Finding Family away from Family :-)

(L top)- The whole PA school gang introducing " The Ugly Christmas Sweater Day :-) "

( L mid) Sushi night for Jess's bday

( L bot)- Diversity thanksgiving with 1st years, 2nd years and faculty :-)

Hey readers,

So Im not due to write another blog just yet, but yesterday was a reminder as to why the lasting friendships you will acquire here at Shenandoah's PA program are so wonderful & such a blessing.

So the other day one of my classmates saw that I was kind of feeling down in the slump a bit and definitely not my happy self, so she invited me over to her house. We ordered pizza and wings, drank wine and watched funny movies. It was just the touch I needed to change my mood. I guess my slight depression (aka in the slump feelings) kicked in out of nowhere because for one I live alone for my first time EVER and coming from a large family, you tend to like it at first ( for the peace of mind) but then you quickly begin to miss the love and closeness of having family and/or friends around you. Its like you actually miss the noise, chaos and the having someone in close proximity just in case you need a hug or just a ear to talk off. But even more than that my down mood could be attributed to the random thoughts of my first classmates graduating in a few weeks. I guess it's reality slapping me in the face and letting me know just how close I really was, that I was right there. However, I can't dwell on the past. I do know for a fact that once they graduate I will be in a much better mood. Seeing them is a constant reminder that yes its for real, Im not walking on that stage with my PA family that I started out with. Im so happy to have met them though and some of them will be my friends forever and that alone gives me a lot of peace. Im super excited to see every one of them graduate because in all honesty I can't pick out one person in class of 2009 that wouldn't make a fantastic PA for different reasons. So no I'm not jealous or mad at them for any reason, I actually love them to death. It's just hard for me sometimes which I think is understandable considering the circumstances. Thanks to the pizza and wine and movie though because I am in a bad mood no longer and hope it stays that way for a long time :-) :-)

The second thing that got me to thinking about friendships, family and the importance of them is that my friend and I went over to one of our classmates house the other night. She had just lost a loved one and is typically one of the most bubbly, sweetest and fun people I know. However, for the past week she had not been looking very happy at all. So when I saw her looking sad I immediately began to wonder what I can do to bring a smile to her face. It's in my nature to want to help people who are not in the best of situations. I don't know why, but it just comes natural to me ( Im sure I get that from my Mama). I wouldn't be me if I didn't always want people to smile. So anyway one of my classmates Rachel Sparks Miller ( yes I had to give her a shout out :-) ) mentioned that she was going over to help her cook food for her grandfather so he could freeze them and have them whenever and not have to worry about cooking; especially after losing his significant other. I automatically knew this was my way to help because hello anyone who knows me knows I LOVE LOVE LOVE to cook especially for other people :-). So Rachel and I went over and just laughed and helped to cook different foods that she told us he would like and made jokes and of course had a lil bit to drink and even studied some anatomy. It was definitely a strange mix of events, but at the end of it all there was a huge smile on her face and that was what was important. Her two room-mates even came down and joined in on the fun. Situations and circumstances like these are so dear to my heart because at times when you feel you have no one because your family and friends are so far away, you can find new friends that share the same stresses & experiences as you and quickly consider them as your new family away from family. Such a refreshing thought to me :-)

Both of these situations just made such a difference for me & changed my less than desirable mood I was in. Every moment, whether good or bad, is so worth it for me. The devil can never get me so far down that God can't find a way to pick me right back up. Sigh...I sure wonder how people live and survive without faith.

If you are asking yourself what does this have to do with PA school, well Ill tell you like this. Shenandoah's program or any program for that matter, is impossible to pass and remain happy unless you find at least one other person in the program that you can count on when you need them. PA school is about much more then learning knowledge about anatomy and disease states and pharmacology. PA school is a life lesson that teaches you about yourself and about others, way more than a book alone could ever teach you!!!....

Tune in again for the next one :-)......TOODLES!....

