To get to the heart of this post we need to travel back in a time a bit to when I finally decided to pursue health care as a career. About four years ago, right after I finished my yoga teacher training, I was deeply unsatisfied with my job in the public library system. I found myself constantly googling different career options, weighing the pros and cons of becoming a full-time yoga instructor, and feeling a bit lost. I won’t go too deep into why I chose healthcare because I would like to dedicate an entire post to that subject in the future (hint: it definitely involves yoga). What I do want to talk in this post is why PA.

Once I was completely sold on healthcare, I needed to figure out where I wanted to go with it, right? So, naturally (after narrowing it down to a few options), I turned to YouTube to hear experiences and perspectives from a variety of different people. I was greeted with pre-pa, pa-s, and pa-c girls (and a few guys) posing in their scrubs and white coats, with pearly white smiles, and stethoscopes effortlessly slung around their necks. They made PA’s look awesome. Who the hell wouldn’t want to be a physician assistant?

Six years of schooling, lateral mobility, and plenty of autonomy. I wanted to study medicine, and this is how I wanted to do it. Social media helped me choose my career. I became so involved in the PA community on Instagram and was so pumped by how little negativity there was, by how happy these students and PA-C’s were all the time; they loved their jobs.

Fast forward four years and I’m now in the heart of my surgical tech program and I’ve very carefully curated my life to be a competitive PA-S candidate. But guess what? I don’t want to be a PA anymore.

Ok, so the name of this blog is literally Christina Pre-PA, right? All of my social media accounts have this cute little hospital emoji with the phrase “future PA-C!” attached. But I don’t want to be a PA.

You see, I was too caught up in the fake world of social media to truly delve deeper and figure out what medicine means to me. Within the past year, I joined a few PA and Pre-PA facebook groups and was absolutely horrified by the toxicity, drama, and cyber-bullying that happened regularly in those groups. How could this be? The girls on Instagram and YouTube made it look so positive! But the reality of life is that this exists everywhere. In every profession, in every social circle, in every community; it’s everywhere. And I’m so glad I witnessed it because it allowed me the opportunity to step back, take my rose-colored glasses off, and analyze the profession for what it really is. To truly weigh the pros and cons, and to ask myself, why PA? Why this path? Is this what I really want? Or is this what social media told me that I want?

And the hard honest truth is that it’s not what I really want. I’ve been looking really deep into this and I wouldn’t blast my business out in the open unless I was absolutely positive and I am absolutely positive. What I’ve discovered is that the medical model is not for me. I don’t want to be a PA.

And that leads me to my new plan. Which is terrifying. Because I’m smack in the middle of a program I chose that would allow me to earn my direct patient care hours for PA school. Don’t get me wrong, surgery is fascinating and I’m so freaking excited to scrub, but, it kind of gets in the way of an expedited route to my new end goal: NP school.

Yep, I want to be a freaking nurse. The nursing model makes me feel good. It makes me excited. It makes sense to me. If you’re not familiar with the difference between the nursing and medical model, I will break it down very simply for you. But keep in mind, that it is incredibly complex and these next few sentences can’t possibly summarize the true depth of the models.

The nursing model is a patient-centered practice which focuses on health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling, as well as assessments, diagnosis, and treatment plans. The medical model is a disease-centered practice which emphasizes the biologic/pathologic aspects of health, as well as assessments, diagnosis, and treatment. The medical and nursing models are like a Venn Diagram. There is a lot of overlap, but the nursing model ultimately makes so much more sense to me.

So what does that mean for me now? Well, I need to go to nursing school! ARNP’s traditionally must first be RN’s prior to applying to their NP school. Mama didn’t raise no quitter, so I’ll be finishing my ST program and practicing as a CST before nursing school. I will most likely enroll in an accelerated BSN program in the future. There are BSN to NP programs, but I would much rather spend some time working as an RN prior to NP school. I want to dabble in different specialties (although I don’t see myself straying from surgery for too long).

Talk about an identity crisis. This was a super difficult decision for me to make, but ultimately it is the one that makes the most sense to me. The moral of the story is to form your own freaking opinions. There are so many opinions and biases and advertisements constantly hurled at us. Now, more than ever, it is so important to think for yourself, form your own conclusions, and really get to know who you are and what you want.

Until next time!

