My program started in May of this year, so I packed up my belongings and moved into a teeny tiny studio in a new city! In just three shorts months, we're getting through a number of courses and so much new information.
During orientation, they said learning like this is like drinking from a fire hose. Man, they were not kidding!
Now, one thing to mention is that I am actually a distance education student. So that means I am a full-time student on campus this summer, but then I'll move back home and complete my didactic education part-time over four semesters instead of two. This means I'll still be able to work part-time (yay, money!) while completing my education. So, my fall routine is probably going to look a lot different than my summer routine.
I wanted to set up some really good habits for studying, so one of the things I immediately changed about my daily routine was getting up early. And anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm definitely more of a night owl than an early bird, so this was a big adjustment! However, this was important to me because I thought that breaking up my studying into two smaller chunks (morning and evening) would allow me to maintain my attention better. So far, so good!
Depending on what time I actually go to bed, there's some variation in my wake-up time, but this is what my day generally looks like:
5:00/5:30 - Alarm goes off and the smell of coffee is wafting out of my closet-sized kitchen. Getting a programmable coffee maker was my best decision ever!
5:30 - Start studying! This generally involves watching videos about the dissection we're going to do in gross anatomy that day, or reading ahead for the material we're going to cover in lecture.
6:00 - Eat breakfast while studying. Usually this is fruit, toast and yogurt. And more coffee. Definitely more coffee.
7:15 - Get ready for school! Shower, pack my backpack, pour coffee into a to-go mug. Because coffee is life.
8:00 - After walking Milo, walk to class! Since I am sitting so much during the day and have less time to exercise, I really like walking when I can. Plus, I listen to podcasts! It's nice "me time" in the morning.
8:30 to 11:15 - Gross Anatomy lab. I like having this first thing in the morning because I'm up and moving right away.
11:15 to 12:30 - Gross Anatomy lecture. I'll eat a snack at this point because I'm starving. Usually an apple and some nuts. And that to-go cup of coffee. Duh.
12:30 to 1:20 - Take the bus to the building we'll have our afternoon classes in, eat some lunch, and hang out with my classmates. Sometimes we get work done, but sometimes it's nice to just de-stress a bit before the afternoon.
1:20 to 2:30 - History & Physical (H&P) lecture. We just started this class and our workload grew a lot. Over the course of just a few weeks, we'll be able to take a complete history and physical exam. It's a lot of memorization, but it's nice to be learning "real world" tasks!
2:30 to ? - H&P lab. We head over to practice exam rooms and go through the part of the exam we learned with a partner. Then, you sign up for a faculty member to check off that you were able to complete the exam successfully. If you're one of the first to sign up, cool! But if not, you might be waiting awhile to get checked off.
Mid-afternoon - Take the bus home after lab since it would be a really long walk. However, this is more time to de-compress and listen to a podcast! When I get home, I'll walk Milo and maybe go for a run.
5:00 - Before I know it, it's already early evening. Since I get up and go to bed so early, I also eat dinner pretty early. Sometimes even before 5pm. Wow, I'm an old lady! My kitchen is not exactly the most ideal space, so I tend to keep it simple -- pasta and veggies, tacos, salads, wraps.
6:00 to 9:00 - Studying, take 2! This time, I'll complete any quizzes that need to be done, take notes on various reading materials, watch videos for H&P, or do any other necessary review. One thing I love is drawing things out. I bought a sketchbook at the beginning of the summer and I use it all the time to draw out vessels, nerves, you name it. Draw it to know it!
9:00 - Time to wind down. I try not to go on my computer or phone at this point, but that's easier said than done. I'll clean up my kitchen, pack my lunch for the next day, set up my coffee maker, and take Milo for a walk before getting ready for bed. In an ideal world, I'm in bed by 9:30. Yes, this makes me an old lady and I embrace that, haha.
9:30 - Lights out! Sleep was something I really wanted to prioritize with school so that I'm fresh for lots of learning the next day. If I'm in bed by this time, I'm getting 7.5-8 hours of sleep. Way better than I was doing before PA school started, so I'm considering this a big win!
Be well,
Olivia
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