Megan is about to graduate from PA school at UTMB in Texas, and she got there the way most people actually do - not in a straight line.

We talk about clinical year, what rotations were like, and how she handled having a life while she was in school. She got engaged during the program, which is a reminder that the rest of your life does not politely pause for two and a half years.

Her advice for applicants comes back to shadowing. Not to check a box, but to actually see the job before you commit years and a lot of money to it. She's blunt about it, and she's right.

What we talk about:

• Her path to acceptance at UTMB
• What clinical rotations were really like
• Balancing PA school with a relationship and a wedding
• Why shadowing matters more than people think
• The hardest stretch of the program
• Her advice for anyone applying this cycle

Resources:

Free application timeline: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline

PA Program Map: https://www.thepaplatform.com/pa-platform-map

Free resume download: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-resume-download

Pre-PA counseling: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling

Mentioned in this episode:

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You're listening to episode 84 of the pre PA Club podcast.

Today we're talking to Megan from Megan in Medicine, and she's going to tell us about her journey to PA school and what being a PA student has been like.

She's about to graduate, so she's on rotations and she has a lot to share.

She goes to UTMB in Texas, and I'm excited for you guys to meet her.

Welcome to the Pre PA Club Podcast.

If you want to learn how to become a physician assistant, you're in the right, right place.

I'm your host, Savannah Perry.

Let's get to it.

Hey, guys, thanks so much for tuning in.

I'm Savannah, your host and the creator of the Pre PA Club podcast, a dermatology PA and the creator of the PA platform.

I'm so happy to have you here.

Thank you for listening.

Whether it's your first episode or you've binge listened to all of them, thank you so much for watching, for giving me the chance to just sit here and ramble to you.

I hope you find it helpful.

But anyway, so to get into some stuff this week, there are a few things I want to talk about before we get to our interview with Megan, one of them being the Northeastern Pre PA Conference that I mentioned.

So this is going to be in Morristown, New Jersey on August 3rd.

Now, I'm really excited.

I'm going to be there.

I'm doing a talk and I'm also hosting interview workshops through throughout the day.

And there will be different tracks that you can choose.

So there'll be personal statement prep.

There's going to be panels of PAs and PA students that you can talk to, a lot of different options to make sure that you get as much out of it as you want to.

There will also be programs there from all over the Northeast.

You know, they're going to have their admissions people there for you to talk to, ask questions, meet them, make an impression.

So you.

So it's gonna be really, really exciting.

There is early bird pricing right now for that.

So if you go to the link in the description and there's a discount code there as well, you can get a discount on the registration.

And I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Dr. Lori Tark, who we talked to in a previous episode, she set all this up and from what she told me there, it's about an hour train ride from New York, so pretty close to New York, and I'm so excited.

They do have hotel specials if there's.

If you're flying in or driving in and need a hotel, let me know and I can get you that information.

So just shoot me an email Savannah the PA platform.com or DM me on Instagram at the PA platform and I'll make sure that you have everything you need if you're going to come there.

And let me know if you're going because, like screenshot your registration or something.

I'm really excited to actually meet a lot of you, so that's really fun.

Also, mypa Resource, I've talked about them before, but they are still offering their discount.

So if you use the Code Prepa Club for a personal statement editing service, you can get a discount there as well.

So if you're working on your personal statement, if you're trying to kind of tweak it, or if you feel like you're not on the right path, make sure you have someone look at it.

Especially someone who knows what they're looking for.

Like the editors at MyPA Resource, we're all PAs.

Most of us have worked with admissions.

We've read thousands of essays and so we know what we're looking for and what makes a good strong essay.

Okay, I think that's all my announcements, but if you haven't already subscribed to the podcast, I would love if you would just hit subscribe on itunes.

Leave us a review that helps other people find us and share this episode.

I would love to see if you've listened screenshot it on Instagram and I will share some of those so that others can find it as well.

But yeah, let's get into our interview with Megan and y' all are gonna love her.

One thing we also talk about is getting married in PA school, because we both did that and so she is awesome and I'm really excited to share her insight with you guys.

Let's jump in.

So I'm currently at utmb.

