RRT to PA revisited, again.

My brain is pretty much jammed to maximum capacity on getting into PA schools right now. I had the flu (yeah yeah, the flu shot worked soooo well this year...), and an over-abundance of free time that I was quarantined at home to commit to researching pa programs even more than I have before. Commenting on the flu: I haven't had it as an adult so I wasn't really sure what to expect other than suckville. I do think I had a relatively mild case (fever never went over 101 and resp symptoms were minimal. tamiflu started asap). Just a dry cough and really really tired all the time (think Mono-esque). I suppose I've been spending a good bit of time thinking about my life plans (with fiance too), and I really knew I had to get back to school soon. As it stands I've been in the field for about 4 years, and the bang-my-head-on-walls quota goes up every time I roll into work. I know PA school isn't really my only option, but it's the one I've consistently come back to time and time again. Life's too short to not at least try to achieve your goals, right?

So, here goes. I am giving myself the next 2ish years to get all the prereqs done (one Chem will need to be repeated bc I took it forever ago), and finish up my BsRT. The different programs I'm interested in are basically all within the south east, but Mercer and Emory being the top two because they will not require an uprooting of life for me. I'm trying to figure out which programs lean more on healthcare experience #'s rather than the fresh-out-of-BS-in-chem-miss-4.0gpa-22yr old (didn't get into med school)  that lists "healthcare experience" as a medical assistant in her father's practice (really, this person isn't a joke) for 500 hrs. It's just gotten so competitive to apply for these programs that prior healthcare experience isn't the first thing that's considered anymore. So much so that GPA/GRE need to seriously be above the 3.5/300 range to even have a smidgen of a chance. I do get reasoning behind this shift to focusing on academics with all the intense didactic science that you get thrown at you the first year for diet med school. Applicants need to at least prove that they are capable of handling the a&ps and pharmacology. In some way, I think NPs might have an advantage in my head because they at LEAST had a yr of clinical + 1 yr bedside RN work BEDSIDE. The RT gods would strike me down with lightening bolts if I said that statement aloud. The real truth of that statement also leads back to nursing leaving the breathing/vents/breath sounds/abg interpretation to RT & MDs. Which, is to say that most of the nurse practitioners I've worked with in the last 4 years have been quite humble and asked for my opinions/suggestions on patient care bc they outsourced that shit to RT. But the flip side is I also work with a STELLAR PA that was a RT in past life, so my encounters with her are always fantastic. Eh, kind of conflicting opinions, but I do know that I have to adapt to the rah-rah-PAs-are the-best-go-team attitude before interviews.

Here are the other weird things that I have used my excellent detective skills to uncover:
1. If the interviewers ask you your favorite TV show, do not say Grey's Anatomy. The Wire is my number one choice, followed by Scrubs, GOT, and Always Sunny (the early years). My choices are affirmed by McNulty's bad-assness, JD and Turk bromance, Game of Thrones because, damn, I read ALL of those 1k page epic books, and Always Sunny due to Charlie Day and the night man commeth.
2. I swear, the PA students are basically all hot. Even on par with ENT resident hotness. Is this an unknown boost to applications?
3.  Apparently the CASPA application is as long and as detailed as Game of Thrones novels, so I've got that going for me...
4. The personal statements I read so far are chalk full of cliches. I know, I use a fair amount on my blogs as well, but I'm pretty good at editing it out of final drafts.
5. Speaking of personal statements, I think I'm just going to outline how excellent my skills of survival would be during a zombie apocalypse. I do live in Atlanta, just sayin. I'm also always prepared for many emergencies. Maybe I'll think on this one again.
6. Do not rag on MDs for not spending much time with their patients. Because it might be and MD that asks you a question pertaining to why you chose PA over Med schoool... Don't be that guy.
7. Seven is closer to heaven. This doesn't have any real meaning for applying, I just always say that to myself when I park on the 7th floor in the deck, or work all day on 71 floor. And zone out for the list at 7.
8. Try to make your application well rounded, and not your body shape. Seriously. I still don't know why or how all the current students are so damn pretty.
9. You can always re-take classes and explain bad GPA, but you must REALLY outshine in every other category and show epic improvement recently in school grades. At least good enough to score an interview and impress them with all the prettiness you can produce.
10. Ten is the end.

Night night.

...It's been awhile

I know, I know. It's been ages. This is just that time of year where the whole hospital is on diversion and staffing is depleted because, SURPRISE, everyone gets sick from being over worked, and oh yeah, working with sick people. Moral is borderline through this time of year to say the least, so why not work all the holidays too!

Bright side is that I got engaged! I finally caught a boy! Time to break out the ball and chain I've been hiding in my closet and secure it firmly to his ankle. Hah. He prob doesn't quite find this as humorous as I do. I now have a pinterest problem that is borderline unhealthy, but sooo much fun until I get the calculator out and adding up costs of a wedding.

Since the last post was the most depressing thing I've ever dealt with at the hospital I will do all of us a favor and write some funny/dumb things I've encountered lately.

Here's a good one from today. Back-story: I was working in a post-op CT surgery icu (open hearts etc) admitting patients/running around doing a million things at once. We have a set protocol for vent settings/weaning/extubating these patients (so variations on vent settings have to be ordered). I was admitting a straightforward case this afternoon w/ the RN and a bright and shining NP student was bagging while I got the vent ready...

Baby NP: Did you get my settings?
Me: Yeah (they were written on report sheet).
Baby NP: Well, I have the peep at 8.
Me: Okay. Because they are bleeding?
Baby NP: No, I don't think so. Wait. Let me check. Just go ahead and change it.
Me: Did you have oxygenation issues in the OR?
Baby NP: No. Are you going to change the peep now? Well, let me just do it for you.
Me: Nooooope. (at this point I'm annoyed and not entirely sure she knows what peep really does, and I go stand in front of the vent and write down some numbers).
Anesthesia fellow: Well, Baby NP, what's your reasoning behind higher peep right now? (we are all now trying to figure out rational).
Baby NP: I am just following evidence based medicine.
Me: Which paper are you referencing?
Baby NP: ....uuuuh...
Attending: Okay, Baby NP, why don't you go make copies of the report sheet for everyone (a fools errand bc 1. we all have sheets anyway and 2. good luck finding our copy machine password).

As soon as they walk out of the room in search of the impossible copier we bust out in uncontrollable laughter. Attending for the score!Lesson: Don't be a cocky student. And DEFINITELY don't be a cocky student that has no idea what they are talking about. The rest of the day all the doctors asked me to turn up the peep on non-intubated patients. We laughed, but in reality the scary thing is that at some point that NP will be taking care of really sick people. Hopefully the Baby NP will find some humility soon...

Fibromyalgia. I added that one onto the list of patients that I don't trust (along side of patients with multiple multiple allergies to things like gluten, Ibprofen, tylenol, ultram, cilantro, and all kinds of tape). I think it's the perfect diagnosis for hypochondriacs. Juuuust an observation.

Anywho. Bedtime for this lady. More fun awaits me in the morning.