An email came in a few days ago with so much excitement I had to share it with you. I removed some personal details I thought this person might not want shared, but here is the rest.
—
I did it!!! I passed!!! I seriously cannot thank you enough …. and doing the physician assistant exam review in general. This was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done, and the wait was hard (only 1 week, but still).
Testing is always been something that I have struggled throughout my life. I went from being one exam away from failing out in didactic year, to passing every single EORE well above the national average, and passing the PANCE on my first try. My favorite professor told me, “how you do on exams does not dictate how you will be as a clinician.” And he was right. Clinicals went smoothly. I received nothing but praise from patients and preceptors. It reinforced that I’m good at what I do and why I chose this path.
I apologize for the long email, but you rarely hear about PA students that need accommodations; whether it’s for test anxiety, ADHD, or anything else. I wanted to say that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to study differently than your peers, it’s okay not to push yourself over the edge, and it’s okay if your brain works differently. I feel that as healthcare providers, we aren’t always the best at seeking help for ourselves. PA school isn’t the real world, it’s just a step.
Thank you again for everything that you do and take care!
—
This person did have some honest to goodness testing issues. She was forced to do things a little differently from her peers. Like she said, she was on the verge of falling out and then was able to turn it completely around. So many of you just keep banging your head against that wall and wonder why you’re not getting anywhere. You could look three feet to your left, and there’s a beautiful wide doorway you could walkthrough. That is precisely the point of Physician Assistant Exam Scholars. How can we make everything easier? How do you stop banging your head and come up with a new strategy?
I particularly like this line.
“It’s okay to study differently than your peers, it’s okay not to push yourself over the edge, and it’s okay if your brain works differently.”
There are tons of similarities in how we should study, but there are tons of differences as well. You need to be testing. How your friend’s study may work great for you, but it may be a total disaster as well. In the September (I have trouble even typing that month out, end of summer is so sad) issue of The Physician Assistant Exam Scholar’s Newsletter, I’m going to show you just what you can do to change your approach. Just what you can do to retain more, remember more, and be able to use the information stored in that brain of yours. I’m going to show you a slew of things you can easily test out over the next month. Come along. Let’s go.