It's in Galveston.

I kind of got involved.

I've always been interested in medicine, that whole story.

My dad is a dentist, so he kind of, I guess, opened the door for me in terms of that.

And then I was previously like pre nursing and got into school, ended up like applying but just didn't feel right about it.

My dad was like, you know, maybe you should do something else, like just look into pa. And I was like, what's pa?

You know?

So I ended up looking more into it and then applied.

And once I got out of school and everything and applied and the first time I applied, I didn't get in and it felt like kind of rushed in hindsight, but I guess I was just kind of like speeding through things.

Kind of felt like I could have.

I took my little kind of gap year, I guess worked and worked as like an emt, worked as a scribe in a pediatric er, and then reapplied and got in.

So here I am now.

But I guess right now, I mean, I graduate in August and I'm most interested in ER at this time, so.

So I really liked derm when I did derm, and then I really liked er, but I think for kind of the same reason.

So I really like procedural things.

So, like the biopsies and suturing and getting to do a little bit of that with Derm, and like the cosmetic side of derm is always cool, it's just different.

And then with er, obviously the procedures, but I think just the fast paced kind of shift work while I'm young kind of thing, I think I'll probably end up doing ER first.

Yeah, that's one downside to derm is.

That.

I don't know of any that aren't like this, but we're clinic based.

And so I have a schedule and I see patients and my patients can schedule six months a year, three months out.

And so I have to schedule my vacations and my time off about.

And yeah, that kind of stinks.

I don't have something like ER or urgent care or working in a hospital where I could switch shifts with someone or take off if I need to.

And so I would say that is kind of downside to something where you have a set schedule, because you are kind of.

I mean, even this week, my baby was sick and in the middle of the night, when I'm up with her, my husband was like, oh, maybe you should take off tomorrow.

I was like, no, I can't.

Who's gonna see those 30 patients?

Like, you want me to call them right now?

Yeah.

So, yeah, that's like real life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So that's just something that, I mean, I don't think I really thought about that.

I don't think it would have changed anything either.

But for people who are looking at what they want to do, if you're looking for more flexibility with your schedule a little bit, I think, yeah, it's.

Definitely something to think about.

And like, I guess the other thing.

So it's just.

It's like the grass is always greener because, like, the hospital doesn't close.

So you may have to work Christmas, you may have to work New Year's, you may have to work, you Know Thanksgiving.

Yeah.

Which.

Or Saturdays.

You know, that kind of person in different shifts.

Your.

Your hours may not be the normal.

I mean, I'm.

I'm home mostly by five Every single day.

Every day.

Yeah.

I mean, that's nice.

And I like that.

Yeah.

I did not.

I liked my time in the ER.

But I will tell you, after three days or four days of 12 hours straight, I was.

I was done.

I mean, you were over it.

Yeah.

Like, all you do is go to work, work, come home.

Yeah.

Sleep.

Sleep.

Yeah.

Like, get up, do it again.

Like, there is no time for anything else while you're on.

I mean, when you're off, it's nice.

But.

Yeah.

Yeah, I definitely think it's like a personality thing.

I was not the best version of me during that month.

I can say that in script work.

Yeah.

See, I just, like, feel like maybe it's because that's the only thing I've done.

So in college, like, working at the.

I worked at the University hospital.

And then after, like, scribing, which was error, and then emt, like, the only work I've done has been shift work.

So maybe I'm just, like, more comfortable or, I don't know, more used to it or whatever.

But, yeah, I don't know.

It's definitely appealing, for sure.

And.

And I think younger, like, you know, fresh out, like, I think this would be the time to do it as opposed to, you know, 10 years from now if I'm, like, trying to have children or something like that.

Yeah.

And you can.

I mean, you can pick up shifts, usually do a little bit of extra if you want to, whereas I can't really do that.

I could go, I guess, get a second job, but.

Right.

No, like, saving up for something or paying off loans.

It's great.

I. I definitely.

I. I liked the er.

The only rotation I didn't like was psych.

And I think it was just the rotation I had because I was inpatient for four weeks and.

And that was a lot.

So I have.

Some of my classmates had great experiences, but just mine was.