XOXO
Christina

Surgical techs are often referred to as the masters of aseptic technique. It’s a pretty badass title if you ask me, but what exactly does that mean? Most people outside of healthcare probably have very little knowledge about aseptic technique, but hopefully, after reading this post, it will make a little bit more sense.

So the first thing you have to understand is what the black and white definition of aseptic technique is. Aseptic technique is a set of practices and procedures put in place in order to prevent contamination from pathogens. It involves applying very strict rules to minimize the risk of patient infection. Healthcare workers use aseptic technique in surgery, clinics, outpatient care centers, and other healthcare settings to provide optimal care and safety to patients. Surgical procedures can be super freaking risky, and it’s so important for these techniques to be strictly followed.

In the surgical environment, we are aiming for surgical asepsis. Surgical asepsis is the absence of harmful microorganisms within any type of invasive procedure. We achieve this by applying both aseptic and sterile techniques. Sterile technique is a set of specific practices and procedures performed to make equipment and areas free from all microorganisms and to maintain that sterility.

One of the most important aspects of aseptic technique is hand hygiene. Hand hygiene is a priority before any aseptic procedure. There are a lot of different methods of hand hygiene, but before a procedure, we do a mandatory surgical scrub. Hands and nails are super dirty, so the purpose of the surgical scrub is to remove debris and microorganisms from the nails, hands, and forearms, and to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. The surgical scrub involves cleaning the fingernails and scrubbing with antiseptic all the way up to 2 inches above the elbow.

I know it all sounds pretty dry and sterile (ba-dum-tch!), but it’s a super important job and actually pretty interesting once you learn the in’s and out’s. So what do these techniques look like?

Well, the basic principle is that all objects used in surgery must be sterile and no unsterile item should ever come in contact with a sterile item during a procedure. Sterilization techniques vary from facility to facility, but in the end, everything must be sterile. Since the human body cannot be sterilized, surgical personnel wear specific items that are sterile. These garments, known as PPE, act as a barrier between our unsterile skin, and the sterile field in which we are working. Our PPE consists of a cap, gown, mask, gloves, and shoe covers:

There are a lot of very specific and technical things that we can and cannot do in the operating room (like lifting our arms too high, dropping them too low, passing team members front to front or back to back) but I won’t bore you with all of the nitty-gritty details. All you need to know is that a huge aspect of our job is making sure the patient is safe and doesn’t leave the hospital with a potentially deadly surgical site infection.

I plan to go a little bit more in depth about creating the sterile field in a later post, so watch out for that one.

xoxo
Christina

Medical programs involve a whole host of responsibilities that can make anyone question why there are only 24 hours in a day. This is especially true for accelerated programs. Students in my program are on a tight schedule as we juggle online classes as well as our core theory classes and labs. Often times students complain about how late they stayed up studying for a quiz, but that’s never been my experience. I think people also glamorize the idea of staying up all night to study for a test. Supposedly this somehow signifies the real college experience and denotes a dedicated student. I don’t think that’s the case. We’ve all heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder”. And I wholeheartedly stand by it.

The very few times I’ve stayed up past my “bedtime” were because I procrastinated or prioritized something else instead of studying or homework. If you’re stressed out about how much work you have to accomplish and don’t know how or when you’re going to get it all done, know this: it is possible to get everything done with time to spare. If you start practicing good time management habits early on, you will be able to kiss all-nighters goodbye.

Disclaimer: these tips may not be applicable for all lifestyles and all majors. Keep in mind that this is my own experience, and it is what has worked for me and my lifestyle in order to help me finish everything by 8:00 pm every night.

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I get started early

I generally wake up between 6:00 to 6:30 am (7:00 if I’m feeling dangerous). This semester all of my classes begin at 9:00 am which means I have a good bit of time to relax, enjoy my coffee, and get some studying in before it’s time to leave for school. I know the idea of studying first thing in the morning isn’t the most glamorous idea, but it preps my brain for the day ahead while I get to sip my morning coffee.

All of my classes are over between 12:00 – 1:30 pm which is when I typically eat lunch. After lunch, I’ll normally have some tea or coffee and get back on the grind. This is where prioritizing tasks becomes super important in order to get things done which leads me to my next point.

I know exactly what I need to get done

If I just sit down with no plan in mind and try to accomplish something, I’m going to fail; I have to have a plan. Every day I make a list of everything that needs to get done, things I want to get done, and things that I can put off if necessary. Sometimes things get added to this list throughout the day and sometimes I realize something isn’t necessary. It’s important to be flexible with your list while staying on top of important tasks.

