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From Teacher to PA Student: An Interview with Sean
Episode 975th August 2019 • The Pre-PA Club • Savanna Perry
00:00:00 00:37:28

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Sean is 33, he was a teacher, he has a family, and he starts PA school this week.

If you've been telling yourself you're too old or too far into another career to switch, listen to this one. He left a stable job with a steady paycheck for something with no guarantee at the other end. That's not a small thing when other people depend on you.

We talk about how he and his family made that decision together, what he gave up to get here, and what the years of prereqs and hours looked like while he was still working. His answer for why he did it anyway is simple: he'd wanted this for a long time and got tired of not doing it.

Non-traditional applicants bring things to a class that 22-year-olds can't, and programs know that.

What we talk about:

  • Leaving teaching for a healthcare career at 33
  • Making a career change with a family depending on you
  • Getting prereqs and hours done while working full time
  • What his support system looked like
  • Being a non-traditional applicant and owning it
  • Advice for anyone sitting on this decision

Resources:

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

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

Free personal statement worksheet: https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-personal-statement-worksheet-download

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

Mentioned in this episode:

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Transcripts

Speaker A:

In today's episode, I'm really excited to introduce you to Sean, a non traditional applicant who is starting PA school this week.

Speaker A:

I think you're really going to relate to his story and get a lot out of it.

Speaker A:

Welcome to the Pre PA Club podcast.

Speaker A:

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

Speaker A:

I'm your host, Savannah Perry.

Speaker A:

Let's get to it.

Speaker A:

Hey there.

Speaker A:

Thank you so much for tuning in.

Speaker A:

I am very excited about today's episode because I was able to speak to someone who has a really cool story and it's someone who reached out to me.

Speaker A:

Usually I feel like I'm trying to beg people to come on the podcast, but Shawn, who you'll meet in just a minute, has been an avid listener for a very long time and he.

Speaker A:

You'll hear his story.

Speaker A:

But basically he is 33, he has a family, he was a teacher in high school and all different ages coach.

Speaker A:

And he is now starting BA school this week at Campbell University, which is so exciting.

Speaker A:

So he talks a lot about the sacrifices it took to get there and the decision making process in leaving a stable job to go to something that may or may not happen to.

Speaker A:

So I feel like I get messages sometimes wanting more interviews like this, which they can be hard to find just because a lot of times it's people who come to me.

Speaker A:

So I'm very thankful that he reached out to me and was willing to share his story and I'd actually email with him a while back with some questions.

Speaker A:

So y' all can also watch this on YouTube and that link is in the description, but I think you're gonna like it.

Speaker A:

And then he mentions a couple resources that are also linked as well.

Speaker A:

So yeah, super excited.

Speaker A:

This weekend I will be at the Northeastern Pre PA Conference in Morristown, New Jersey.

Speaker A:

This is posting on Friday and it's tomorrow, so I don't know if you can still come.

Speaker A:

I think you can just walk in.

Speaker A:

But it's at the College of Saint Elizabeth who celebration because they got their accreditation, provisional accreditation officially in place.

Speaker A:

So that's really exciting for them and I know I am looking forward to just meeting some new PAs and a lot of pre PA students.

Speaker A:

We have over 100 attendees, which I think is so cool.

Speaker A:

And hopefully you guys will get some great interview tips from me.

Speaker B:

I don't know.

Speaker B:

And it'll be fun.

Speaker A:

I'm really, really pumped about it.

Speaker A:

So yes, there's still time for that.

Speaker A:

Okay, so you'll also, if you come to the conference get to meet Brian Palm, who's the creator of MyPA Resource and PA School Prep.

Speaker A:

So MyPA Resource is a service that edits essays specifically for PA School.

Speaker A:

So if you're struggling with your personal statement, that is the person that I recommend you go to.

Speaker A:

I am an editor for them, but all of the editors are PAs and know exactly what the admissions committees are looking for.

Speaker A:

And then once you're accepted, you can look into something like PA School Prep, which is actually the only thing, like PA School Prep, which is a course specifically for preparing for PA School and making sure that you have your anatomy and physiology and med terms down.

Speaker A:

So both of those you should look into.

Speaker A:

You can use the Code Prepa Club for a discount on those, which you can also use at the PA platform.

Speaker A:

And I will have a very, very exciting announcement for you guys next week with something new having to do with interviews, which I'm really excited about, apparently.

Speaker A:

I'm just really excited.

Speaker A:

So.

Speaker A:

All right, let's jump into hearing from Sean.

Speaker A:

And I think you're just gonna love this.

Speaker A:

I had such a great time talking.

