Get on the Good Foot

PA School Part Deux: the Clinical Year

Last post I mentioned that I had officially passed all of classes of my didactic year and was on the cusp of entering the next phase of my post-graduate education. Let me further elucidate by providing my rotation schedule:

Rotation 1: Pediatrics
Rotation 2: Emergency Medicine
Rotation 3: Primary Care
Rotation 4: Surgery (Orthopedic)
Rotation 5: Dermatology (Elective)
Rotation 6: Internal Medicine
Rotation 7: Psychiatry
Rotation 8: Women's Health

This is my own personal rotation schedule -- every student in my class has their own unique schedule as well -- there is no set order that they need to fall in, so it all depends on how they are scheduled. There are 7 required rotations, and 1 elective. Each rotation is 6 weeks in length, and there is both practical and written exams to take at school after each one. Also, I have Master's work (CME's, case studies, conferences, volunteer work, etc) to do -- in case you thought clinical year was just showing up to your residencies, think again. In fact, I think I will probably be busier this 2nd year than I was in the 1st. However, I am told that I will be able to regain some semblance of a personal life again. I have my doubts about that, but it's of minor importance as I love what I'm doing. The above 8 rotations will take me through another full year. Following that, I still have 3 months of school left to complete my Master's track project. Since I chose the clinical track (to clarify for some -- my program allows for a selection of 4 unique Master's tracks -- clinical, research, education, or bioethics -- to further refine your degree), I will have 2 more 6 week rotations to complete. Tentative plans are to complete those and spend the summer of 2010 in Texas, splitting my time between Austin with Kevin, Rachel, and Syndey, and Dallas with Aaron, Ana, and Casper. I am really happy right now with my rotation schedule -- I have some great preceptors lined up, and I'm even fairly happy with how the order came out (Peds off the bat, Women's Health last, etc).

There is a lot of learning to be done in the next year, and the onus now falls on me more than ever to make sure that continues. I think it's finally sunken in that I've accomplished a great feat by surviving the academic year, and I feel ready to put my head down for another year. As Bob Schneider once said, "I've got a long way to get before I get back home."

Medical Term of the Day: Osteomalacia

Osteomalacia is a softeneing of the bones due to inadequate mineralization (calcium and phosphorus). In children, this disorder is known as rickets. A common cause is inadequate stores of Vitamin D, which is obtained through diet or by exposure to the sun.



Scurvy is a deficiency of Vitamin C. Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is necessary for collagen synthesis, and this disorder causes fatigue and muscle weakness, joint pain, rash on the lower extremities, and bleeding gingiva (gums). It was common among sailors and pirates as they were deprived of fresh fruits and vegetables for extended periods of time.

A typical Scurvy patient: