PA Craziness.....

Yes. I've started my second semester of PA school, and was reminded by a friend that I have only posted 3 times. The lack of posts these last few months was due to the fact that I was extremely and incredibly overwhelmed by school. Going back to school 4 years after undergrad has been quite an experience. The summer was hard for me. I spent my time either studying or sitting in class. Occasionally sleeping. It got to be that if there was a choice between sleep and fixing my hair/putting on makeup, I inevitably chose sleep. I would wake up in the morning, throw on some scrubs, spend 2 seconds putting on a little eyeliner and walk out the door. I'm not even sure why I spent time on the eyeliner since it was gone after a few hours. Perhaps it made me feel as if I hadn't totally thrown all my "caring about myself" out the window. My mom had a nice shoulder that I would fall asleep on during church. Sleep was precious.
The times we had last summer were crazy. Anatomy lab with cadaver dissection was by far an experience that few have the opportunity to go through. At the beginning of the summer, everyone changed in the bathroom. A few weeks later, and no one even bothered anymore. It was locker room changing, but without the locker room. Oh how much I've seen! One of the Anatomy professors (who shall remain nameless) provided endless entertainment and amusement for us all. I will never forget what we did in that lab. I never thought I would actually saw open another human. Or dig poo out of their butt. Or hold their heart and lungs in my own hands. It was on one hand, an incredible time where I learned so much, and at the same time, so morbid...you begin to forget that you are actually cutting another human being, and you just do your job for the day. Oh my...the experiences of the summer. Phlebotomy was another interesting time. For a whole week, I was up at 4am, to be at the hospital by 5am. We went to various wards, so that I could practice my blood drawing technique. Which is, I suppose, not too bad, except for the fact that I am an incurable night owl, and cannot sleep before midnight. Needless to say, that week was not good for me. 4 hours or less of sleep a night, and I do not function well. At least I'm not a grumpy tired...I'm more of a "complacent" tired. My roomie put up with a lot from me. Her boyfriend did too. Thanks to both of them for not thinking I was losing my mind, and letting me have my "mini-out bursts". But the first semester of PA school is over and we have started our second!!
I had a very short, 13 day break between Summer and Fall semesters. Went by so fast. I spent most of my waking hours in the OR. I am happiest when I am there. I think it is because people come in with a medical problem, and they can leave improved. A woman can come in with cancer in her breast, and 15 hours later, it's gone, and she has a new breast as well. Children with their face eaten off by a pet dog, can have it reconstructed. The ugly hole left on a face after Melanoma has been removed can be hidden. This is what makes me happiest. To know that I have done something useful or made someone else happy or improved a life somehow. I leave the hospital, after spending 10 hours there, my feet and back aching, but I am satisfied. If I could spend the rest of my life doing this, I would be the happiest woman alive. Truly.
With the start of the second semester, I am trying to be less stressed. Still taking a lot of hours (17), but I feel as if I have more time. I am running again, and training for the White Rock Half Marathon on December. Several of my classmates are doing it as well, so it will be a grand time. The classes are more clinically based now, which is more exciting. Our first block is Dermatology. Having worked in Plastic Surgery for 3 years, I am not happy about studying Derm. But oh well. I shall learn it if I have to. A pimple is a pimple is a pimple. I know that's not entirely true, but it is in my mind.
It's hard to believe that in 11.5 months, I will be starting my hospital rotations. I feel as if I could never learn enough to be able to confidently do what I will need to be doing. But it will come in time I suppose.
I am now getting decent sleep, but the semester has only started. Who knows what is to come? At least I don't fall asleep in church anymore, and have time to pick out decent clothes and put on a bit of makeup. But the fact of the matter is this: I survived! I'm excited to see what will happen this semester, as we start with our first pseudo-patients this Thursday. There are many tests and papers looming, but it will all work out. God always sustains me!

Last days of freedom....

As the first day of school gets closer, I'm realizing just how much freedom I have right now. I can stay out all hours of the night, and go in work late. Not for long. Pretty soon I'll have studying to think about. If I don't study, I don't pass....

So these next few weeks will be spent taking care of various, ancillary items. Financial aid application? Check. Application for school loan? Check. (Which, by the way, requires your right arm and first-born child to even be considered for a loan.) Books? Check. Student badge and parking? Check. Not to even mention the fact that I've been out of school for so long that I'm having to go buy a bunch of supplies. Pull out the old backpack. Find a whiteboard. Check and see if I have any clothes besides scrubs in my closet....good times ahead.

And....

Well, March slipped by pretty fast, and April is quickly on it's way out. I'm really excited about school starting up next month, but didn't think time would pass that fast. So how have I been filling my days? Well, work takes up a lot of my time. Gonna be fixing that real soon. As soon as school starts, I will be going to part-time. It will be very different. I've been out of college for so long, and been working full-time, that I kinda got used to always having a paycheck. I'll still have a paycheck, but it will be much smaller. Ah well. It'll all be worth it in the end. I'm about to do what I've been wanting for 10 years. But I digress. Back to my time fillers, such as they are. :-)

In March, a friend and I took a road-trip down to Laredo, Texas to see a friend of ours who had moved there with her husband. And there was this one little, whole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant that had the most amazing Chicken Cordon Bleu EVER. That was the best meal I think I've ever had in a restaurant. *sigh* Good trip overall, even though we got our car stuck in the sand at the beach. But there were some very nice men who helped push us out. ;-)

In April, I went down to see my brother and sister-in-law who live in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Wow. It's beautiful down there, with the white sand beaches. We didn't get to spend a day at the beach, but oh well. It was nice just relaxing with them and not being at work.

As far as the topic of the day is concerned, that would be my monstrous puppy, Miller. He just turned 9 months old, but is over 50 pounds. And he apparently has insomnia. In the early mornings, he will put his paws on my bed and poke me or lick me until I pay attention to him and take him out. Might I add that he wakes me up way before the alarm clock is set to go off? If I don't listen to him, he will jump in my bed and sit on top of me until I get out of bed. At this point, I usually tuck every part of me in the covers, because he will lick anything sticking out. Poo him.

And last update: I got a keyboard! Finally. Not a full-size one, unfortunately, but it will do the job. Since my beautiful, black upright is at my parent's house, I needed something to play on or I was going to go insane. And then I woke up to reality and realized just how out of practice I am. 22 years of playing, and I totally butchered the songs I tried. Apparently, it has been awhile since I played. But that's ok, we'll get back with it! That Malaguena and Moonlight Sonata and those Tchaikovsky's will be back in short order. Stay tuned.

Hmm....

So....yeah. I thought I'd get a blog and see what they're all about.....

Let's see...2009 has been pretty good to me so far. Heather and I ran our first half-marathon in February, finishing in 2 hrs, 8 mins. We were very excited, but plan on doing another one, and our goal is to finish in under 2 hrs. :D

In March, I found out that I was accepted to Physician Assistant school at UT Southwestern in Dallas. I start May 26th, and am really looking forward to it. Our first summer will be spent down in the anatomy lab working on cadavers. :-)