Speaker C:

I first, you know, found out about this podcast when I was researching, you know, going to PA school, which I'm 33 years old.

Speaker C:

My name is Sean Childress.

Speaker C:

I am a husband, father of two.

Speaker C:

And I did not take a traditional route to this.

Speaker C:

There's been a lot of twists and turns, but I actually spent a decade working as a high school football coach, baseball coach.

Speaker C:

I taught every subject you could imagine, whatever they told me to.

Speaker C:

And this was not really necessarily what I went to school thinking I was going to do, but it's where I ended up.

Speaker C:

I love sports, still love sports, even though I'm kind of leaving that realm somewhat.

Speaker C:

But I spent 10 years doing that non stop and kind of ran me into the ground and.

Speaker C:

But I'm going to kind of wait to kind of steer toward the how I ended up with PA as part of the list.

Speaker C:

But my background from Texas, actually we just moved to North Carolina for PA School.

Speaker C:

So this is our first trip out of state.

Speaker C:

My wife is on board and my kids are on board and everybody, it's a team in our house, so everybody's really been supportive from multiple levels.

Speaker C:

Um, but this is a dream that I've had for a long time and it's just now coming to fruition at age 33.

Speaker C:

And I couldn't be more excited.

Speaker C:

We actually start class this week, so we're 48.

Speaker C:

Yeah, like 48 hours away.

Speaker B:

So that's awesome.

Speaker C:

I'm Pretty excited, nervous, but just ready to go.

Speaker C:

So.

Speaker C:

But yeah, that's, that's kind of a general introduction.

Speaker B:

Okay, so you went from teacher and coach to pa, which I actually get a lot of messages from people who are teachers who are kind of including.

Speaker C:

Me at one point.

Speaker B:

Education.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

And want to make that jump, but aren't sure how to.

Speaker B:

So first let me kind of, kind of show us your mindset of how you got to deciding that you wanted to pursue the PA profession and then we'll talk about what that actually looked like.

Speaker C:

There's two different answers there for sure.

Speaker C:

I definitely had somewhat of an advantage and you'll kind of understand that.

Speaker C:

But I did teach for 10 years.

Speaker C:

However, if you go back to when I was an undergrad, I actually started out as a journalism major.

Speaker C:

This is how into sports I was.

Speaker C:

I wanted to be like a sports center anchor or whatever.

Speaker C:

And I don't really know necessarily that I ever lost that desire.

Speaker C:

It was more so that I was introduced to medical field and kind of was amazed by it all.

Speaker C:

Coincidentally, in one of my writing classes, I was in a class with a guy who was a physical therapy tech at a clinic.

Speaker C:

And I had gotten really into fitness and stuff at the time and was kind of interested in helping people get back on their feet and all that.

Speaker C:

Thought it'd be a cool part time job.

Speaker C:

That's just kind of how it started.

Speaker C:

So I take on this job.

Speaker C:

It's my sophomore year of college as a PT tech.

Speaker C:

And initially when I first started working there, I think I kind of wanted to become a physical therapist.

Speaker C:

It never seemed like they were working.

Speaker C:

It seemed like they were having a blast, listening to music.

Speaker C:

They could talk all day.

Speaker C:

It's not too serious necessarily, but I didn't at that time, just to give you a little background, I didn't even know what a PA was yet.

Speaker C:

Like I had no idea.

Speaker C:

I hadn't really.

Speaker C:

I'd had shoulder surgery in high school, but I never or had an encounter with a PA until I worked at the clinic.

Speaker C:

And in fact the first exposure I had was another tech I worked with got accepted to the PA program at Texas Tech.

Speaker C:

And I basically was like, she was my age.

Speaker C:

I was like, what is that?

Speaker C:

What are you doing?

Speaker C:

And I had no idea.

Speaker C:

And she kind of explained it a little bit.

Speaker C:

And the way she explained it, it really registered with me because she basically said, you can choose which avenue you want to go instead of being kind of stuck in one area.

Speaker C:

You can use this and you know, you can use your degree to do a variety of things.

Speaker C:

You can work two jobs at once.

Speaker C:

You do all these different things.

Speaker C:

She's kind of explaining that to me.

Speaker C:

And as you hear my story, you'll realize that I definitely don't see myself doing the same thing for the rest of my life.

Speaker C:

Like I'm going to do.

Speaker C:

I'm going to specialize here, specialize there, go back and forth.

Speaker C:

I don't have any desire to do one thing for 40 years or whatever, but so I found out a little bit there.

Speaker C:

And then I actually broke my hand.

Speaker C:

And I was treated by a P.A.

Speaker C:

You know, kind of pro bono through our clinic or whatever.