Stay tuned for Halloween pictures :-)

Taneisha

P.S. I'm so excited that alot of people including a few family members have told me that they read my blog...Oh my watch out I'm on my way to my own reality TV series. Round 2: My life as a PA student AGAIN lol haha :-).....Hey a girl can dream right :-)

Can you handle the truth?...I just keep it real :-)

Hello to all of my fellow readers,
My name is Taneisha and I am a First Year Physician Assistant student at Shenandoah University...well sort of, but I will get into that a little later. I plan to take you through a journey of my hectic and chaotic life here at PA school and offer you some insight. At times you will read my blogs and literally LAUGH OUT LOUD, and sometimes you will read it and think WOW PA school is really no joke. No matter the mood I am in when I am blogging, I will tell you this ahead of time. All the horrible times, the late nights studying, the crazy amount of material that needs to be learned, the conflicts with classmates or even faculty, all of it is SO worth it in the end. Mainly because all those bad things are countered with better things like lasting friendships, new perspectives, FUN times, & ultimately the accomplished goal of becoming a Physician Assistant and trying to make a difference in the world and lets be real also make some good money :-)...So sit back relax and enjoy the ride :-)

Now earlier I said I'm sort of a First year student, well the reasoning behind that is because I was a PA student in 2007 at SU and actually went all the way through the didactic year right before I was to take the PACKRAT & start clinical. Unfortunately I had to take a leave of absence and take care of unforeseen family affairs. I tell you this not to scare you and think, "oh my you can get that far and have to start from the beginning", its really to show you that many things in life can't be controlled and if you really want anything in life, you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and do everything possible to follow your dreams. Its all about ambition, FAITH and dedication and I do believe that this type of life changing experience will make me a wonderful & better PA. So if you are looking at my picture and saying to yourself man she does look familiar its because I was also a blogger in 2007 so therefore you might have read some of my previous experiences.


Although its a huge adjustment coming back after having done all of these classes already, I find myself actually enjoying things more. When I first started in 2007, there was a sense of urgency, and nervousness and DEFINITELY anxiety. Plus I had things going on at home, and that alone came with tons of distractions. Now, I have such a new perspective on life so I find myself actually enjoying going to anatomy and cadaver lab, & I love learning about what it means and what it is to be a PA. I don't know I guess when you have time to reflect you realize the importance of certain things and you learn to appreciate them more.....BUT lets not be fooled there are definitely times throughout the week where I am thinking OH MY GOODNESS I AM SO OVER THIS....But those feelings quickly go away because I realize that its an opportunity and a blessing for me to even be able to come back to the same Physician Assistant program & basically sit in on classes and relearn things without having to take it for a grade. I actually talked to a Physician Assistant (my ex boyfriend might I add lol) the other day, and he told me that although he wouldn't want to go through the stress of school again, he can see ALOT of benefit in retaking most of the classes. He also told me that I will be a better PA because of it. I can't say I got much out of that relationship, but those words of wisdom are something that I will always remember.

So stay tuned if you really want the truth about what goes down in PA school. I'm the most honest person I know, and sometimes I laugh to myself and think are they sure they want ME to write blogs for the school cause I'm going to tell you EXACTLY like it is :-) :-).....So if you want the truth tune in every now and again and check out the pics and the blogs that I will provide for you.

HERE GOES MY LIFE AS A PA STUDENT ROUND 2......

Taneisha :-)

That thing you won't have until you graduate - Money!

