Day in the Life
Physician Assistant
Hi, my name is Navneet Gill and I’m currently a first-year Physician Assistant (PA) student at Salus University. Before coming to Salus, I received my undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County (UMBC) in Baltimore, Md. While in undergrad I worked as an EMT and as an emergency department scribe for my patient-care hours.
Every day in our program is a little bit different. In our second semester we have a mix of classes as well as preclinical experiences. Here’s what a “typical” Tuesday looks like for me:
6:30 a.m.: First thing I do after waking up is run to turn my Keurig on and start brewing some coffee. Since I started PA school I’ve had to make some adjustments to my schedule, one of which is learning to become a morning person. I’ll usually take the extra time in the morning to review notes or just relax and scroll through my phone. Once I get dressed and pack my lunch, I’ll head out and walk over to school.
8:00 a.m.: Since we have a late start today, I head to my home away from home – the library to start some studying for my exam on Friday.
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: We usually have one to two classes in the morning before lunch. Today we only have pharmacology.
12:30. - 1:30 p.m.: Lunch! I’m starving! I head to the cafeteria and eat lunch with some friends. If we get done early we will go for a walk outside or on the track at the Hafter Center.
1:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Another round of classes. Depending on the day, we will have two or three classes after lunch. Today we have Clinical Problem Solving (CPS). Every week a student writes a case and presents it to the group and we work together to solve it. This is one of my favorite classes because we get a chance to apply many of the things we’re learning in the classroom.
5:30 p.m.: I will usually go to the gym after class or just go home and watch some TV while eating dinner. I change into some comfy clothes, then off to the library for some more studying. We usually have exams on Mondays and Fridays so there’s always something to study for.
10:00 p.m.: I head home to unwind. Sometimes I’ll watch YouTube videos before I fall asleep but I’m usually really tired and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow (PA school will do that to you!.
Even though we spend a lot of time studying, we still make time for some fun! Here’s a picture of me and some of my classmates at the annual awards gala.