Speaker C:

And I get in there, PA is casting me, and I actually spent a couple days shadowing a PA at that time.

Speaker C:

And I was it.

Speaker C:

I was in.

Speaker C:

I was like, sign me up.

Speaker C:

I changed my major.

Speaker C:

I switched from journalism to health promotion major, which is what I graduated with.

Speaker C:

But I gotta be honest.

Speaker C:

So the red flag was the first class I took was A and P, anatomy and physiology.

Speaker C:

And I went to high school where I never had to study once.

Speaker C:

I didn't have to study up until that point in college at all.

Speaker C:

And it all sounded good.

Speaker C:

And then I get in there and of course I'm told by classmates that we have a difficult teacher.

Speaker C:

And I never really thought much about that.

Speaker C:

Long story short, I didn't do well in the class I passed.

Speaker C:

But it was like the first time in my life where I was definitely afraid that I was going to fail and I wasn't going to be able to do it.

Speaker C:

And so I definitely was discouraged.

Speaker C:

I spent about a year as a pre PA track and then I just didn't.

Speaker C:

I didn't move forward.

Speaker C:

I thought I couldn't do it.

Speaker C:

I genuinely quit and said I need to go a more comfortable route.

Speaker C:

I finished my degree, but my degree didn't require a lot of those same prereqs.

Speaker C:

So really the only ones that actually crossed paths were microbiology and A and B 1 and 2.

Speaker C:

But I ended up having to retake all of those anyway because none of them like they need to be within the last five years or whatever.

Speaker C:

So again, I was very intrigued by the profession.

Speaker C:

But the first time I faced failure and adversity with it, I quite simply gave up.

Speaker C:

So that led me to teaching.

Speaker C:

And I'll let you kind of jump down.

Speaker C:

I'm sure you have a question or two there, but I can go.

Speaker B:

Well, I think that's a very relatable thing.

Speaker B:

I don't think you're alone in that.

Speaker B:

And even someone I was working with recently kind of said the same thing.

Speaker B:

You know, it's just in her mind that she couldn't do this.

Speaker B:

Um, and so that led her down a different path into respiratory therapy, where she was like, oh, maybe I can actually do this, and kind of revisited it.

Speaker B:

So I don't think.

Speaker B:

I don't think you're alone in feeling that way.

Speaker B:

And I think the classes that are required for PE School kind of make all of us feel that way at some point throughout the process.

Speaker B:

So you ended up teaching because you love sports and enjoy that.

Speaker B:

But at what point, I mean, was it always in the back of your mind, like, I would still like to revisit PA or did that come up later where you're like, I just am not fulfilled.

Speaker B:

PA will be the thing that will fix that for me?

Speaker C:

Yeah, you know, it's kind of a combination of all of that.

Speaker C:

It started out, I guess, just because I'm a super positive person.

Speaker C:

Like, wherever I'm at, I'm gonna try to make the most of it.

Speaker C:

And when I got into teaching, I just, you know, tried to look at the bright side of all.

Speaker C:

I didn't feel like I let anybody down.

Speaker C:

I felt like I didn't feel like I let myself down.

Speaker C:

I just felt like I was where I was supposed to be at that time.

Speaker C:

Even.

Speaker C:

Even through the whole process.

Speaker C:

I really don't have a ton of regret because I learned a lot in those 10 years of being a professional and being, you know, on time and doing all these things the right way.

Speaker C:

But I would say, like, periodically, as the years would progress, staying in touch with a lot of people who had gone into medicine and things like that, I think that it.

Speaker C:

That thought never went away, and it just continued to slowly grow throughout time.

Speaker C:

I went through a time where I thought, you know, I want to be a head baseball coach.

Speaker C:

And so I worked and worked and worked, and I did that.

Speaker C:

And I was a head baseball coach, and I didn't feel fulfilled.

Speaker C:

In fact, we played a.

Speaker C:

Or I was coaching in a state semifinal, and, like, we won, and I felt nothing.

Speaker C:

Like, I didn't feel like I really was fulfilling what I was here to do.

Speaker C:

Made a huge impact on kids and stuff like that.

Speaker C:

No doubt.

Speaker C:

But in my mind, I just certainly felt like I wasn't giving everything I could to my life ultimately.

Speaker C:

Was there, like, a trigger point decision?

Speaker C:

There kind of was.

Speaker C:

So, like I said, it was.

Speaker C:

Periodically I would reflect and think about it, and it would kind of weigh on me at Times.

Speaker C:

But it kind of came to a head in my last year.

Speaker C:

I'd actually made the decision that I was going to step away from teaching right before spring break.