Tired of being a part of the work force? Well, I can assure you that being a PA student is a very legitimate reason to be unemployed. One of the troubles that I have had while being in the PA program is trying to balance finances. I remember being very nervous about the whole financial aid process that I would have to go through as a graduate student, and I remember wondering whether or not I would have enough money to cover all of my bills since I would be jobless for over 2 years while in the program. When you begin your journey as a PA student, the first thing you have to do aside from getting a place to live in Winchester and getting your personal life in order is to deal with money. At orientation, you will learn all of the essential steps that you have to go through to get federal loans and the graduate plus loan if you feel that you will need it. For most students who need financial aid, the federal Stafford loan and the graduate plus loan will take care of your cost of books, rent, food etc in addition to helping you obtain your beverage of choice, which will be the first order of business after your first anatomy exam. Essentially, the government loans are disbursed directly to the university to pay for your tuition and whatever is leftover gets sent to you as a check. Depending on how much you decide to borrow, the refund checks usually range from $5,000.00-$8,000.00 each semester. In addition to loans, there are a number of scholarships and grants that the faculty and staff always encourage students to apply for. Like I said, these resources are usually sufficient enough to cover all of your needs from semester to semester; however, when I came to PA school, I brought a car payment and some credit card bills with me. So, I have personally struggled a little with finances. Recently, some of our faculty was contracted with a company to do some employee testing with Valley Health here at Winchester Medical Center, and knowing that we could all use a little extra cash, they extended the offer to us as students. I think I was the only student in the program to actually take on the job, but it was nice having the opportunity to work again and earn some extra money. Normally, working is discouraged because it's hard to adjust schedules around exams and you should really be spending your extra time studying, but luckily for me, the faculty knows my situation and were very accomodating this past week even moving an exam for me, so I could make a few extra dollars. Ideally, you don't want to work while in PA school, but if your loans just aren't cutting it, the faculty and staff in the PA program here at Shenandoah will do what they can to help you out - at least they have for me! Not to worry though as CNN money has just rated the Physician Assistant career as the No. 2 job in the country!

Welcome

Welcome to the Shenandoah University (SU) Physician Assistant (PA) Program student blog site. We have established this site so you can gain a unique perspective of our program, primarily through the eyes of a student. It will also enable to see how rich SU and the PA Program are in terms of extracurricular activities, service and leadership.

Josh Adili (Class of 2010) and Taneisha Greer (Class of 2011) will be sharing their experiences in the PA Program. I am confident that you will enjoy reading their posts and viewing their photos of PA Program as well as class activities.

If you did not reach this blog through our web site, please check us out at:
www.su.edu/pa

Anthony A. Miller, M.Ed., PA-C
Professor & Director

My First Post!

Well, a number of my friends have always said that I needed to start blogging at some point in my life, which is probably directly related to the fact that I tend to talk too much but whatever. If you're reading this, I guess you know that I am a Physician Assistant student at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. I am in the final semester of my didactic year, and our program director set me up with this blogging job to make a few extra bucks. Hopefully if you're reading it, you will find it somewhat entertaining and maybe it will give you some sense of what it is like to be a PA student here at Shenandoah.

The past year has gone by faster than I can really explain. It is very hard to believe that 4 months from now will mark the 2 year anniversary of my interview date here at Shenandoah. But I am sure that many students feel that way. The didactic year is truly a test of character in many ways, and starting this blog after having been through an entire year of PA school kind of makes me wonder where I should start. Instead of going back and reliving the past year of school, I think I will just start with the current semester and go from there. Just keep in mind that there are several milestones and changes that we all go through as students in the first year.

This semester has been a relief after having gone through the very intense summer semester. Although, I had a tendency to like the summer semester because I tend to procrastinate and that isn't an option if you want to do well in the summer term. It just kept me going I suppose. Now, we have humanities class where there are no tests, which is nice, and we spend a lot of our time in class just discussing different ethical issues. Sometimes it gets a little heated, but I think for the most part, we've all remained friends. Our other courses have moved away from learning the facts to using the facts and information to evaluate and treat our patients. We work through cases in one class and talk about the therapeutics in another class. Kind of nerve racking to think that in 2 months, my patients will be sitting in front of me and no longer on a piece of paper. But I know that we will be prepared.

Our weekends this semester are a little less consumed with studying compared to spring and summer, so we have the chance to actually get out and enjoy the fall weather and do some relaxing things. For instance, Shenandoah University has a very good conservatory with lots of talented art and theatre students and we got to go see the musical Ragtime this weekend. The show was incredible. Other students like to go hiking or golfing around the Winchester area, and then there is the night life. Now, Winchester night life is interesting to say the least. If you're coming from an area where you are used to clubs and the very party atmosphere of a college town, Winchester is nothing. It is a much quieter area and the city isn't really highly associated with the college. Nonetheless, we always find something fun to get into whether it is karaoke one night after an exam or finding a DJ at one of the local bars. You have to balance the studying and test taking with fun to avoid getting burned out!

Well, we have some presentations to do today, so I am going to get to work. Hopefully this provides you a little background. Future posts will probably be a little more specific to current events.

Thanks for reading!