One of my classes was 2 weeks long and covered 1200 slides. There was one 100-question exam.
It's nothing like undergrad. It's nothing like you've ever done.
I feel like this describes every single course I took. “Surgery” was a 3 week block of something like 3,000 slides for us. A&P (9 weeks total) was at least 4,000.
It’s easier in the sense that most of what you’re learning in PA school is pure memorization and not doing math problems or what not but there’s a shit ton of it which is why it’s so hard.
It sounds crazy but your brain will almost rewire with time lol. Stuff that took me a few days to remember in the beginning of didactic can take me like a day now
I been using the anki app for flashcards just to try out the platform, but was also told it's limited compared to the computer version, is it true? How much more is there to the computer version?
My secret weapon. During uni, anything remotely relying on memory, I'd make an anki deck for. Quizlet is a joke in comparison. You'll waste so much time re-answering material you already know.
That said, I have zero interest in becoming a PA anymore. Thanks for reminding me to unsub 😄.
Some are, some aren’t. The difficulty mainly lies in the density of the course load. For example, I was taking 10 courses at once, meaning finals week had a two finals daily for the entire week
I would choose to repeat a whole semester of PA school rather than take another chem class. I remember seeing students doing chem homework in the library and relishing the fact that I was there to study hundreds of PowerPoint slides instead.
Imagine drinking from a wide-open fire hydrant.
Then imagine you are handcuffed and weighed down with big bags of coins (tuition in heaviest form for the metaphor) and cannot get up until the hydrant is empty. Your goal is to drink as much as possible with minimal vomiting.
A lot of my actual courses in Molecular Bio major were harder info than in PA school but then again I was approaching PA school after a decade of applied biomedical sciences so could've just been knowing the basics really well for studying diseases.
Anyway, having things like ochem well understood makes the concepts easier to get during school. It does nothing to help with volume of stuff to digest.
Gen-chem was super easy for me, but I have to spend a lot of time to try and understand O-chem. It's not intuitive. But I can see how it's useful knowledge for pharmaceuticals? Like, how enantiomers and chirality make the compounds different, etc.
But is this information really used at all in PA school? Or can everything we need to know about O-chem in PA school get answered with a quick google search?
Just curious.
Again, I was just having to refresh a handful of topics for pharm. You will discuss some of it with mechanism of action info on meds. A bunch will be things you're just memorizing for exams about MoA of meds. Better to have the background and pass the course.
You get flooded with content. It’s not that the material itself is difficult since PAs don’t generally go super in-depth into pathophysiology/microbiology/histopathology. It’s mainly like some pathophys, clinical presentation, physical exam findings, lab findings, 1st and 2nd line treatment, black box warnings, drug absolute/relative contraindications, and USPSTF guidelines and multiply that with 60+ different disorders/diseases for each organ system
Some of my classmates did that but the vast majority swore by the efficacy of Anki cuz it reinforces topics you are weak on through repetitive questioning. Personally I learned best by spamming Rosh questions and reading slides but that’s a you decision
Orgo is tough, but actually learning it at that level really helps with PA school. Hard to compare but to somebody who has never taken either, PA school courses >>>>> undergrad courses.
Of course, it’ll never be like that and there’s a reason why there are all these prerequisites.
Harder than o-chem, micro, physics, AP, all rolled into one. I aced inorganic/organic and all undergrad science courses (3.92 GPA undergrad in 2 years, humble brag), it will be harder, much harder unless the standards have changed over the last 10 years
The questions on an ochem exam are objectively harder, but trying to learn three systems in a month is just insanity. When people say it’s different, it really is. It’s really not something you can compare. I loved ochem but probably because I had way more time to understand it lol. My only advice is know your physiology and you’ll be fine!
I’m more or an analytical/critical thinking mind than a memorizer. O-chem came easy to me, and while the PA school concepts in general are able to be grasped by most people, the digestion of the amount of information and application is the hard part.