Speaker C:

And like, actually on that day, I was nominated for teacher of the year.

Speaker C:

So I had to spend this whole spring break sitting there thinking, am I making the right decision?

Speaker C:

I mean, is this a sign I'm supposed to stay?

Speaker C:

You know, I didn't know which way I was supposed to go then, you know, the day after the spring break ended, I come in and talk to my principal before school, and I told her, you know, this is it.

Speaker C:

I'm going to step away.

Speaker C:

I got to pursue this.

Speaker C:

I'm going to make it happen.

Speaker C:

And then, you know, I don't really want to focus a ton on this, but, like, the very next day, one of my students actually committed suicide.

Speaker C:

And it was like the most eye opening, you know, something I think about every day.

Speaker C:

And it was certainly with everything I had been thinking about to that point, it.

Speaker C:

It made me realize, obviously, like, how fragile life is, how fragile time is, and that if I had any doubt about what I intended to go do, that, I don't know necessarily if I used that as a sign, but it definitely made me think that I was probably making the right call to kind of move forward and try to pursue it.

Speaker C:

Because I did think, like, what if I never go for it?

Speaker C:

What if I never go for it?

Speaker C:

What does that Teaching my kids that I didn't go for a dream and I didn't try to accomplish a goal.

Speaker C:

So, you know, essentially during that little two weeks span, and it went from, I'm not sure, dude, I'm out and I'm going for it.

Speaker C:

So it kind of took off from there.

Speaker B:

Okay, so that was a year ago.

Speaker C:

That would have.

Speaker C:

Well, it would have been a little over two years ago.

Speaker B:

A little over two years ago.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

It was the spring of:

Speaker B:

You made that decision.

Speaker C:

I didn't really start prereqs and stuff until that fall.

Speaker B:

Okay, well, so a couple things there.

Speaker B:

I think it's really easy to get comfortable, and we get comfortable in our circumstances.

Speaker B:

And then we see these other things as kind of these huge hurdles, even if it's to get to where we want to go.

Speaker B:

And that's why most people, or a lot of people don't even take those steps towards just their goals and dreams.

Speaker B:

And I probably have, I don't know, 100 new ideas a day that both everyone at work and my husband have to listen to, and my parents and they think I'm crazy.

Speaker B:

But, you know, I think the only way that we grow and can see what we're capable of is to try.

Speaker B:

Try things and take those kind of big steps.

Speaker B:

And then another thing that I talk about a lot is.

Speaker B:

Or I do in mock interviews anyway, but is, like, pivotal moments.

Speaker B:

Like, even if you don't have this dramatic experience with a PA saving you on the side of the road or something that made you decide to do this, like, there are these things and points in our lives where just everything makes us think about stuff and kind of pushes you in a direction.

Speaker B:

And so even if it's not one event or it's kind of something that culminated, I think those are those pivotal moments that kind of encourage you to move forward, which.

Speaker B:

It sounds like you kind of took those steps.

Speaker C:

I've shared those exact sentiments throughout this.

Speaker C:

Like, I had to just recently.

Speaker C:

I was kind of.

Speaker C:

I guess even when I wrote my essay to apply, I was doing a lot of reflection.

Speaker C:

You have to think about, why am I becoming a pa?

Speaker C:

What pushed me this direction?

Speaker C:

And a lot of it was I write about, like, some people sit on the sideline their whole life and they never have, you know, the.

Speaker C:

They never get off.

Speaker C:

The Pat Green song where it says, you can live your whole life on the shelf, but you got nobody to blame but your own self.

Speaker C:

That's the kind of thought I had.

Speaker C:

Like, if I look back and I never went for it or never, like, at least tried, I would feel kind of an emptiness.

Speaker C:

So, yeah, I agree totally.

Speaker B:

So I think one thing that's interesting about your story that will resonate with people is that.

Speaker B:

Or maybe encourage them is the fact that you took those steps, because I think that's.

Speaker B:

And I get so many emails that are like, I don't know where to start.

Speaker B:

That's the thing.

Speaker B:

I don't know where to start.

Speaker B:

I don't have hours.

Speaker B:

I've been a teacher.

Speaker B:

I don't have hours.

Speaker B:

I don't have the coursework.

Speaker B:

Where do I start?

Speaker B:

So what.

Speaker B:

How did you.

Speaker B:

How did you start?

Speaker B:

Where did you go as far as, okay, I've quit my job.

Speaker B:

I mean, that's a huge thing.

Speaker C:

What.

Speaker B:

What happens next?

Speaker C:

Okay, so, you know, I just will point out that I did have an advantage in that I had multiple, like, thousands of hours as a PT tech just sitting there in the bank, if you will.

