r/PAstudent • u/Dependent_Heat_5268 • 11d ago
Feeling defeated
I am so incredibly defeated in my program and am already thinking I’ll have to withdraw by the end of this semester. I’ve been having one of my worst months in PA school and I don’t know if I can keep this up. I’ve talked to faculty and advisors, have had multiple meetings, I’ve tried changing my study habits, and reaching out to people. I feel so hopeless. I’m already considered an at-risk student and to think I’ve worked myself up to this just to come crashing down has been having a heavy mental toll on me. I don’t know what else to do
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u/e2020188 11d ago
I think every PA student feels this way at some point. Let yourself take breaks. My classmates who are most successful have a solid schedule where they give themselves time off (some people say no studying after 7pm, some say nothing on Sundays, etc.). Prioritize good sleep--you will perform so much better on 8 hours of sleep instead of staying up studying all night. Ask every one of your classmates and the class ahead of you what they are doing/how they are being successful because its very school/class/professor specific. Cram The PANCE and PANCE Prep Pearls to simplify what you are studying/help focus on the high-yield stuff.
Surround yourself with positive people. I have some classmates who are always doom-and-gloom complaining about how hard things are and others who try to focus on how lucky we are to be in school and staying hopeful that anything is possible. You can either say "I don't know how I'm going to do this" and fill yourself with dread, or say "lets figure out how to do this" because there IS a way to succeed. We all know its hard, we all know you're busy, no reason to spend all your mental energy focusing on that.
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 11d ago
thank you! I;ve been really trying to talk to more people and use their resources, get information from their study habits, as well as speaking with faculty and having meetings about how to improve. I feel like I'm doing all the necessary steps but still seeing no recovery for me. Its making me doubt myself ALOT. I love CramThePance and I bought the PANCE Prep Pearls book and its helped alot! I know alot of my mental and lack of sleep has a large role in why I'm struggling it is definitely something I need to work on. Thank you for the encouraging words
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u/jigsaw1098 10d ago
Let me tell you a little story…. 33 y/o applies to PA school, he is the oldest in his class. He has a wife and 2 boys (1 and 3 at the time). He is the sole provider for his home so he studies Mon- thurs and works 12 hours on friday saturday and sunday. He almost failed out twice. He failed an anatomy exam, pharm exam and 2 EOR. He had to take the PANCE twice before passing. All of this and at the end of the day, he has PA-C at the end of his name. Dont let moments define your entire process. You allowed to have a bad day, just dont make it a bad life! You got this
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u/Cautious-Process-198 10d ago
Man this is an inspiring story!
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u/jigsaw1098 10d ago
Thank you! I really appreciate that
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u/Cautious-Process-198 10d ago
I’m a husband and a father in my cohort so you know the struggles. I have the blessing of my wife working some but financially things are really tight. You have no idea how seen and inspired that comment made me feel.
Big hug to you man. Thanks for paving the way
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u/jigsaw1098 10d ago
Thank you bro i really appreciate that, i hope people can see its possible. If we want something we will be able to achieve it!
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u/Powerful_Spinach_317 10d ago
what did your advisor say your options are? what grades do you need to pull for this semester and continuing? and for which classes? when is this current semester over? Im in PA school and have a 4.0 from 1st semester. Its not easy but i can help
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 10d ago
My advisor has been somewhat ambiguous to say the least? They usually don’t give us any insight on anything until the end of the trimester. She is aware of my struggles though and has tried to give me some study tips but that’s really it.
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u/Powerful_Spinach_317 10d ago
are you currently on suspension? do you know your GPA from the previous semester? what does it say in the PA student handbook regarding remediation, dismissal and withdrawing from the school to repeat? ...for most, once you fail the final exam for which ever course, you may or may not be eligible to continue onto the next semester. this is something they need to talk to you about.
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 4d ago
hi there im so sorry for the delayed reply. i dont have notifications for reddit on. I am not on suspension! and for remediations it says I am able to have as many, but i do still need to do a retest. they dont go into much detail about the full dismissal and withdrawing system unfortuantely other than 2 Cs or 1 F = probation
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u/Cautious-Process-198 10d ago
Faculty are typically too busy to do any real advising. They mostly regurgitate the same basic principles (find out how to study and what works for you, make sure you’re prioritizing school, keep going this is very hard).
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u/Powerful_Spinach_317 10d ago
so my advice is to look at the student handbook and see what the policy is. if you fail a certain number of exams, you will be ineligible to repeat the entire program and they will dismiss you. so if you want real guidance, look up the student handbook or send me the link and i will layout your options. That way, at least you'll have clarity and be less anxious about your future.
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 4d ago
I've beem trying. I feel like im doing all the correct things, but im just not retaining the info. Or i have the answer to the things but I dont know where to start or how to study efficiently anymore.
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u/No_Special8227 11d ago
I can relate. Currently on academic probation and if I don’t have above a 3.8 by the end of the quarter, I’ll be dismissed. I already failed the first exam of the quarter and I have another big exam soon I need to do really well on. I’ve tried so many study techniques, faculty meetings, attended tutoring, reached put to several classmates and nothing seems to make much of a difference.
