“So how’s school?”
All semester it’s been difficult to answer this question to people not in my program or who don’t talk to me regularly. I usually answer with a succinct, “Very hard, but also very interesting.” On the one hand that doesn’t even begin to cover it, but that also kind of explains everything.
PT school has been hard in ways I couldn’t previously imagine. From a time perspective, taking six simultaneous classes plus three labs that cover additional information leaves little time for anything else, especially after studying. Then there’s the shear amount of information. Certain single anatomy or kinesiology lectures had enough material each to cover an entire exam. There’s also no skipping material – if one topic is confusing or uninteresting, you can’t simply say, “Well I can just not worry about this body part.”
I also believe having a different background from many of my peers made things challenging. I remember in anatomy lab one day, while studying the hip muscles, a friend who had studied exercise science or kinesiology as an undergrad complained, “Damn, I used to know all these muscle attachments, now I’m going to have to relearn them.” Meanwhile, my own thoughts were more like: “Piriformis? Obturator? I thought only Glute Max was back here.” I imagine that I had to spend a few more hours learning what the muscles were even called, what they did, and where they attached, compared to her having to relearn things she had previously studied.
But first semester was hard even beyond that. There was constant pressure knowing that you had to receive above a 75 average in each class, and score above an 80 on most practicals in order to continue to the second semester. And on days when the material seemed overwhelming, it was easy to get scared into believing that you could easily not make it. It’s not that I was ever in danger of failing a class – and in the end, I did quite well for the semester – it’s just that never before in school had the path to “failing out” been so clearly marked and discussed.
On a more positive note, the pressure also brought our class together. Unlike in undergrad, where it may have been more embarrassing to admit you were struggling, my classmates were very open about topics that gave them difficulty. And students who understood certain topics were very generous in helping others. My peers are very good at sharing notes, pictures and study guides. And during our rare moments of free time, it’s great having 60-something new friends to hang out with.
Perhaps most importantly, I’m amazed and proud of how much I’ve learned this semester. I’ve learned about the PT profession as a whole, interacting with patients, and just generally thinking about situations and solving problems differently. Not to mention a whole lot of anatomy, kinesiology and evaluation techniques. I’ve learned an incredible amount about the human body as whole. I can understand medical conversations (real, or on Grey’s Anatomy) on a whole new level. While I’m not yet at the point where I can “fix” things, I can basically comprehend many medical problems that are described to me, and I have a whole new appreciation for how the body works. I also realize how much more there is for me to learn, and I’m excited to continue learning!