Was a lot of really hard stuff, so.

Yeah, like, emotionally kind of hard too.

Yeah, yeah.

It just.

It was.

It was a lot.

But I loved everything else.

I mean, I love OB GYN surgery, endocrine, really talking about.

Yeah, pretty much everything.

Peds.

I got really sick, but I didn't.

I still have PEDs and OB GYN and I also have cardio, which I did that one for, like, the same reason.

I. I feel like I've gotten more comfortable over rotations, just with the content of cardiology.

But I feel like I could be better, and I felt like it would be good for, like, boards, you know,.

Such a huge part.

I wish.

I wish I did a rotation in cardiology.

Yeah.

For the sole purpose of knowing that I'm in derm now, you know, while you're on rotations.

That's your only chance if, you know you're going to work in a different area.

Some people are like, oh, I know, I want to do germs.

I do my electives in derm.

Well, yes, because it's nice to get that experience, but at the same time, it is your only chance to explore the field.

Yeah.

Yeah.

If you want to kind of get more of that foundation in cardiology or a different area, like, I think it's wise to do a rotation in it.

Right.

Which, again, hindsight 20 20, but at the time, I was like, no way.

It would have been extremely beneficial.

Right.

Just like, a little bit of a foundation.

Like, I feel like it.

Obviously, we can't master everything in four to six to eight weeks or whatever, but just that exposure and, like, having someone, you know, their whole job is to, like, teach you, you know?

Yes.

So that's my next one.

We'll see.

Awesome.

Well, no, I mean, do you feel like PA School has flown by?

Yeah, it's.

I, like, when I went back on my blog, because you were asking about, like, stats and stuff, and I was like, shoot, I actually just don't know those numbers anymore.

That was right after I got my acceptance.

I got my acceptance in October, and I started the blog, and I'm like, that feels so.

It feels so far away.

But then it also feels, like, so close.

Like, how am I at the end of this journey?

You know what I mean?

It's insane to me.

Yeah.

And I wish I could say once you start working, it slows down, but it literally just goes faster.

Really crazy.

You just, like, you get in a groove, and then it's like, life is just, like, flying.

Yes, exactly.

So.

And then I'm sure kids, too.

Oh, yeah.

I can't believe my baby's 8 months old.

A little teeny baby.

Yeah.

But, yeah, I know.

It's seriously flown, so.

And especially having, like, documented stuff, like, with blogging and everything, it's like, what?

Like, even just, like, old Instagram posts and stuff, I'm like.

Like this.

Like, why was I doing even in Just like two years.

Like things have changed.

They changed like daily on those things.

But anyway, wait, where did you go to undergrad?

I went to undergrad at University of Missouri.

Super random.

Yeah.

So I'm from Texas, I'm from Dallas.

Yes.

So from Dallas went to private school pretty much my whole life.

And then towards the end I think I was just kind of getting like what, what would I call it?

Like kind of like the travel bug or like just kind.

I felt like I needed to go somewhere, which doesn't make a lot of sense, but I always had wanted to go out of state and also somewhere a little bit more cold than Texas is.

So I looked at like the neighboring states, like ou.

I looked at ou, I looked at like lsu, I looked at Arkansas, but a ton of people like from this area go to Arkansas.

So I kind of didn't want to do that.

And then ended up looking at University of Missouri.

One of my friends from high school also was looking at it.

So it felt kind of comfortable because I was like me, you know what I mean, that I'm familiar with.

And then no one else will be there and I can kind of like start, I guess fresh or whatever.

So yeah, that's what happened.

And then met my husband there and all of that.

So it was a good time.

Awesome.

What was your major?

My major was Bachelor of Science and Health Science sciences.

So at first we like had to declare pre nursing, so I did, I declared pre nursing.

Took quite a few.

We had.

It was like pre nursing classes.

And then once I switched over, I just switched over to like science of health sciences and kind of got like the organic chemistry that I was missing and pharmacology, like a couple other like all of those kind of higher level things that we needed.

Okay.

When you were going through your application cycles, both the first time and the second time when you're accepted, how many schools did you apply to?