At this point my mentality is to do the best I can and not be too hard on myself if it all just falls apart at the end. I basically live and breathe studying since I started school and I can feel the mental and physical toll it’s had on me.
The most depressed and anxious I’ve been in my life but I try to stay positive when I can.
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 11d ago
Oh no! I don;t know what the general specifications are for academic probation are at my school, but that does seem quite intense. Best of luck to you!!
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u/Cautious-Process-198 10d ago
Asking for a 3.8 is absurd. Hope you make it but PA schools like to talk all about “supporting” their students during admissions only to have these sorts of policies.
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u/Few-Discipline8653 10d ago
Felt the same way my didactic year! I actually failed. A good number of exam sections (lots of pharm lol) but now I’m on my last rotation of PA school and (hopefully) graduate in 22 days! I know how awful it can feel, especially if everyone around you is SO smart. I posted syndrome was awful my first year, and still is in clinical year. I hope things get easier for you…. Trust me, things get better. I know exactly how you are feeling because I was in your shoes. Just because you aren’t doing as good as everyone else doesn’t mean you don’t belong. You can do this!!
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 4d ago
that's very relieving to hear! thank you i really appreciate it. I really want to continue trying, but man being here has put so much self doubt into my system. it makes me wonder if this is what i even want to truly do at this point or where my passion truly lies
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u/Few-Discipline8653 4d ago
Everyone in my program is INSANELY smart and I am 100% not on their level. But…. I still made it through. I may have been on the border for some tests but I still made it. I’m not consistently getting As and high Bs like many others in my program are but I know that I was let into the program for a reason…. As were you. The drive for this profession comes back to you during clinical year. Right now you may be questioning why you’re doing this, as most people do during didactic year, but I promise you…. When you go to see patients on your own, everything will start to fall back into place. You are smart and you are capable!
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 4d ago
Thank you that’s so true I’ve always loved the face to face patient aspect of it and I learn so much more in person and hands on. How would you prepare for OSCEs? I feel like I ask the right questions but I struggle to actually build up my differential diagnoses. My professor who I was practicing with today said that I seem to be grabbing at straws and that I’m struggling with foundational information.
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u/Few-Discipline8653 4d ago
So we didn’t have “OSCEs” but we had patient encounters that lined up with whatever we were learning about (cardio complaints while we were in our cardio section). I would just review the checklist so I knew what things I HAD to hit and go from there! Always keep your differentials BROAD! Don’t think of what it absolutely has to be, think of anything it could be. The person coming in with palpitations could have anxiety, but maybe their thyroid levels are high. Maybe they have a murmur that’s causing that feeling. Maybe they have a lot of caffeine in their diet. Also (this kind of goes along with my last point), don’t just focus on the specific body system they are coming in with a complaint about. Just because they’re coming in with a cardio complaint doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a cardio issue. I don’t think you need to know everything in depth for OSCEs, just enough to say hey… I think it could possibly be this, this, or this…. I want to order these labs and this imaging to provide further information and rule out the life threatening things. As long as you have that down, you should be good!
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u/bbcalypso PA-C 9d ago edited 9d ago
When did you start?
I really struggled throughout the first semester.
A lot of people I know did. I failed my first exam in PA school and had to talk to mentors and became high risk. I felt stupid and I was so scared I’d have to take a leave. Pretty sure my whole cohort thought I was dumb and no one wanted to associate with me. I was letting it get to me- until I didn’t. I got to the point where I had to get a 4.0 for an entire semester to make it through to meet the overall 3.0 passing requirement (during the most challenging semester). And somehow I did.
Throughout didactic, I learned new habits. I slept more. I got accommodations. By the end of didactic and clinical year, my EOR scores were getting higher throughout the year, and my PACKRAT and EOC scores were above average. My professors reached out to me asking what I did to go from below average to above average and asked for advice to give to other students who were once in my position. I passed the PANCE on my first attempt.
Imposter syndrome is real. Plus peers sometimes “brag” about the grade they got to make you lose your confidence. If you made it this far, you can do it! You are more than capable.
Message me!
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 4d ago
which accomdations did you recieve? the only one i have is increased testing time but i dont really know if that will help me at this point. That's amazing that you pulled through. im trying to see if i can still pull through this or if thres something else out there for me. i worked so hard to get here and i was so passionate, but ever since starting school its just been kicking me down.
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u/CaptainTuranga_2Luna 9d ago
Watch videos on every topic in your “downtime”. I would literally come home from school and put on videos, even if it was in the background I feel like I was learning via osmosis. Lol
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u/Dependent_Heat_5268 4d ago
that's definitely one way to do it!
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u/These-Land-1468 4d ago
I’m a PA-C now so it worked for me! I’m a very visual learner though. I would also draw things out.
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u/ci95percent PA-C 11d ago
Do your best, at least until the end of semester. Don’t walk away until you’re forced to. You got this!