Carmen, Manitoba PA-S2

Carmen is currently in her second year of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Manitoba. Carmen completed her 4 year BSc with honours at the University of Winnipeg where she majored in Biology. Throughout undergrad Carmen spent 5 years volunteering in various hospitals in Winnipeg to gain experience.

Prior to starting the MPAS program, Carmen was working with children and adults with neurological motor disabilities at The Movement Centre of Manitoba which she found incredibly rewarding and reinforced her decision to want a career working with and helping others. Outside of academia and work Carmen plays both basketball and soccer. She also helps coach high school basketball. Carmen enjoys traveling, camping, hiking and pretty much anything that involves being outdoors.

Carmen’s Experience in Manitoba’s PA program

First Year at PA School

Reflecting on her first year, Carmen describes it as a mixture of enjoyment and sheer craziness. Stepping into the world of medical education, she found herself engulfed in a whirlwind of new experiences. "I really like classrooms, so I overall enjoyed it," Carmen fondly recalls.

The initial semester seemed familiar, resembling the undergraduate courses she had taken before. The curriculum included subjects like biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, and other foundational studies. But as the first semester wrapped up, Carmen braced herself for the real intensity that lay ahead.

"Second semester came on real fast and it was very intense. That's when we started learning adult medicine, emergency medicine, and pharmacology. There was a lot," Carmen admits, hinting at the challenges that awaited her.

The Shift to Critical Thinking

When asked about the differences between learning medicine in PA school and undergraduate studies, Carmen emphasizes the shift from mere memorization to deeper comprehension.

"It's not just memorization, which was hard to kind of grasp for the first adult medicine exam we had. You really have to understand the concepts and be able to think about it in a different way," she explains.

In PA school, the approach to learning becomes more comprehensive and critical. Students are not merely handed questions and answers; instead, they must navigate through a series of interconnected concepts and apply their knowledge across various disciplines.

"Here's the question, and you have to go through a bunch of steps to get an answer that you may not have been taught in this exact course. But it correlates through other courses. It's very, very broad thinking, critical," Carmen elaborates.

A Glimpse of a First Year PA Student Schedule & Challenges

The life of a PA student is demanding, with long hours spent in classrooms and intense study sessions.

"Our classes were 8 am to 5pm pretty well every day. We had an hour lunch break scheduled. We often went overtime in all of our classes, so our lunch was always cut short, and we were always kind of stretched at the end of the day as well for time," Carmen reveals.

In the midst of the demanding curriculum, Carmen sheds light on what a day or week in her first year of PA school looked like.

"Waking up early, I had about a half-hour drive to school, so it took me a bit longer to kind of get things going in the morning," Carmen begins. Her days were filled with back-to-back classes from 8:00 AM to noon, followed by a brief hour-long lunch break, which she cleverly utilized for both nourishment and studying.

Afternoon classes continued until 5:00 PM, and Carmen found that she studied more effectively at school than at home, where distractions often tempted her away from her books. "If I went home, it was very easy to get distracted and to do other things. So I would try to stay at school later into the evenings," Carmen shares. To maintain focus, she sometimes stayed downtown until late into the night, especially when she had sports games or other commitments, which helped her stay on track.

Weekends were a mix of study and self-care for Carmen. She attempted studying at home but found it challenging, so she would often head back to campus, where the environment was conducive to concentration. Yet, she recognized the importance of balancing her studies with personal time.

"So unless we had an exam on Monday, I would probably take Friday nights off and just hang out with family and friends when I had the time. Saturday, Sunday was, if I didn't have an exam again, like easy enough I guess to break up maybe a bit of studying, but then take the afternoon or evening off as well. So I really tried to balance that," Carmen explains.

The first semester primarily focused on didactic learning, with the exception of anatomy labs held once a week in the afternoons. Carmen and her peers also engaged in patient assessments, providing them with essential hands-on experience.

As the program progressed, the intensity continued, but the learning experience evolved. "Second semester, our only hands-on learning was patient assessment. And then in the third semester, we got procedure labs, which were really fun, doing suturing and other hands on skills," Carmen excitedly shares.

Bridging Theory and Practice: Early Exposures

To enhance the connection between theory and practice, the program introduced early exposure opportunities in the third semester. These experiences allowed students to spend one day a week shadowing a PA or physician at various sites. Carmen found this to be a refreshing break from the classroom, as it provided valuable insights into the real-world applications of the knowledge they were acquiring.

