Welcome to the MBKU family! I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of you for believing in yourself and never losing sight of your dreams. It’s truly extraordinary to look back at all the hard work you’ve put in and all the support you have received from friends and family in which has helped you to get to this point in your lives. Just remember, you’ve earned this and no one can take it away from you!
But as school begins, the euphoria of being accepted into your dream school begins to wear off and the nerves begin to kick in. THAT’S OKAY! I always tell myself, “if you’re nervous for something, then it mean a lot to you.” Graduate school is a beast, I’m not going to lie, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable and it especially doesn’t mean that you need to spend every minute of your life studying to make it through school. The key to success is finding balance. In my blog, I want to share somethings that I’ve personally have done to help me succeed in school thus far.
- Know Your Limits:
- One of the best things I told myself before school started and continue to tell myself while in school is to know my limits. It’s a mindset carry throughout my career. Sometimes it’s easy to let your ego get involved, but it’s absolutely crucial to set that aside. I’ve realized that there will be things that I will learn and adapt to super quickly and there will be things that I will have to spend extra time on to master, and that’s okay! Being in your program is not only teaching you the material you need to know to make educated decisions, but it’s also developing your character as a provider. It’s important to realize your weaknesses and strengths. When to be confident and assertive and when to step back and observe and listen. It’s especially crucial to realize that while you’re in school, it’s OKAY to make mistakes and mess up. DON’T BE AFRAID OF THAT! The great thing about being in school is that it’s a safe space where there is no judgement from staff and peers. If a mistake or error happens, it’s a teaching opportunity.
- Enjoy the roller coaster of emotions:
- Understand you will have your highs and you will have your lows. But the most important thing is to recognize that it’s temporary. You may ace an exam one week and not pass or not do as well as you hoped for the following week. Guess what? That’s okay. As mentioned before, just recognize your limits, your strengths and weaknesses. Our programs here are MBKU are tough and rigorous, but remind yourself that you are in the program because you were seen to be capable of succeeding, and it’s true! Recognizing when you’re feeling stressed, sad, upset, happy, exhausted is crucial to your success. Being mentally prepared and aware of these emotions allows you to adapt to them. Enjoy them, they are reminders that you’re not a robot and that you are human.
- Take some "me" time:
- There is a lot of information being thrown at us the entire time we are in school and our role as students is to try and become experts in our field. But guess what, it’s nearly impossible to become an expert overnight. Our professors who are so knowledgeable and so kind enough to share their experiences and knowledge with us are aware of the fact that we can’t be experts right away. Thus I think it’s important to remind yourself that even though having high standards for yourself is okay, expecting to master material overnight is unrealistic. Thus, it’s important to realize that even though you’re in a tough program, it’s unhealthy to study 24/7. It’s absolutely crucial to take some “me” time, whatever that may consist of. In future blogs there will be topics about things to do in the area, places to eat, etc. It’s important to understand that in order to succeed in school you have to take care of yourself first mentally and physically.
- Be comfortable with being uncomfortable:
- This is pretty straight forward. You’re going to be asked to do presentations, give history’s on patients, practice skills, in front of peers and faculty, strangers, etc. There’s no reason to feel uncomfortable or nervous because it’s almost guaranteed that everyone is feeling the same exact way. It’s just happens to be that some people are probably better at masking it than others. Regardless though, just get used to being uncomfortable. It’s the luggage that comes along with any type of medical profession. At the end of the day embrace the awkwardness, and just enjoy the moment.
In the end, my approach to adjusting to school has just been about trying to be the best version of myself so I can be the best version for my patients. I’ve taken the more relax approach to tackling PA school, as I value the importance of reducing manageable stress. Thus, I understand my strengths and weakness, not afraid of messing up or asking for help, and enjoy the ups and downs of being PA student. This time in our life may never happen again, so there is no reason to stress about it and not enjoy it! Congratulations again and see you around! Cheers!