Speaker C:

But that.

Speaker C:

We'll get to that in a moment.

Speaker C:

So I.

Speaker C:

The very first thing I did was I. I knew I needed to at least attack my Biggest hurdle, which is my mental block was anatomy and physiology, which I would soon find out was absolutely nothing compared to a couple of other courses.

Speaker C:

But.

Speaker C:

And I'll probably find out later this week that none of that.

Speaker B:

You will find out.

Speaker B:

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker C:

The very first thing I did was I go and I'm just searching for like something that fits with carrying a part time job and because I did find a part time job with a therapist I used to work with to accumulate like some more recent hours.

Speaker C:

So I did that periodically throughout this whole process.

Speaker C:

But then I signed up for class which was anatomy and physiology and that first semester.

Speaker C:

This is going to get crazy in a minute because as you know, down the line, I take a random chemistry in three weeks.

Speaker C:

So.

Speaker B:

Yeah, yeah, I need to know about that.

Speaker C:

Yeah, we'll get to that.

Speaker C:

But the very first thing I was like, you know, I don't really care necessarily how long this takes.

Speaker C:

So I'm just going to do one class in the fall and I did anatomy and physiology and as a 30 at the time, 31 year old, I can't remember how old I was at that point.

Speaker C:

But when you go into college and you're that age and I go into a class with all these 19, 20, 21 year olds, they don't know how to work and they don't know how to focus up and like, it seems so easy to me, like just basically the teacher, the professor is handing you a good score, they're handing you a B.

Speaker C:

Can you earn an A?

Speaker C:

It's kind of how you just gotta be present and turn in things.

Speaker C:

I had a lab partner in there that I just, I like basically coached him along.

Speaker C:

Like, you know, just turn this in, like just put your name, just fill it out, you know, do the lab report, do it correctly because they take points off and he would say things like, I'll just get a baby, they're handing you points, you know.

Speaker C:

So I took that one class and I realized very quickly, having worked full time, like double full time as a coach, that taking one class and working part time felt like nothing.

Speaker C:

So the next semester, like I kind of went crazy.

Speaker C:

So I signed up for AP2 in the short semester.

Speaker C:

So it was just like three months, knocked that out simultaneously to that I took statistics, which I had never taken, hammered both of those out.

Speaker C:

Along with all that, I was also taking Chemistry one in the long semester, which I had a mental block about chemistry as well.

Speaker C:

But I got in there, loved it.

Speaker C:

And that's when it clicked for me.

Speaker C:

Like I got this like, there's no turning back now.

Speaker C:

I can do this.

Speaker C:

And so the mental hurdle was cleared that semester and the summer that.

Speaker C:

It's kind of a blur now.

Speaker C:

But along that whole time, that's when I reached out to you and I got one thing I definitely recommend.

Speaker C:

And I can't, you know, the people who wrote it, because I heard it in your podcast.

Speaker C:

But the book that has all the schools, the manual.

Speaker C:

Yeah, I should have brought it in here for the video.

Speaker B:

It makes it a lot.

Speaker B:

I have mine.

Speaker B:

It makes it a lot easier that it's pretty much always within arm's reach.

Speaker B:

This is the newest one.

Speaker C:

So, yeah, mine's a:

Speaker B:

It's got.

Speaker C:

Every time that I would apply to a school, I put a sticker in there or a post it note, you know, and my wife would get.

Speaker C:

So she just.

Speaker C:

She cracks up at my like, ocd.

Speaker C:

I would like write out the prereqs over and over just to write them out and look and see.

Speaker C:

Okay, check, check, check.

Speaker C:

Because I wasn't sure.

Speaker B:

Double check.

Speaker C:

I'd email the admissions staff at a school and say, will this work before I submit my $75 to your school?

Speaker C:

But, you know, kind of from there.

Speaker C:

I started applying shortly after the cycle opened.

Speaker C:

I didn't want to do it too early because I had quite a few kind of hanging prereqs, if you will.

Speaker C:

Still on deck.

Speaker C:

Like, I didn't take microbiology again until that second semester of the summer.

Speaker C:

And then Chemistry two, somewhere in there I took.

Speaker C:

And then the organic chemistry is its own chapter.

Speaker C:

But I applied to, I think 21 schools.

Speaker C:

And I got wait listed.

Speaker C:

Like, wait list to interview.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

At like three straight up denied from a lot.

Speaker C:

And I kind of went into it thinking this isn't gonna happen.

Speaker C:

Because I'd listen to your podcast.

Speaker C:

I knew, kind of prepared myself like, this is.