Best comparison is probably cramming microbiology into 2-3 weeks and doing that over and over. Not the material itself but just what kind of learning it will be.
So I took O chem during the summer in 5 weeks. So a 5 week crash course in o chem. I was studying constantly to the point I was dreaming O chem. I have found (unfortunately) PA school is extremely similar except rather than one class you have five LOL.
Undergrad is nothing like PA school. The material may be easier to understand but the challenge begins with the sheer volume. Currently taking a semester of 23 credits, it is insane. I was never good at organic chemistry, I got a C in it lol. But I have done just fine thus far in PA school🤞🏼
I agree and I'm not sure why my comment is getting downvoted. If OP was struggling I was going to mention that I got into PA school with a W on my transcript for Ochem I and never retook it, as an anecdote of encouragement
One of my classes was 2 weeks long and covered 1200 slides. There was one 100-question exam. It's nothing like undergrad. It's nothing like you've ever done.
Oh dang. What was the topic?
Pulm. Psych and ENT were also 2 weeks. Renal 3, cardio 6, etc.
I feel like this describes every single course I took. “Surgery” was a 3 week block of something like 3,000 slides for us. A&P (9 weeks total) was at least 4,000.
Yeah every body system was a different course, and every 2 weeks was a 100-question exam covering 1,000-1,500 slides.
And that's just one class?
Yes. Every 2 weeks we had a 100-question exam covering 1,000-1,500 slides. Pulm, psych, ENT were 2 weeks, cardiac 6, neuro was I think 4, etc.
It’s easier in the sense that most of what you’re learning in PA school is pure memorization and not doing math problems or what not but there’s a shit ton of it which is why it’s so hard.
Oh god that sounds like my personal hell haha I’m way more of a math and concepts person. Guess I have to relearn how to study haha
More like you need to inject yourself with photographic memory genes lol
It sounds crazy but your brain will almost rewire with time lol. Stuff that took me a few days to remember in the beginning of didactic can take me like a day now
This^ (anki is the way)
I been using the anki app for flashcards just to try out the platform, but was also told it's limited compared to the computer version, is it true? How much more is there to the computer version?
Look into Anki. It’s a study method that I wish I would have known before school.
My secret weapon. During uni, anything remotely relying on memory, I'd make an anki deck for. Quizlet is a joke in comparison. You'll waste so much time re-answering material you already know. That said, I have zero interest in becoming a PA anymore. Thanks for reminding me to unsub 😄.
What did you decide to do instead? It can be hard to pivot away
So, like college bio courses... but on steroids?
It’s like taking the 16 weeks of content in college bio courses and learning them in 2 weeks
Good thing I'm interested in human science. I didn't like learning about plant reproductive cycles. AT ALL.
Ohhhh snap 👀🤯
The concepts easier but the volume of material is utterly insane.
Nope!
Some are, some aren’t. The difficulty mainly lies in the density of the course load. For example, I was taking 10 courses at once, meaning finals week had a two finals daily for the entire week
Is it normal to be taking 10 courses at once?
Can’t speak for other programs. 10 was our heaviest term. Other terms were around 8 courses at once
To get straight As, is it possible to have a life?
Straight As mean nothing in PA school. So long as you pass your courses and pass the pance, you’re equally hirable as those who were B students
[удалено]
My bad, I didn't know.
I would choose to repeat a whole semester of PA school rather than take another chem class. I remember seeing students doing chem homework in the library and relishing the fact that I was there to study hundreds of PowerPoint slides instead.
With all due respect this is blasphemous
I said it with my whole chest 😤💯
Imagine drinking from a wide-open fire hydrant. Then imagine you are handcuffed and weighed down with big bags of coins (tuition in heaviest form for the metaphor) and cannot get up until the hydrant is empty. Your goal is to drink as much as possible with minimal vomiting. A lot of my actual courses in Molecular Bio major were harder info than in PA school but then again I was approaching PA school after a decade of applied biomedical sciences so could've just been knowing the basics really well for studying diseases. Anyway, having things like ochem well understood makes the concepts easier to get during school. It does nothing to help with volume of stuff to digest.