And kind of walk us through what those outcomes were that first cycle and then compared to the second cycle.

Yes.

So first cycle I applied to at least I would say 10 to 12 schools.

I applied pretty much everywhere in terms of like around the country.

I applied to Texas schools, mainly Texas schools, because Texas has a lot of schools.

And then I would get to get the chance to be in Texas and have in state.

And then I also applied to some California schools.

I applied to Michigan schools because that's where my husband was, that's where he's from.

And then I think I may have applied to like Florida.

I just was going everywhere I was like casting a wide net.

So I.

So I think I just wasn't.

One, I don't think I was as confident in my application.

I felt rushed.

Two, and then three.

I didn't have as much knowledge about the application process.

So I knew that some schools were rolling and some schools were kind of like a hard deadline kind of thing.

But I guess I didn't truly appreciate how early you kind of needed to place your application in for those rolling schools.

So I think I applied pretty late.

Like I applied like August, September, mainly towards their hard deadlines and not like I did not apply early at all for any of them.

So I didn't.

I started getting rejection letters which I was kind of like, I'm just gonna try it and if it works out, it works out.

If it doesn't, I'll reapply.

Applied, got rejection letters.

I was getting a little bit discouraged.

Then I think around December, OU like University of Oklahoma sent me an interview invite and I went up there in early January and I had the interview and it was just like very average.

Like it seemed I just wasn't super confident.

I was really, really nervous.

And it was like a two on one interview.

So that's a little bit different sometimes too when it's like two people asking you questions instead of one person.

So it was just kind of like eh, you know, like it wasn't super impressive and I knew that coming out.

So I just was like, you know, if it happens, it happens.

If it doesn't, it doesn't.

And they, I think they just ended up rejecting me.

And so I went into that next year.

So that was like January, February, went into that next couple of months re preparing my application.

And I think one of the biggest things that changed my application from the first time to the second time was I talked to this lady, it was like a family friend that she worked for a PA program as like a clinical, some sort of director or something like that.

And I just asked, I was like, hey, like I know you through, you know, a family friend.

I'm like, if you have a chance, like can you go over my application with, with me and see what I can improve on?

She was like, yeah, sure.

Just like come up to my office.

So I went up, I went up there and she was like, yeah, like you haven't really.

Standing out in what you've really done and like you should do this to your personal statement and maybe you should continue volunteering and blah blah, blah.

She just kind of gave me some, some pointers which I Thought was really, really helpful because I kind of was like, where do I go from here?

So at that point I ended up volunteering for this like after school kind of program and it was actually like one of the top areas of children of refugees in Dallas, which was kind of interesting.

So I ended up volunteering there and loved it actually.

So I just did that like once a week.

I started working as an emt.

Then after that I.

What else did I do?

I shadowed more.

Which once you get shot, once you start shadowing, you can like people just have other people.

Oh yeah, you could shadow my friend, that kind of thing.

So that was once.

That's on a roll.

It was pretty easy.

After that I retook my gre, ended up scoring one point higher.

But I was like, whatever.

I did what I could.

And then what else?

Then after that I just edited my personal statement again and I really kind of just tried to focus on selling myself and really explaining why I want to be a PA and why I wanted to be in the medical field.

So I think my biggest piece of advice for those that are second time applicants, which, like, there's a ton out there first, like, you just can't feel down on yourself.

You can't feel ashamed, even if you see other people getting in the first time around.

I just think the biggest thing is to find every single weakness that you can on your application and somehow improve it.

Like that means taking the GRE again and getting a point higher than last time.

Then you know, you made the effort to improve it.

And I'm sure people will look at that, especially if they see that you're a second time applicant.

So I guess that's my biggest piece of advice.

And the second time I applied, applied to about the same amount of schools, applied very early.

I applied in like May.

It opens in April.

So I applied in like May.

Sentence, sent in all that stuff and then heard back pretty soon heard back maybe like September, October.

Ish.

For I had four interviews in total and I got accepted at all four of those interviews, all four of those schools.

So all of your improvements paid off.

Yeah.

And then like once you, I think once you have failed and like you put in the work to really try to like improve your application, improve yourself and all of that, I think your confidence will just kind of automatically boost itself knowing that you've done like, you've done the work, you know, you've done what you can.