Speaker C:

It may not happen the first time and this will all be good experience and.

Speaker C:

But, you know, along the way I got an interview invite.

Speaker C:

I got.

Speaker C:

First one was in July and it was set to be like in October.

Speaker C:

Then like, I got one last minute in August and it was like, it's next week.

Speaker C:

And that was at a school in Pennsylvania.

Speaker C:

And I went and that was.

Speaker C:

That's when I bought your book.

Speaker C:

It helped tremendously.

Speaker C:

But I only had like three or four days to prepare.

Speaker C:

Really.

Speaker C:

It seemed like.

Speaker C:

And it went okay.

Speaker C:

I got wait listed at that school.

Speaker C:

I was a nervous wreck, though.

Speaker C:

I felt a lot of pressure.

Speaker C:

But I got to see what it was like.

Speaker C:

I got to see what the things that you talked about in your book like, what they were like live.

Speaker C:

But in many ways it felt a lot just like a job interview.

Speaker C:

So it was good, you know, good exposure.

Speaker C:

I went to another one at a school in North Carolina in September and then I got another, the school I got accepted to, which is Campbell University.

Speaker C:

I got a invite, I guess late October and it was like interview is November 2nd.

Speaker C:

And by this point I really didn't think I was going to get in.

Speaker C:

I genuinely.

Speaker C:

So that actually took a lot of pressure off.

Speaker C:

And it was kind of late in the cycle or late in the interview cycle for them.

Speaker C:

I just kind of went into it like, I have nothing to lose here.

Speaker C:

I'm gonna go, I'm just gonna be myself.

Speaker C:

Like you know, everybody says to do.

Speaker C:

And I was super calm.

Speaker C:

I was just, I literally, you know, they say be yourself.

Speaker C:

I was me when I went in there.

Speaker C:

I wasn't afraid of anything.

Speaker C:

In fact, most of the inter, all the interviews I went to, they go around the room, I guess, just as a time kill and have you introduce yourself to all these other people you're competing against, you know.

Speaker C:

So I, when I went through it, I thought I'm going to try to stand out right now.

Speaker C:

And before I'd even been interviewed, I wasn't like brash or anything or over the top.

Speaker C:

I just said to everyone, I'm older than all of you in here.

Speaker C:

I have two children at home and they're both named after famous baseball, iconic historical things.

Speaker C:

My son is named after Nolan Ryan and my daughter's named Wrigley after Wrigley Field.

Speaker C:

And that stuck like with everybody later on there were other people that didn't interview me that were asking me and thought that was cool.

Speaker C:

So that's just one thing I kind of decided to do.

Speaker C:

But now we're back to the organic chemistry.

Speaker C:

So I had a. Enrolled in organic chemistry, legitimately thinking I was not going to get in this go around.

Speaker C:

But I knew I needed to have it because there are too many schools that required it.

Speaker C:

So I had enrolled on in an online course which is self.

Speaker C:

Somewhat self paced.

Speaker C:

Basically had like eight months to do it, but it was just kind of, kind of in the background of my life at the point, at that point I get the call on a Monday, the Monday after I interviewed at Campbell that I was accepted and I'm like, I'm fired up, let's do this.

Speaker C:

I'm really excited.

Speaker C:

I called my wife Told all this and then I remembered that they were.

Speaker C:

They had a requirement for organic chemistry, which I was enrolled in.

Speaker C:

And all that's good, but they need everything done by like, at this point, it's November 6th or so.

Speaker C:

They need everything done basically by the last week, the last day of November.

Speaker C:

Oh, gosh.

Speaker C:

So, yeah, So I.

Speaker C:

When I told my wife that, she basically said, there's no way you're not going to do it.

Speaker C:

She was so supportive.

Speaker C:

Like, meaning not in a brash way, but more like you've come so far and done so much that this will not, you know, it's not going to be a hurdle you can't clear.

Speaker C:

And at that point, all I needed to do was pass the class.

Speaker C:

So I kind of took that mindset and I did not work for those entire three weeks.

Speaker B:

Well, you were working, you just weren't.

Speaker C:

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker C:

So basically the class consisted of five tests.

Speaker C:

Those were your grades and I.

Speaker C:

You got to take each test twice and they were different tests.

Speaker C:

So I. I would wake up every day at about 4:30 in the morning and go until my kids needed to get up.

Speaker C:

We got them ready for school and all that.

Speaker C:

Then as soon as they left, I'm still at home and I just am on the computer and in the book until about 4:30 every day, not moving.

Speaker C:

I did not feel good during all that.

Speaker C:

Like, I was just so sedentary.

Speaker C:

I was reading and reading and reading and practicing drawing all these hexagons.

