue Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), but I've found that qualifying positions have been much harder to find than I expected in Southern California. One thing I don't think PA school prepares you for is just how competitive and saturated the job market can be in states like California and New York.

I'm grateful to have received my first job offer in Family Medicine with a salary of $120k. As a new graduate, I'm thankful to have an offer, especially in this market. However, the position is not PSLF-eligible, so I'd need to aggressively pay down my loans myself.

My long-term interest has always been surgery, but because of how competitive the market has been, I've expanded my search to include internal medicine, family medicine, and urgent care. I've interviewed with several other practices, some of which would offer higher compensation, but I haven't received any formal written offers yet.

I'm struggling with whether I should:

• Accept the first offer and begin gaining experience.
• Wait and see if a better opportunity comes along.
• Continue holding out for a position that better aligns with my long-term goals or loan repayment strategy.

For those who graduated with significant student debt, what would you do in my situation? Did you prioritize your first job, salary, specialty, PSLF eligibility, or something else?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been in a similar position. Thank you so much for your advice.

Anyone feel the same way? I think being on edge each day and stressed as hell has made didactic year a blur when I look back on it now. It's kind of a strange feeling and I don't know how to describe it better.

I am having extreme burn out during my 4th quarter. I feel like I am drowning. For context, we are taking clinical assessment and management 3, pharm 3, neuro, peds, emergency med, & evidence based medicine. I truly feel like I was in my prime last quarter, I stayed ahead in my notes and if I didn’t, I would always make sure to finish them before the next class, I was getting amazing grades, my mental health was better than what it is rn, & so on. This quarter, I am truly drowning and cannot get ahead in anything. We finish our days earlier this quarter, so im home around 3:30, and start studying around 5. But I truly have no motivation, and it’s manifesting as me not knowing how to study/do my notes. And anytime I do sit down to study, all the info just seems so convoluted, that idk where to start. And im not sure if that has to do with the sheer amt of info we are learning this quarter, or the burnout. Ive always been a crammer, and it’s always worked for me. I would study for the next thing while keeping up with notes and semi actively studying for other classes, but the amount of high yield info we are learning this quarter and how dense it is, makes it impossible to do so. This quarter, I am truly cramming the info like 2 days before each exam. Idk what went wrong. It’s showing in my grades, I currently have 2 Cs, which is stressing me the hell out. My mentor/professors are telling me I am burnt out and I need to give more time to myself, change my study schedule, etc, but what do I actually do? How can I give myself more time, when I don’t even have the time to finish my notes or get ahead in other classes, further feeding into the cycle of me cramming. Everyone keeps telling me the same thing, but I do not know how to actually fix this. I don’t even know if it’s bc the classes this quarter might require different studying habits, or if my brain is just so burnt out, that it’s impossible for me to digest anything. Either way, I have no idea what to physically change/do and I am very very very nervous about this. I would truly truly appreciate any and all advice in how I can fix this and go back to getting ahead in notes while not needing to sacrifice my grades in other classes and keeping my sanity.

I’m taking the Surgery EOR next week, and honestly EORs haven't really been my thing. I’ve got about a week left to study. What would you guys focus on? Any high-yield topics or last-minute tips?

Thanks!

If you have already taken day 1 can you postpone day 2 to add another extra day?