Struggling PT student

[jampt20]

Any advice would be appreciated.
I am a first year PT student and have found coursework and exams to be challenging. I struggled during anatomy and barely made it through that summer semester. I'm currently on academic probation and need to manage a 3.0 by the end of my spring semester, but I was optimistic going into the fall because it was seeing it as a new start. This last month has continued to be a struggle and I haven't been doing well on exams again. I study after class and on the weekends- I've stopped working and my social life has taken a big hit..yet I continue to do poorly.
For anyone who's been in a similar situation how did you get through it? I'm feeling down right now because it feels like everyone else understands the information right away and it's like I'm the only one struggling.

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[jblil]

Are you having problems with memorization? If so, read "Moonwalking with Einstein". That book saved my bacon during the first year of PT school. IMO the first 2 semesters are very heavy on rote memorization; most of the stuff I haven't really had to use in real life. But you still have to know it, to pass the tests and the Board.

If it's clinical reasoning you're struggling with, then my advice would be to study with 1 or 2 other persons. Take turns explaining the concepts to, and bounce ideas off, each other. Each of you will see things in a slightly different way, and you will get to see the same concepts under various angles. One of them may "click" with you. Myself and 2 other guys used that method through all 3 years of PT school, and it worked well for us. And we still keep in touch with each other.

 

[NewTestament]

Yeah I agree with Jblil. There are two potential problems: inability to memorize or lack of clinical reasoning (ability to combine disparate information to come to a conclusion- I call this deep knowledge). You need both in PT school. Figure out which one is causing you trouble. Memorization is easier to learn than clinical reasoning.

 

[jadedphysiotherapist]

Any advice would be appreciated.
I am a first year PT student and have found coursework and exams to be challenging. I struggled during anatomy and barely made it through that summer semester. I'm currently on academic probation and need to manage a 3.0 by the end of my spring semester, but I was optimistic going into the fall because it was seeing it as a new start. This last month has continued to be a struggle and I haven't been doing well on exams again. I study after class and on the weekends- I've stopped working and my social life has taken a big hit..yet I continue to do poorly.
For anyone who's been in a similar situation how did you get through it? I'm feeling down right now because it feels like everyone else understands the information right away and it's like I'm the only one struggling.

Focus on three things:
1. School
2. Mental and physical health
3. Support system in the form of family or significant other.

Have something intensely physical (you reach a stimulatuon state in which you arent focusing on current worries from concentration) or psychologically calming for an hour right after class (deep breathing exercises laying on the floor with lights off, eyes closed and focusing on a positive thought)

Block that into your schedule with the exception of examination weeks unless you need it.

Locate and communicate with the students scoring very high within your class. Meet with and study at your own pace and then quiz each other. Become friends and help each other mutually.

There is currently no "necessity" for physical therapy student competition from market pay incentive or job location competition from an open market

 

[gotaspirations]

Any advice would be appreciated.
I am a first year PT student and have found coursework and exams to be challenging. I struggled during anatomy and barely made it through that summer semester. I'm currently on academic probation and need to manage a 3.0 by the end of my spring semester, but I was optimistic going into the fall because it was seeing it as a new start. This last month has continued to be a struggle and I haven't been doing well on exams again. I study after class and on the weekends- I've stopped working and my social life has taken a big hit..yet I continue to do poorly.
For anyone who's been in a similar situation how did you get through it? I'm feeling down right now because it feels like everyone else understands the information right away and it's like I'm the only one struggling.

Having good social support is very important. Making memorizing and even clinical reasoning fun and repetitive really helped me. Certain apps where you can track your notes and recordings were incredibly helpful. Collecting all the information I have learned into a handy cheat sheet was also very helpful.

 

[PTpursuit]

I am sorry to hear you are struggling, you are not alone.. PT school is hard. I had trouble memorizing the large amount of info as well.. I struggled my first two semesters (summer and fall), and I researched endlessly on ways to be a better learner. I came across Anki (a spaced repetition learning program)... there are tons of forums and reddits on anki. Many med students use it and do well. My grades improved drastically when I started anki. The trick is, you have to review your flashcards everyday. I also met with a counselor a few times which was great to blow off some steam. Friends are important in PT school too.. we all make a group google drive folder of study guides and get together to practice for practicals and to clarify anything we have trouble with. Stay strong, believe in yourself, and don't give up. You made it this far, getting into PT school is a feat itself, now do whatever you can to optimize your learning. The real world is nothing like PT school (so far from what I've seen after being in a hospital on the cardiac floor for 6 weeks as a PT student)... just survive this part to make it to the career. It gets better, trust me.

 

[jampt20]

Thank you for all the feedback. I've had a few exams and practicals and it seems the rote memorization seems to be my biggest struggle. I scored around the average for the written exams, and did exceptionally well on the practicals.
I've been trying to focus more on my mental health, and the tip of blocking an hour or even 40 minutes for the gym or a run has helped clear my head I think. I have a really good support system and I'm definitely thankful for that.
I have found group studying to be difficult for certain things, especially those that do require just rote memorization. I am still trying to find better ways to learn and study, but it's difficult to not be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information we are required to learn in such a short amount of time. I appreciate everyone who has responded

 

[jblil]

I have found group studying to be difficult for certain things, especially those that do require just rote memorization.

In that case, get a copy of "Moonwalking with Einstein". I guarantee you will find rote memorization easy after reading that book.