I think it’s important to mention that self-care tasks are always included in my list of things that need to get done. But I’ll get to that later.

My favorite way to organize this list is with Momentum Dash. Moment Dash is a chrome extension that defaults every time you open a new tab. Here’s what mine looks like today:

I also use the calendar offered through my school’s learning management system (Canvas). I’ve always been committed to google calendar, but I find it’s easier to use the Canvas calendar since all due dates for my assignments are already populated and easily accessible.

I take breaks

This one might be a little different from what you’ve been told, but I allow myself to take a lot of breaks. Many people will tell you to put your phone down and work on a task until it’s complete, but I don’t believe in that. If my body is telling me to take a break, I take one. I find that if I allow myself those breaks, I’m able to come back with a much better attitude and I’ll be better equipped to tackle the task at hand. Now I’m not saying go to lunch and a movie instead of studying, but if my body is telling me to get some sun, walk around, or play a video game to reset, then I typically do so.

I make plenty of time for myself

This goes along with taking breaks. If you look at my Momentum Dash from above, you’ll see that yoga, meditation, and self-affirmations are on my to-do list. And since I consider these tasks that need to get done, it means I can get up and do them whenever I feel like it. If I’m getting bored or frustrated with an assignment, I can get up and go do yoga for an hour without feeling guilty about it.

Self-care is so important. You can’t give from an empty cup, and you can’t be an effective and successful student if you don’t take care of yourself. This means moving your body, drinking enough water, planning meals, getting enough sleep, and most importantly practicing self-love!

Disclaimer: Whenever I go through a big life change, exercise normally takes a back seat until I can figure out what kind of schedule works best for me. When I started this ST program, exercise wasn’t a priority until I figured out my workload and was able to incorporate it back into my schedule. This is fine! But it’s important to get moving again as soon as possible for the sake of your mental health.

I curate a comfortable space

I’m all about aesthetics, good smells, and good vibes. If the space I’m studying in has harsh overhead lighting, lots of clutter and chaos, I’m not going to have a good time. I try to keep my designated study areas as organized as possible so that I don’t get overwhelmed and I’m able to focus on the task at hand. I like to light a candle or put some essential oils in the defuser depending on my mood and energy level. I’m picky about my lighting as well; I’m all about that ambient lighting. Most importantly, I study with music in the background. This one definitely isn’t for everyone, but I find music without words works really well for me. My absolute favorite is the Chillhop Music‘s live playlist.

Having a comfortable space makes me more inclined to study and do homework, which in turn makes me more productive in the long run.

I study smarter not harder

This is an important one. You will never catch me writing definitions or key terms unless it is specifically assigned. I just don’t learn that way, and even if you think that’s a good study technique for your situation, you might want to try something a little different and see how it works for you. What I’m talking about is active recall and spaced repetition.

Active recall is a process of moving information from short-term to long-term memory so that you can easily remember it again for situations like assessments or exams (or, you know, in the real world when we’re treating patients). What studies on active recall show is that if you want to memorize something, don’t just read it, reread it, underline or highlight it. But instead, try to recall it without looking it up in your notes or online. If you can successfully do so, you have used active recall. If not, look it up, learn it and then try again.

My favorite way to put active recall into practice is flash cards. And my favorite flashcard apps are Brainscape and Anki. Although lately, I’ve just been using Brainscape. One of the best things about Brainscape is that it fits perfectly into my other study technique which is spaced repetition.

Spaced repetition is a studying technique where you review material at increasingly spaced intervals to improve long-term retention. Brainscape utilizes a “confidence” based system which allows users to rate how confidently they understand the material on a scale of 1-5. Based on your confidence, you’ll either be reintroduced to that card sooner or later.

Active recall combined with spaced repetition has earned me A’s on every single quiz, assessment, and exam (with the exception of two high B’s) so far. Another great thing about spaced repetition is that I don’t have to spend all night cramming for an exam. If I start as soon as I’m giving the information and study a little bit here and there, by the time the quiz or exam is assigned, I barely have to study for it.

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So that’s how I get all of my work done during the day and have every night free to spend however I want. I’m actually really proud of being able to pull this off as effectively as I have despite the immense workload my program delivers.

What are some of your favorite productivity tips?

xoxo
Christina