I started my first official day of clinical rotations yesterday. I had been told all sorts of stories of how other people’s first days had went and so was not sure what to expect. Nerves were running high as I tried to sleep on Sunday night and while I was preparing for the day on Monday….I think its just natural to be nervous your first day.

Luckily, I have a great doctor to work with and the day went as smooth as could be. I love learning hands-on or being able to watch others do it. So I feel as though my knowledge and application of that knowledge will expand 10-fold this year. I am excited to see how much I grow in my abilities as a health care practitioner.

I know this post was short but I will keep you updated as time goes on. Watch for my update coming soon about the physician assistant national conference I attended in Atlanta, GA recently!

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A little over a month ago we had our rotation roll out. The excitement in the air that day was crazy. We had been waiting a long time to find out and we were ecstatic the time was finally here. For me, I couldn’t be happier with my rotations.

Granted there are places I am going I don’t know a single soul and fear making friends, finding a place to live and not becoming a hermit. But overall I am beyond excited for the experience that lies before me. Our clinical coordinators spend hours working on schedules and making phone calls and I do not envy their job in the least bit. Plus, I trust they know way better than I do what rotations will challenge me and help me become the best healthcare provider I can be. So I am excited to step into the unknown and trust my expectations will be blown away.

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Daley & Jo Kelly, PA program director.

I should preface this blog letting you all know that I may officially have the worst luck at winning things of anyone I know. I tell myself it’s because I love telling stories and it gives me great stories to tell. So it’s a rare day when something overwhelmingly great happens to me and honestly it may be the only time I am speechless.

Well on May 6 I had one of these great experiences. I was awarded a scholarship by the American Academy of Physician Assistant Foundation committee. I am not sure that my facts are correct but I believe over 200 applicants applied for 77 scholarships and I was lucky enough to be one of those  chosen to be honored. It’s definitely not because I am an amazingly awesome person but because they saw something on my scholarship worth honoring and I feel beyond blessed that they did.

So I would like to thank the AAPA for the generous gift. I am not one to really want everyone to know I was rewarded with something but was asked to share it on my blog, so here ya go.

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In officially one week we are finished with our didactic (classroom) year. For those of you unaware of how our program is set up, here is a quick rundown.

Our program starts in June and from that point on we go through numerous classes that give us the best comprehensive study of all aspects of healthcare. This is called our didactic year and that is what I will have officially completed in one week and one day.

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Last Friday my class had the opportunity to participate in a casting lab put on by a few of our faculty and some local healthcare providers. Let’s just say we had a blast…as I am sure you can see from the pictures.

We learned how to splint both the arm and leg, as well as how to make a arm cast. Not only did we learn how to make a cast but we also learned how to use the saw and cut them off. I was pretty nervous at first but was a pro in no time. This is just another thing I love about this school—all the opportunities provided to us before we go out on rotations to fully prepare us.

Just thought you all would enjoy the pictures. Have a great week!

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Is anyone even checking my blog anymore? Probably not. Sorry I have not been writing lately… life has kind of been consuming. Believe it or not school actually hasn’t been the consuming part but just life.

It’s nearing the end of things here at DMU and my inability to comprehend leaving my friends has made me want to spend every waking moment with them. You would think we would get sick of each other being together every day for 8 hours but it seems that’s not the case. I leave class and within 30 minutes am calling one of my classmates wanting to hang out or just spend time before we are all separated all over the country. It’s kind of a strange thing. You show up as a group of strangers starting down a crazy intense road. Over the year you learn together, stress out together, laugh together and become a family. Its cliché, but its like one big family over here in the PA wing.

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