Oh, I also took retook a class and that I like organic chemistry like everyone else.

I got a CN And I retook it and got like a B minus or something.

But I think if they see that effort, I think that's probably a big factor for them if they see second time applicants.

So those interviews, like, it was just night and day difference.

Like, I wasn't.

I mean, I was always, you know, you're always going to be a little bit nervous because you want to get in.

But I was much more confident and like, I could speak to my resume and like the work that I put in and all of that kind of thing.

So that's my whole journey.

Gosh.

Okay, so at that point you're accepted to four programs.

Yeah, yeah.

So the programs I was accepted, I. I was accepted at ou, which is funny.

Ou, Bar University, Texas Tech and utmb.

So at that point I was like, well, ou, oh, you has a pretty expensive program, especially for out of state students.

So I kind of was like, okay, well, I. I guess I would rather stay in state.

And the same kind of thing with Barry's.

So UT Medical Branch.

And it kind of came down to like, family.

I have a ton of family in Houston and Houston is like 45 minutes away from Galveston, which is where the school is.

So I knew rotations would be in the Houston area.

And knowing that I would have like a place to stay or if there was a hurricane I could come up to, you know what I mean?

Like, just an option for living in Houston and knowing that I could visit family was better for me than Texas Tech because Texas Tech is in like West Texas and it's just in the middle of nowhere.

Those are good.

Those are good factors.

Location and cost remind too.

Yes.

And I think utmb, at least it used to hold this title.

I'm not sure what it is, but at this moment, but it used to be the cheapest PA program.

Really.

So it is.

It's like significantly cheaper than any other school.

Cool.

I don't know why, but it's nice.

Okay, can we talk about Texas schools for a minute?

Yeah.

How many of your classmates are Texas residents and how many classmates do you have?

I have 89 class.

It's also one of the biggest, I guess programs or class sizes probably.

I would say at least 75 are from Texas.

Okay, so this is.

I just want people to hear this because when I'm working with people with like pre K assessments or emails or whatever, a lot of people want to apply to Texas schools.

Yeah.

But they have no connection to Texas whatsoever.

And from what I have seen, Texas schools love Texas residents and that's kind of across the board for all the public schools.

Private ones are a little different, but I just wanted to know if your firsthand experience that was true or not.

So.

Yeah, I definitely think it is.

I don't know if anyone necessarily says that outright like on their website or anything, but I. I think all public Texas schools even like undergrad.

I think they all preference Texas students.

Well, I went to an in state school in Georgia that was a public school and they had to accept 90% Georgia residents events to get there.

Oh, wow.

And so I don't know if it's the same in Texas or not, but yeah, out of 44 of us, I think there were literally four or five that were out of state, so.

Really?

Huh.

Yeah, I didn't know that.

I don't know if there's a quota that they have to reach, but I think they preference it.

Okay, well, for sure, glad to hear you say that.

So everyone else can hear you.

But I do have those on the.

I do have.

There's one New Yorker, there's two people from Oregon, which is kind of interesting.

I think there's one from California, but like, that's really all that stands out to me.

Well, I mean, it's not to say it's not gonna happen, but I think if you're going to.

I think you should have maybe some type of connection to Texas or just an extremely impressive application.

Yeah.

If you're not one of those very few out of state that make it in.

Yeah, I agree.

Anyway, so it's funny.

Okay, so for you, transitioning from undergrad to PA school so far and kind of towards the end, what has been the most difficult part for you?

The most difficult part from undergrad to PA school?

I would say definitely the time commitment.

So the commitment is just completely different.

And I feel like I've heard that pretty much across the board from like my friend group in PA school when we like we were studying all day and like you hear people say that all the time, but when you really think about like getting up, getting up, studying before class, having breakfast, going to class, sitting in class until 3, 4pm, going to the anatomy lab for two hours, eating dinner, being until 11pm and then going home and like going to bed, it gets.

Obviously I'm blessed and I'm thankful and all of that, but it is a lot and a lot of people kind of.

I wouldn't, I won't say they underestimate it, but it shocks a lot of people.