Navigating the Journey

As Carmen reflects on her journey through the second year of PA school, she acknowledges the challenges, but also the growth and fulfillment she has experienced. The intensity of the curriculum demanded resilience, critical thinking, and dedication, but it also paved the way for the transformation of eager students into skilled medical practitioners.

Mastering the Master’s: Manitoba’s PA Capstone Project

With a master's program, you're required to do some type of research. So our capstone projects are basically you get to choose an area that you're interested in," Carmen details.

The capstone project offers students the opportunity to delve into a specific area of interest, and it can take the form of a literature review or original research, depending on the student's preferences and available time. The process involves finding a suitable supervisor to guide the research project and collaborating to craft a comprehensive paper.

Furthermore, students present their findings through a poster presentation, culminating in a formal presentation at the end of the second year.

Carmen acknowledges the weight of this research endeavor and reveals her approach to tackling the capstone project. "A few people have started working on their projects in first year. I found it very overwhelming first year, so I didn't start really thinking about and working on my project until summer break, after our exams. I'm still in the process of putting of working on it," she confides.

Carmen’s Experience in 2nd year PA School

As Carmen delves into the nuances of her second year in PA school, she highlights the stark contrast between the first and second years. The transformation from didactic learning to clinical experiences brings a new sense of purpose and clarity.

"I think it's a lot better in the sense you can kind of see what you're gonna be doing rather than being buried under homework and studying," Carmen explains.

The shift towards clinical rotations allows students to witness medical practices firsthand and solidify their understanding of medical concepts.

In the second year, Carmen and her peers experience a total of nine clinical rotations, which include both core and elective rotations.

Carmen describes the diversity of her rotations, ranging from pediatrics and community health to emergency medicine, surgery, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, family medicine, and internal medicine. She elaborates on her experiences in different rotations, including her electives in pediatric ICU and cardiology.

Expectations of a Second Year PA Student

As Carmen navigates the expectations of a clinical clerk, she emphasizes the importance of being hands-on and proactive. "Definitely to be more hands-on, to learn, to get a feel for what it's like to take on a patient load to present them, to come up with... plans for them," Carmen affirms. Despite the challenges of being a pioneer PA student in some settings, Carmen asserts the significance of making expectations clear with preceptors to optimize the learning experience.

The long hours and demanding schedules of clinical rotations leave little time for other pursuits. "The wards that I've done so far in pediatrics were very long days... I think our first week there was like 90 hours," Carmen reveals. Nonetheless, she cherishes the unique opportunities each rotation offers, honing her skills and deepening her passion for pediatrics and the acuity of care in the ICU.

Looking back at the foundation laid in the first year, Carmen acknowledges its crucial role in preparing her for the challenges of second-year clinical experiences. The emphasis on taking thorough histories, conducting comprehensive physical exams, and developing critical thinking skills has proven invaluable.

"You don't necessarily need to know what's going on right off the bat, but you're asking all the right questions and looking at all the right things on your exam that you can figure it out from what you've gathered," Carmen explains.

As she encounters various procedures and prescribing opportunities, Carmen displays a willingness to learn and a fearlessness in embracing new experiences. Whether it's performing skin biopsies, excisional biopsies, or toenail removals, Carmen's approach is to seize opportunities and embrace each learning opportunity.

Stress Management: Nurturing Work-Life Balance in PA School

In the early days of PA school, Carmen prioritized self-care and time for herself.

"In the evenings, if I was feeling stressed, like I, I would have to take time off and go outside, go for a walk, do something with family and try not to feel guilty about that," Carmen shares.

Engaging in sports provided a consistent outlet that served as a reprieve from the academic demands. Despite exam pressures, Carmen recognized the importance of unwinding and decompressing through activities that brought joy and relaxation.

As she entered the stimulating world of clinical rotations in the second year, Carmen found a newfound excitement that helped prevent burnout.

"Being so new, everything is still so exciting and fun to learn," she notes. The experiences in clinical settings, even with long hours, felt invigorating, leaving her energized rather than drained.

However, Carmen admits that decompressing after a particularly intense shift can still be a challenge. After exhilarating experiences in the emergency room and pediatric ICU, she sometimes finds it difficult to unwind. Despite this, she acknowledges the value of engaging in activities that divert her thoughts, such as reading or watching a show.

In contemplating the ideal PA student for a program like this, Carmen emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy and stepping out of one's comfort zone. She believes that outgoing students who are willing to voice their interests and showcase their abilities excel in the dynamic environment of PA school.

Final Notes

The path from PA student to practitioner is one of continuous learning and personal growth, and Carmen's story exemplifies the commitment and perseverance required to succeed.