Speaker C:

And I don't even remember a lot of it now, but it just kept so much, so much.

Speaker C:

And so about every two to three days I plan on taking a test.

Speaker C:

And I'd go in there and take the test and kind of get a feel for it.

Speaker C:

And then I planned on every time retaking it no matter what.

Speaker C:

So it kind of gave me some exposure to the material and the change.

Speaker C:

But anyways, I know that the first two tests went great.

Speaker C:

The third one was it was not good.

Speaker C:

And whatever the chapter was on the alcohols really killed my momentum.

Speaker C:

But then I rebounded and, you know, I basically.

Speaker C:

We'll just say I passed and we're here, so.

Speaker C:

But it can be done.

Speaker C:

And it took me three weeks.

Speaker B:

And we would not recommend that.

Speaker C:

No, no, I would definitely not recommend that.

Speaker C:

But, you know, my circumstance was basically I had to do.

Speaker B:

Yeah, you made it happen.

Speaker B:

Well, and that's one thing that when I've worked with people or again, gotten emails, I've had a few people who.

Speaker B:

And this is why I always say, like, do not put a course on your application if you are not actually taking it or planning on completing it.

Speaker B:

Because I've had people in the situation where they couldn't.

Speaker B:

I mean, at that point they couldn't enroll or couldn't finish the course and they had to give up an acceptance because their acceptance was pending this course that the school thought you were taking.

Speaker B:

And that, I mean, that does not guarantee that you'll get accepted the next year if you take it.

Speaker B:

I mean, that is just not a great situation to be in.

Speaker C:

So all that pressure on me while I'm taking that hard class.

Speaker B:

Exactly.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

Man.

Speaker B:

I feel like we need to interview your wife.

Speaker B:

She sounds like a saint.

Speaker B:

Well, that's awesome that she was like, you can do it.

Speaker C:

Absolutely.

Speaker C:

She was.

Speaker C:

She's.

Speaker C:

I mean, we moved across the country, she gave up her job, all that.

Speaker C:

She's.

Speaker C:

She is.

Speaker B:

Do you.

Speaker B:

What?

Speaker B:

Do you mind sharing what online program you used or what school?

Speaker B:

That's a question that people ask a lot.

Speaker B:

And I don't know good online schools.

Speaker C:

That one was University of New England.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker B:

And that's the one I see.

Speaker B:

I see that one.

Speaker B:

And then there's one called Doan that I see kind of a lot.

Speaker C:

It was expensive, I'll just say that.

Speaker C:

But it was great.

Speaker C:

It's super user friendly and very flexible, like, obviously.

Speaker C:

So I remember the teacher thinking, you're going through this pretty rapidly.

Speaker C:

She sent me an email and I.

Speaker B:

Was like, yeah, I'm actually a chemistry genius, so let me take my course.

Speaker C:

Yeah, the thing is, I took all that and I know it's probably going to come back to bite me a little bit, but I don't remember a ton of it.

Speaker B:

Yeah, you won't need it at all.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker B:

So thinking about kind of like go back in your mindset to when you were trying to decide if this was something you wanted to do, what tips would you give to other people who are in your situation?

Speaker B:

Which, I mean, I would say that somebody who is in a career that's pretty stable, maybe has a family, likes where they are, but maybe has this other interest in medicine or becoming a pa. Like, what would you have liked to hear at that point in time?

Speaker C:

You know, one of the things that I did hear was the support from my family because, I mean, obviously my wife in more than one way carried the weight of me worrying and me deciding to go forward and me, you know, financially quitting my job and us going from two incomes to one, which to be honest and completely straightforward, that couldn't have happened.

Speaker C:

Had my son not started kindergarten, we had two in daycare.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

So the timeline.

Speaker C:

I mean, daycare is like a mortgage, so the timeline wouldn't have worked out.

Speaker C:

I would have had to wait, I guess, is what I'm saying.

Speaker C:

But you got to make sure you've got a financial plan, obviously.

Speaker C:

You got to have support from your family probably more than anything.

Speaker C:

And I had support from extended family as well.

Speaker C:

My mom, my Aunt Kelly, who's.

Speaker C:

Both of them have been just absolute saints in this.

Speaker C:

We couldn't have done it.

Speaker C:

Literally could not have done all this without them.

Speaker C:

It's expensive to apply all that.

Speaker C:

You know that.

Speaker C:

But, you know, if I had any advice to give someone who's set in a comfortable career and things are going well, but they just kind of have that itch and kind of interested is to go for it.

Speaker C:

Do not.