And like, I won't like there's People that had, like, anxiety attacks and things like that, like, that are actually, like, very serious in terms of that transition.

And I think just from undergrad, a lot of people especially, I feel like in medicine, a lot of people in, like, the general population were just really smart, kind of naturally got things, didn't have to really study as much, may have done kind of poor in some classes, but overall, like, undergrad is pretty, like, steady.

And then you kind of get into these professional programs, like PA school, like med school, etc.

And then it kind of is like, like, now I actually have to quote, unquote, try sort of thing.

But I think that's the biggest thing.

And then I think the second biggest thing would just be missing out on family functions, missing out going home, missing birthdays, engagement parties, missing, you know, that kind of thing.

Like, you don't get to talk to your loved ones as nearly as much or see them or make time.

So I think that's the.

The other big transition where you're.

You kind of have to be content with being, like, placing your life on hold for a second for about a year, really, and then kind of apologizing and getting back to hanging out with friends.

And, you know, clinical year is a little bit better, for sure, but I think those are the two biggest.

Okay, so you mentioned your husband on Instagram.

You posted a ridiculously gorgeous wedding picture.

I'm so excited to finally put photos out.

I never.

I. I, like, took that break and I needed it because I was like, like, stressed.

Like, like I said, I was post.

On social media during PA school.

There's no.

Yeah, I. I felt the same way.

I didn't have the time nor the energy.

Like, I didn't want to be.

Like, there was not a time that I was like, let me just do my hair.

Like, there was never a time.

So, yeah, so I finally got to post one.

So I'm excited.

During or before PA school or during PA school.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So that was right in the middle of PA school.

So it was at the very end of didactic year and right before my clinical year.

So our school works.

So we have.

I think we have 12 years of didactic.

We have.

It's 12 years.

Feels like 12 months.

12 Months of didactic.

We have one week off, which is like our break or whatever, and then we have clinical year.

Okay.

So we got engaged in September.

Middle of September.

You'd already started PA school.

Already started PA school.

Started PA school in July.

Was trucking along in the middle of the first, or I guess the first full semester we had summer semester, but the first full semester, fall, and got engaged.

Complete surprise.

We had talked about it, but it wasn't like, it wasn't ever set in stone or anything like that.

And we had also talked about, like, oh, like, if we were to get engaged, like, would we do it while I was in school or would we wait?

But got engaged, talked about it, and we just decided on that one week in the middle.

In the middle of didactic and clinical and the way that it worked.

So we planned and planned, and it was honestly okay.

But I had a wedding planner.

My mom was a really big support, and she had gone through my older sister's wedding.

So, you know, she was more.

She knew what was going on.

Just like that.

And that's where we got a lot of big things done.

And so the way it worked, we had final exams, and then I think we had some sort of, like, clinical, practical sort of thing right before clinical year.

And then that Friday, I drove from Galveston to Dallas, which is five hours, and it was like 3pm or something.

So I got home pretty late.

Got home around, like, eight.

Evan, which is my husband, his family had come down from Michigan.

We, like, met up at his apartment at that time and just, like, hung out every.

I got to see everyone and then went home and got ready for the rehearsal dinner the next day or the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner the next day, ended up doing that.

And then next day was the wedding,.

And.

That was on Sunday.

And then that Monday morning, we went to Mexico for our honeymoon and went till like, Saturday and came back.

And then it was.

I went right back down to Galveston to start my clinical.

So it was.

It was definitely a whirlwind, but I don't think I would change it.

And now, like, being married and being more settled in and me finishing up soon, it kind of just feels right.

And I'm happy I did it that way instead of waiting, I think.

Because now, thinking about now, it just sounds so much more exhausting, obviously, because you're like, you've been through it, but I don't think, like, I wouldn't change it.

So I would say you were crazy, but I did the exact same thing, which my program thought I was crazy.

I don't know if yours was this or not or if they even cared,.

But my program, they had a lot of.

We have a lot of girls in general, but we have 89.

Like, we have 89 people and they had.

They had been through it.

So they were like, they're kind of like side eyeing me.

But they had seen it before.

So.