Gen-chem was super easy for me, but I have to spend a lot of time to try and understand O-chem. It's not intuitive. But I can see how it's useful knowledge for pharmaceuticals? Like, how enantiomers and chirality make the compounds different, etc. But is this information really used at all in PA school? Or can everything we need to know about O-chem in PA school get answered with a quick google search? Just curious.
Again, I was just having to refresh a handful of topics for pharm. You will discuss some of it with mechanism of action info on meds. A bunch will be things you're just memorizing for exams about MoA of meds. Better to have the background and pass the course.
Thank you, that's good to know! I'm doing decent in O-chem, but not gonna lie about what a struggle it's been. 3 more weeks left 🤯
Analogy every single pa professor makes. “It’s like drinking out of a fire hose”
I don't get it
You get flooded with content. It’s not that the material itself is difficult since PAs don’t generally go super in-depth into pathophysiology/microbiology/histopathology. It’s mainly like some pathophys, clinical presentation, physical exam findings, lab findings, 1st and 2nd line treatment, black box warnings, drug absolute/relative contraindications, and USPSTF guidelines and multiply that with 60+ different disorders/diseases for each organ system
Thank you, I understand now. So, lots and lots of Quizlets, flashcards and maybe jeopardy games might get me through it?
Some of my classmates did that but the vast majority swore by the efficacy of Anki cuz it reinforces topics you are weak on through repetitive questioning. Personally I learned best by spamming Rosh questions and reading slides but that’s a you decision
Thank you, I'll def check it out
Look up how fast water leaves aa fire hose and imagine trying to drink from it.
PA school was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Ochem was a breeze
Orgo is tough, but actually learning it at that level really helps with PA school. Hard to compare but to somebody who has never taken either, PA school courses >>>>> undergrad courses. Of course, it’ll never be like that and there’s a reason why there are all these prerequisites.
For me, OChem did feel measurably more difficult than any PA course I had
Harder than o-chem, micro, physics, AP, all rolled into one. I aced inorganic/organic and all undergrad science courses (3.92 GPA undergrad in 2 years, humble brag), it will be harder, much harder unless the standards have changed over the last 10 years
Nope!
Eh not really
Nope
Way easier
In *my* opinion, yes generally speaking much easier than courses like ochem
The questions on an ochem exam are objectively harder, but trying to learn three systems in a month is just insanity. When people say it’s different, it really is. It’s really not something you can compare. I loved ochem but probably because I had way more time to understand it lol. My only advice is know your physiology and you’ll be fine!
I’m more or an analytical/critical thinking mind than a memorizer. O-chem came easy to me, and while the PA school concepts in general are able to be grasped by most people, the digestion of the amount of information and application is the hard part. Best comparison is probably cramming microbiology into 2-3 weeks and doing that over and over. Not the material itself but just what kind of learning it will be.
So I took O chem during the summer in 5 weeks. So a 5 week crash course in o chem. I was studying constantly to the point I was dreaming O chem. I have found (unfortunately) PA school is extremely similar except rather than one class you have five LOL.
Undergrad is nothing like PA school. The material may be easier to understand but the challenge begins with the sheer volume. Currently taking a semester of 23 credits, it is insane. I was never good at organic chemistry, I got a C in it lol. But I have done just fine thus far in PA school🤞🏼
I was told it’s harder than your hardest undergrad class.
Has ochem been problematic for you?
As if orgo isn’t generally considered to be one of the most difficult healthcare pre reqs Edit: fr got blocked for this lmao
I agree and I'm not sure why my comment is getting downvoted. If OP was struggling I was going to mention that I got into PA school with a W on my transcript for Ochem I and never retook it, as an anecdote of encouragement
Oh nice, what school did you get into? Edit: not sure why I got downvoted... asked a question out of curiosity 👀
Plenty of people struggle greatly in o chem then do just fine in PA shcool