15 months, 85 exams, 5 simulated patient events, and +2000 hours spent in Room 201 later, I can FINALLY say that I am finished with my didactic year! Even though I have a LONG way to go, I can finally check this accomplishment off in my small career to becoming a Physician Assistant.
In less than a week, I start my
first rotation, which will be in the EMERGENCY ROOM! For those who do not know,
I spent 4 years in the ER prior to PA school, and I love it! So, I am super
excited (and nervous) about this rotation.
These past 15 months have been
filled with so many ups and downs. They have been filled with new friendships,
which I will cherish for the rest of my life, and as well as failed
relationships, which have been nothing but a learning experience. I have finally
found out who and what I want to be, and I am in the midst of becoming the
woman that I am finally proud of and the woman that GOD wants me to be. These
past 15 months have been spent me studying countless hours, but the stuff that
were the most valuable was not taught in the classroom nor found in a textbook.
I have learned to let go, to love again, and to finally love myself. I have
learned to speak up to defend myself and others, and I have learned to
look at the world at a different perspective. I have let go of a lot of my
jejune beliefs, and I have become more open-minded that there is more to life
than how good your sew-in is laid and if your face is beat to the gods (it's
still important but I can go without those things if need be, lol).
When GOD is about to make
changes in your life, he is going to be make you feel uncomfortable, and
boyyyy, this has been one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever gone
through. I have dealt with various trials and tribulations throughout this whole
process, and I am sure that there will be more. There have been days and nights
where I doubted if I was capable and fit to do this. There were times where I
found myself fighting back tears because I was so stressed out, overwhelmed and
anxious. There were times where I cried out and felt alone because I felt
nobody "got me" and understood what I was going through. But here I am, 15
months later, and I MADE it through. Didactic has made me into a stronger, more resilient woman and completing it has shown me that I can be pushed out of my comfort level and achieve anything.
I am now in
a position to help others and inspire others to go after their dreams. I am so
humbled that there are so many people, whom are complete strangers, who reach
out to me daily asking for advice and kind words of encouragement. Thank you
guys so much for the support! I would NOT be able to get through this without
you guys. People who were once strangers have become friends and family, and it
is so amazing how social media have brought complete strangers together to
encourage, uplift and inspire others!
Of course, I learned a lot in
the classroom as well. I am the person that was driven by the grade on a test,
and I had to accept the fact that it was MORE than the grade. What I have
learned over the past 15 months is lifelong information that I will carry with
myself when I become a PA-C. I have learned to become the best provider for my
patients, and that I can be the smartest person in the room, but if I cannot
connect with my patients, then all of the knowledge I have is irrelevant.
In less than 1 week, I start my
first rotation, and a little under a year, I graduate. Though I have learned a
lot in these past 15 months, I will never stop learning. When I start
rotations, I will continue to learn. When I start practicing, I will continue
to learn, and even when I retire, I will continue to learn. Like Albert
Einstein said, "Once you stop learning, you start dying."
--- Ambz xoxo
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