Yeah, we did the same thing.

Except for I knew.

We kind of knew we were getting engaged.

And so I kind of gave a little.

Like, you.

You should really ask me before I start PA school.

And so I got engaged like a month before I started, which was nice because I had that month.

And I. I nailed down all the big stuff, like.

Yeah.

Venue and photographer and dress and everything.

Yeah.

I was like, we gotta get all this done.

And so then like, my mom helped a ton.

I was living at home that first year, so she was.

Oh, cool.

I'd be studying and she'll keep.

She like, do you like this better or this?

And I'm like, I don't care.

Pick one.

Yeah, I'm studying.

Which I could have probably been nicer.

But she helped.

She helped me a lot.

So.

Yeah.

And then once it got closer, I got a little more involved in the excited.

Yeah.

And so we kind of did the same thing with.

It was like before our last semester.

So that last summer semester of didactic, we did a full year of didactic.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And so like, right in between the summer, we had a week and.

And my husband was in medical school, so he had a test that Friday.

I had a test that Friday.

We went straight to the rehearsal dinner.

And then.

And in the meantime, our schools, like, merged and changed the schedule.

So I was actually supposed to come back the next week, but I already booked my flights and.

No.

Yeah, it was crazy.

Yeah.

At the time.

Like, I remember the day that I found out the schedule changed.

My friend was sitting next to me.

Danielle, did you see this email?

And I was like.

Like, I think fumes were like literally coming out of my ears.

Yeah.

Called them a year ago and they told me.

Yeah.

And it all worked out.

They were very.

They were like, you know, understanding.

You covered your bases.

You could not control this.

Right.

But like you said.

Yeah, my school almost did the same thing.

We were merging.

We were originally with the School of Health Professions, like SHP or whatever, and then we merged with underneath the School of Medicine in the middle of the year.

And why.

So I had talked to.

I mean, I talked to the people I needed to talk to after we got engaged, and they're like, yeah, this is the date.

Like, this is.

If you're gonna do it, like, this should triple checking.

And I don't know how close we were to it.

It was sometime in the spring.

Spring.

And they were like, hey, like, you know, new schedule.

It's gonna be.

It was some sort of like meeting with the, with the faculty and the students and they're like, yeah.

So instead of having this week off, you're gonna have like the week after off or the week before off or something was one week off.

And everyone like, looks at me like, like, no.

And I'm like, I remember feel the same way.

I, like, got hot.

I'm like, this is not happening.

I was like, well, I'm just not gonna be there, you know?

Yeah.

That's how I was too.

Like, sorry, guys.

I mean, I don't know.

I did my due diligence.

Yeah.

And then they ended up switching it back, thankfully.

But yeah.

Unnecessary stress.

I know.

What year was your husband in at that point?

A first year.

It was first year.

Yeah.

So then it was nice that.

I mean, like you said, like once we were married and I started rotations.

Yeah.

We got to see each other more because when he studied for med school and I'm studying for PA School.

I mean, we, we didn't see each other.

We.

I mean, we would meet up once or twice a week for lunch or to study.

I mean, we weren't just hanging out all the time.

And so I think it was nice that we were already engaged and we like had the wedding to look forward to because it wasn't like we were.

I mean, we'd been together for, I don't know, four years at that point.

Yeah.

Like, we were still trying to like, grow date.

Yeah.

And so I think that would have been a lot harder.

And it was nice that we both.

We understood what the other person was going through a little bit.

Whereas that may be more difficult with someone who is a non medical.

Yeah.

Or spouse or anything, so.

Because they may not understand like how, like you said, you're studying literally 247 and.

Yeah, that was nice.

And then.

Yeah, being on rotations wasn't quite as bad.

And we got to see.

See each other more and.

Right.

So, yeah.

So I'm.

I don't regret it.

And what came down to for me was, I mean, while schooling and becoming a PA Was important to me, I think my wife and my marriage was more important.

And so I wasn't willing to wait.

Two years on the back burner.

That just wasn't something I was willing to wait on.

So.

Yeah, I agree.

Yeah.

Just did it.

Yeah.

So it's possible, guys.

I know.

