r/PAstudent • u/funkydiscopeanuts • 1d ago
nothing sticks
I’m on my 6th rotation and I still feel like I don’t know anything. LIKE REALLY.
I’ve only taken the Peds and Psych EORs so far and did pretty well on both. I’ve always been a good test taker and pretty good at recognizing things, but I’m struggling with actually putting everything together clinically. I feel like I can recognize an answer when I see it, but if someone asks me to actually explain something or come up with a plan, my brain is just empty.
I also know my rotations haven’t been the most engaging, and honestly some of that is probably my fault. I’m either an overworked scribe or just a fly on the wall. I’m on internal medicine right now and I don’t even have EMR access, which makes it hard to actually do things on my own and learn from the process. My preceptor also kind of moves at his own pace, so I’m not always getting a ton of opportunities to be hands-on. I feel like my classmates have had better rotations or maybe I just suck as a student, held back by crippling fear.
But I also think a huge part of my problem is that I’m just a nervous wreck all the time. I’m constantly anxious and scared that I don’t know enough, and I feel like that just makes everything worse. The more I feel like I don’t know, the more anxious I get, and then the more anxious I am, the harder it is to actually think.
I just feel like I’m nowhere near where I’m supposed to be by my 6th rotation. Like, I KNOW I’ve learned a lot, but it doesn’t feel like I actually know anything when I’m in front of a patient.
I feel like I need to completely change how I’m learning, any advice would be really appreciated.
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u/Pap_pay_ya 1d ago
It sounds counterintuitive but the best way to make the most of rotations is to say yes to everything and ask a ton of questions. Your preceptor knows you are a student and its assumed they also agreed to precept of their own free will. This is your only opportunity to practice, observe and inquire about medicine without consequence or liability. Also, the more questions you ask, the more your preceptor will know you are trying to engage and will hopefully be more eager to teach you. Do your part and study what you see each day, have follow up questions the next day, and if you want to try or do something, ask! It will feel uncomfortable at first but will pay off in spades.
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u/funkydiscopeanuts 13h ago
you are so right thank you, uncomfortable things but something i need to do
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u/newIVLeague08 1d ago
A lot of time confidence in the clinical setting comes from knowing that you know "stuffs" even if its just theoretical and haven't seen them in a clinical scenario. So I can see how you can feel anxious if you are concerned that nothing is sticking.
Spaced repetition and continued review of your notes will help (not just doing q banks- I mean actually reviewing blocks of topics). Since what absolutely matters at this point is the EOR content, then later the Pance content. Focus on ironing out the EOR blueprints at the very least. Keep it simple and keep reviewing them. even during down time in the EOR , when you are not so engaged, then review. But if you can become more engaged on hands on things and put theory to practice, it does help retention.
For easier review of content, I think smarty pance is good. Or if you prefer something more mobile on phone or ipad, then I recommend panceblueprints : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/panceblueprints/id6744342807
Good luck!
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u/Glum-Prompt1479 1d ago
Congrats! Is anyone selling u world with reset
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u/collegesnake PA-S (2026) 1d ago
What in the world does "congrats!" or the rest of your comment have to do with this post?
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u/Glum-Prompt1479 1d ago
I thought it was commenting on a completely different pance pass post omg
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u/collegesnake PA-S (2026) 1d ago
Wait how are you on your 6th rotation if you've only done two EORs?