PA-S, FML: Inside PA School, from a Real PA Student with stories, studying, and advice.

Last time we left off, PA Kay had just taken her boards. This episode, she has an update for you on that, including what she's been up to since then (spoiler: it has *not* included being employed and earning a paycheck like a real adult. Whoops). If you're just here for the "Things I wish I had known" segment (it's fine, we're still cool), skip ahead to roughly minute 20, where PA Kay gives some good advice about how to be a star student while out on clinical rotations, without looking like a douchebag. Finally, a few more pearls about clinical year that PA Kay wishes she had known, and a (almost) goodbye.

Soooo....I did the thing. I took the boards. Yesterday. Here are my thoughts on getting through them, including 3 pieces of advice that should help your plan of attack for studying.

Fact: You're going to do something that signals you out as a newb on your surgery rotation; that's just life as a PA student. But wouldn't it be nice if that wasn't on your *very first* day? PA Kay's got you covered. Here are your 3 simple rules so that you don't look like an asshole on Day 1 of your surgery rotation, and to keep the scrub tech from rolling their eyes at your newbness (true story).

In 30 seconds or less, explain the pathophysiology behind, and how to use transferrin, TIBC, ferritin, and MCV to differentiate between iron deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease. ........ lol Just kidding, that can't be done in 30 seconds (at least, not thoroughly)! If you need a more in-depth refresher on anemia labs, stick around as PA Kay explains what they mean and how to use them clinically (& for the boards!). She also shares a quick peak inside her Family Medicine rotation, and the top diagnoses she encountered. Hint: the title of this episode is a dead giveaway.

Can you spot the difference between WPW and LGL on an EKG? How are WAP and MAT different? Where'd the p-wave go in junctional rhythms? How do you treat the various presentations of Afib (stable vs unstable pt)? Is SVT *always* narrow complex QRS? How do you keep straight the two different types of 2nd degree heart block? PA Kay has an EKG test in 48 hours, and she hasn't studied EKGs in 5 months. Come along on her panic-studying journey and learn the answers to these questions, plus a whole bunch more. In this episode, PA Kay takes you through a hefty review of a few basic EKG topics before escalating quickly into arrythmias, MIs, and their treatment. 

Type 2 Diabetes is everywhere, and if your idea of how to treat it consists primarily of metformin, then you're managing diabetes the same way we did the last time New Kids on the Block were popular (no offense to NKOTB, it's just a 90s reference). Bring your knowledge of how to treat diabetes 25 years into the future as PA Kay goes over what the PANCE wants you to know for Type 2 diabetes. But the icing on the cake (whoops, bad analogy) is the behind-the-scenes knowledge from PA Kay's endocrinology rotation; learn what the diabetes experts wish primary care providers knew about how to treat this ubiquitous chronic disease. EDITOR'S NOTE: At the end of the episode when PA Kay keeps saying "glucagon," she really means "glycogen." Her bad, apologies.

Quick, what are the 3 antibodies you should check if you suspect your patient is Type 1 diabetic? What's the *one* lab you should run to confirm your diagnosis? How do you pronounce "islet?" And finally, name 5 insulins and their respective onset of action times. (Well, how'd you do?). If you need to brush up on Type 1 diabetes, settle in for this episode as PA Kay takes a deep(ish) dive into Type 1 diabetes, with expert input gained from her rotation at an endocrinology office (jackpot, amirite?).

The 3rd (ish) installment of "Things I wish I had known before I started PA school." We already covered *how* you should study in PA school, now let's get into *what* you should study. This is as close as you'll get to uncovering the secrets of PA school, so take note (pun always intended). And for those of you who listen through to the end, a slightly off-color dad-joke to reward your loyalty.

The 2nd most common chronic disorder at my urgent/primary care clinic was Hyperlipidemia, but what does that even mean? And what's considered "high cholesterol" anyway? Do I have it? Do you have it? When should we be screening our patients for it? What are the medications & their side effects? Let's get down to business with the 2 different types of Lipid Disorders covered on the PANCE. Also, my apologies for the non-ideal sound quality on Episode 6 (& this one)... let me explain.

Despite its name, Urgent Care is a lot more chill than say, the emergency department or hospital medicine. PA Kay shares a brief Urgent Care behind-the-scenes and top-10 most common complaints & diagnoses. She then takes a deep dive into #2 on the list: hypertension. Do you remember how to officially diagnose, classify, and treat this super prevalent condition? And what's your guess for the thing that beat out HTN to take the #1 slot?

Being a PA is a little bit like being a detective; you can't always rely solely on what you're told. In medicine, we're taught to operate under the principle, "Trust, but verify." PA Kay highlights the importance of this good advice by unpacking a few cases when the patient's chief complaint told one story, but the physical exam revealed something entirely different.

Did you know that hospitalists weren't a thing until like 20 years ago? Do you even know what a hospitalist is, let alone what they do? PA-Kay takes you behind the scenes of her inpatient hospital medicine rotation, giving you a glimpse at how the day plays out and what kinds of medical issues are being admitted. She also gets real, digging into some of the harder things to deal with that come with the territory, and eventually a few real-life patient stories, including--consider yourself warned--a tear-jerker.

The second installation of "Things I wish I knew before I started PA school." Stress & anxiety may be coming for you; what's your plan of attack to keep your shizz together? PA Kay offers her advice after dealing with her own unexpected battle with anxiety. And spoiler: it's ok if you're not ok.

PA Kay takes a deep dive into her current rotation in the emergency department, ranting about why she hates the word "preceptor," and dishing out clinical pearls, including the one about the thing that looks like appendicitis but isn't. Originally intended to be 2 episodes, this one is longer than those to come, so no hard feelings if you hit the pause button when you need a break.

The very first episode of PA-S, FML. PA Kay introduces herself (briefly) and why she started this podcast (i.e., to give study tips, an inside look, and panic studying). Also, the first installation of the segment, Things I wish I had known before starting PA school: Do the math. 35-40 hours a week of new material is probably unlike any academic setting you've ever been in. WTF are you going to do about that? Finally, a clinical pearl about keeping your nose clean.