Wait it’s 2012? And it’s ALREADY February!?” These are the thoughts that have been consistently flying in my head lately. I cannot believe it! The time just seems to be zipping by right in front of me. Today, was the first day of rotation 7 for us second year PA students. That is, 7 out of 9. Seriously, when did we come so close to the end?

We had our 6^th “call-back” this past Friday. We took an exam and met with our professors to go over certain upcoming events, such as community service events, projects, papers, exams, etc. So as you can see, although the end is approaching, there is still SO much for us to get done and so much for us to accomplish. It’s an exiting feeling, but definitely can be overwhelming. In just a few months we will be approaching the end of PA school and the beginning of our career. It can be quite scary. For me, I have not ever taken a break from school. In fact, when I graduated from Quinnipiac with my bachelor’s degree, I started PA school the following week. So it’s quite an interesting feeling to ALMOST see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that we just have a few more months!

You might think that hearing this, makes us second years approaching the end develop a little bit of “senioritis”, but in fact, I think its quite the opposite. We have all these things to do, and all this “stuff” to cram into our brains. Within months, we will be expected to care for our own patients and their lives will be in our hands. With that said, there is no room for slacking, but only room for improvement and growth.

PA school is a fast pace learning experience. However, I feel blessed to have been given this opportunity. I just finished my 6^th rotation. I was assigned for internal medicine to the Hospital of St. Raphael’s in New Haven. I was very excited to be assigned to this hospital, because believe it or not, I was actually born there! It was a great experience. The first 4 weeks, I worked with the residents and was helping take care of patients in oncology. It was an extremely interesting and rewarding experience. The patients were so appreciative of everything that we did. Not to mention, I learned not even one thing everyday, but it seemed that every minute I was learning something else. After those 4 weeks, I worked with the physician assistants on a medicine floor. Again, a similar experience, but these patients seemed to be in and out of the hospital much quicker than the oncology patients. Still, both were great experiences. In addition to taking histories, completing physicals, developing differential diagnoses, learning the appropriate therapeutic regimens and management plans, I was also able to learn bedside procedures such as arterial blood gases and lumbar punctures. Everyday was a new adventure and I am very thankful for another great experience.

So as you can see, being a Quinnipiac PA Student, is definitely demanding. We have pretty intense schedules and a great deal of commitment. However, it is an amazing and exhilarating adventure.

In a few weeks, I will be traveling with several classmates (including both first and second year PA students) and a few members of the Quinnipiac PA Faculty to Washington D.C. to promote advocacy for PAs. Hopefully in my next blog, I can tell you all about this experience. Until then, thanks for reading!

-Stephanie Colella, Physician Assistant Student 2012

As I reflect on this program and what it has done for me professionally and emotionally, I can’t help but smile. I persevered through a tough and challenging academic year which led directly into exciting and challenging work experiences. In last twenty one months, I have exceeded the goals that I set for myself when I began my journey as a graduate student. I have learned so many new things about myself and my interactions with people and how they reflect my professional life. I am so fortunate to be a part of the exciting and growing field of pathologists’ assistants.

My classmates and I have spent the last nine months on clinical rotations, learning different techniques that have shaped our own surgical and autopsy pathology techniques. Throughout this course, we have also had the pleasure to reciprocate all our teachings in the form of teaching the first year class on a particular aspect of pathology as it relates to an autopsy case that we have worked on throughout our training. I based my CPC, clinical pathologic correlation, topic on a case of metastatic disease of a salivary gland neoplasm. I was able to work on this project during the course of my rotation at the Mayo Clinic. I worked with the wonderful staff of pathologists’ assistants that work at the clinic and with a pathologist who specializes in head and neck pathology. I don’t think I could have created the presentation without the help of those people.

Currently, I am on my fifth rotation at Hartford Hospital. My last rotation was in Texas, and it was just amazing. I was able to enjoy my home state, work on my improving my skills and my speed and reconnect with friends from undergrad. Hartford Hospital creates a comfortable and fast paced work environment which has allowed me to build confidence in my abilities.

Not only has the pathologists’ assistants program at Quinnipiac University allowed me to grow, learn and experience graduate student life to the fullest, it has also afforded me the opportunity to, interview for and, accept an amazing job in my home state. The name that this program has created for itself based on our passing rate for the national board certification exam, experiences in the field and overall happiness of employers with our students, has contributed to our job placement success as a class.

-Nancy Mendoza Pathologists' Assistant 2012