Yeah, it's possible.

Yeah, I know.

I think with like a good support system it can happen.

Yeah.

I mean, relationships do end during PA school.

Yeah, they do.

And.

And that's possible too.

It's not necessarily the easiest thing.

And yeah, it's really stressful.

Yeah, it's stressful.

And you have to kind of have the right expectations, but I agree.

All right, so we already talked about.

You kind of maybe wanted to do er, but at that point, I mean, looking back, what I asked everybody this.

What advice would you give to other to pre PAs who are like, I'm not sure if I want to do pa.

I'm kind of on the fence.

What would you.

Well, I think one of the biggest things that sold me on, like, PA versus RN versus MD kind of thing was shadowing them.

So, like, I can't place enough importance on, like, getting out there, connecting with people and some.

There's always.

There's always going to be a connection through someone and just really seeing what these people do on a daily basis and asking the questions like work, life, balance, if that's important to you or if it's more important for you to know all the details about medicine, really be the authoritative kind of provider, or are you someone that would rather just take orders and really be bedside and get to speak with patients and kind of do that kind of thing?

But I think I didn't really know what people did until I shadowed them.

And I truly can say that, like, at first I shadowed nursing, and I. I liked it.

I think at first for me, it was like nursing versus md.

So I shadowed a nurse, And with the maybe it could have just been the specialty that I decided to shadow in or whatever the case is, everyone's different and everyone can make their own kind of sacrifices in life.

Whether that means, like, I'm gonna work more, I'm gonna work less.

But she, the doctor I shadowed, she was in OB gyn and she worked her clinic.

And then she would be done around five after seeing a million people.

And then she would hop back and forth to the hospital that she was at, checking on people, making sure, you know, labor, whatever.

Then it would be from 5pm to 10pm she's laboring with someone, like, waiting for them to give birth.

And then while that's happening, someone is planning on having a c section at 2am and like it.

To me, I was just like, while this is cool, like, how.

Like, how's this gonna work with life?

Like, I want to have more of a life outside of school and outside of work, and I want to, you know, I don't know.

I can't make it sound like you can't like be a doctor and like not have a family, because that's definitely not the case.

But I wanted to play.

I wanted to have a more level or equal kind of playing field.

So that kind of, I guess deterred me at first from MD and then with rn, I kind of felt like I wanted a little bit more.

So when I finally shadowed a pa, I just felt kind of at peace with the amount of work that they do or we do, the amount of knowledge that we have, the fact that we can change specialties, like we're trained as generalists and that we're able to change around if we want to.

And that was another big thing for me, just knowing that I have multiple interests, like really truly focusing in on one specific specialty for the rest of my life, no matter what the scheduling is like, you know, that kind of gave me a little bit of fear as well.

But I think the biggest thing is to reach out shadow and really research like what the entire package is, not just what people are getting paid, not just the amount of schooling or, you know, that kind of thing.

You got to really dig deep and see what people are doing on a day to day basis because I mean, that's like the rest of your life.

So I would definitely say shadowing.

Yeah, I. I agree with you.

All right, now where can everyone find you?

You can find me at Megan in medicine and it's M e G H a n in medicine on Instagram and then I have my blog at the same address.

It's just meganandmedicine.com and that's it.

Okay, y', all, I hope you really enjoyed hearing from Megan.

And yeah, go check out her website and I'll put the link in the description so you guys can find her.

And I'm sure she's happy to answer any questions you have.

But thanks for sticking with with us.

I think I could have talked to her for a lot longer, but maybe we'll just do another interview one day.

Thank you so much for tuning in.

Another thing I just wanted to mention is Medalita is having a huge sale right now and Medalita is near and dear to my heart.

They are a scrub and white coat company started by a pa but they have stethoscopes on sale, white coats, scrubs, all kinds of stuff.

So if that's something you are needing or looking for, a gift for someone, make sure to check them out.

I'll put the link in the description too and then you can use the code PA Platform1 for a discount there.

I think it's 20% off.

And then if you go on their email list, they have tons of discounts, so.

All right, I will see you guys next week.

And if you need anything, let me know.

Thanks for listening,.

Sa.