Speaker C:

I mean, it's so generic, but you can sit there and think you're gonna do this when you're ready, but if you wait till you're ready, you will never do it.

Speaker C:

So I don't know that I was ready when I did it.

Speaker C:

I don't know that I'm ready right now as I start PA school this week.

Speaker C:

But if I could change anything about it, I wouldn't.

Speaker C:

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process.

Speaker C:

In fact, I was just talking to my wife right before dinner.

Speaker C:

She's like, how do you feel at certain school this week?

Speaker C:

And I said, you know, I don't want to say I'm, like, kind of down, but the journey to get here was such a road that all that's been kind of lifted from my shoulders.

Speaker C:

But I kind of miss it in a way.

Speaker C:

Like, it was a journey, flat out.

Speaker C:

It was a journey.

Speaker C:

It was.

Speaker C:

You know, it's about to be a different journey, but it was an absolute, absolute journey to get.

Speaker C:

Get to this point.

Speaker C:

And it just seems pretty surreal that it actually is happening.

Speaker C:

And like I said, I wouldn't change anything about it.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

What are you most nervous about for PA school?

Speaker C:

You know, I think maybe just the quantity combined with being a dad and I'm not.

Speaker C:

I basically will not have Saturdays open.

Speaker C:

You know, that's going to be family time period.

Speaker C:

So I.

Speaker C:

The way I've operated through all this, and that won't change, but it's.

Speaker C:

It's just going to be lack of sleep and all that.

Speaker C:

I'm really not afraid of the material necessarily, because I'm so excited.

Speaker C:

And I think being 33, having set a goal and leaving a career, I think I'm in a different set of circumstances than if I was 23.

Speaker C:

And this is just my next degree, you know, like, I have worked and I know what full days feel like and when you think your day's over, but then you pick your kids up like that.

Speaker C:

Like just being a student is nothing compared to tacking on your actual full time job and being a parent.

Speaker C:

So I'm just a little bit afraid of the balance, I guess, which my wife, like I said, super supportive.

Speaker C:

She knows, she knows.

Speaker C:

And we both talk several times about the didactic year is the year and then we get kind of, do, you know, a little bit more reality the second year.

Speaker C:

But you know, to be.

Speaker C:

To say I'm afraid or nervous.

Speaker C:

I am, but it's more of the unknown than anything.

Speaker C:

Give me a month and I'll be all set.

Speaker B:

Yeah, you'll.

Speaker B:

You'll find your groove and I'm sure you'll do great.

Speaker B:

And it goes by so fast.

Speaker B:

That's the biggest thing that just I always thought, you know, like, oh, everything goes by so fast.

Speaker B:

But like, PA school is a blur.

Speaker B:

Just like, sure, now I'm done.

Speaker B:

But yeah, but I'm sure you'll do awesome.

Speaker B:

Well, thanks so much for sharing.

Speaker B:

Where can people find you or send you questions or I can pass them along?

Speaker C:

Yeah, you know, it's funny, I knew you were gonna ask that.

Speaker C:

I don't even know my own Instagram handle.

Speaker C:

Not really super active on there, but people can find me.

Speaker C:

I am gonna start posting some stuff when PA school starts, but it's just my name, Sean.

Speaker C:

S E A N underscore.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker C:

Most of my photos so far are just family, although I do have like, I got accepted into PA school post somewhere, you know, but a lot of it to me.

Speaker C:

A lot of my former students follow me on there and so what they don't know is that they motivated me to go for this.

Speaker C:

So I try to send, you know, I'm following my dream, so you can kind of see.

Speaker B:

That's awesome.

Speaker B:

Oh yeah, thanks so much for being willing to pop on here and share.

Speaker C:

And yeah, it's pretty cool for me because I had listened to all these, so to kind of take part.

Speaker C:

It's pretty cool.

Speaker C:

Thank you for having me and it's been a pleasure to share.

Speaker B:

Thank you so much.

Speaker A:

All right, guys, I hope you love that as much as I did.

Speaker A:

And if you enjoyed Sean's conversation, just leave him some love in the comments and in the reviews on itunes.

Speaker A:

That's helpful and I'm sure he'll see it and know how much you guys liked hearing his story.

Speaker A:

So thank you so much for tuning in.

Speaker A:

And remember, I'll see you guys next week with another an important announcement.

Speaker A:

And also, I have a lot of announcements coming up in the next few months.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Announcement next week.

Speaker A:

But then also follow along on Instagram so you can check out the pre PA Conference in New Jersey this weekend.

Speaker A:

All right.

Speaker A:

So many exciting things.

Speaker A:

All right.

Speaker B:

I hope you have a great weekend.

Speaker A:

Bye.

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