Talking All Things Cardiopulm
This podcast is designed to discuss heart and lung conditions, treatment interventions, research, current trends, expert opinions and patient experiences.The goal is to learn, inspire and bring Cardiopulm to the forefront of conversation.
Talking All Things Cardiopulm
Episode 75: New Semester, Same Advice
It’s that time of year, the start of a new semester. For some it’s their first-ever semester, for others, it may be their last. No matter where you are in your journey, my advice for the semester typically stays the same.
Tune in for some real-life tips and study advice, to make the most of your semester and prepare you for future exams.
In this Episode:
- Semester tips to set you up for success
- Study strategies
- White paper test technique
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Welcome to Talking All Things Cardiopulm. I am your host, r Rachel Barisi, physical therapist and board-certified cardiopulmonary clinical specialist. This podcast is designed to discuss heart and lung conditions treatment interventions, research, current trends, expert opinions and patient experiences. The goal is to learn, inspire and bring cardiopalm to the forefront of conversation. Thanks for joining me today, and let's get after it.
Rachele Burriesci:Today's episode is sponsored by Jane, a clinic management software and EMR. The Jane team knows that when your workday is spent providing care to your patients, it can feel like there aren't enough hours in the day for the rest of your administrative tasks. This can mean that scheduling appointments becomes after-hour tasks, turning what should be a restful evening into an extra long workday. That's why Jane has designed a user-friendly online booking so you can give your patients the freedom to book their own appointments at their own convenience. Patients can also manage their appointments, fill out intake forms and enable SMS and email reminders from their secure online portal, which saves you from having to do it manually. To see how you can help reclaim your nights and weekends, head to the show notes, click that link to book a personalized demo or, if you're ready to get started, you can use the code CARDIOPULM1MO at the time of signup for a one- month grace period applied to your new account. Thanks again, jane.
Rachele Burriesci:All right, happy Labor Day weekend. It's Saturday. I'm recording on a Saturday, I am posting this on Saturday, just a weird week. But here we are. A random free weekend for me, but Nicki is at work, so welcome to healthcare. You know I talk to my family about this all the time because I'm usually traveling to the East Coast to try to like catch the things right. Catch my first, my niece's first basketball game she is going to be trying out for her high school team. We're hoping she makes it. I would love to be at her first game, but when you don't have a schedule in the summer, it makes it really hard to plan this. So I always joke that I am, you know, booked, you know, out into January at this point, and that's actually not a lie.
Rachele Burriesci:This weekend I have to put my weekend dates in all the way through January, so you need those dates way ahead of time when you work in healthcare and everyone's holiday pickup list is different. However, you know how different places do it. Some people do a lottery. Know how different places do it. Some people do a lottery, some people do seniority. Some people have one requirement, two requirements major holidays, minor holidays so we try our best to get the same holidays so that we're not missing things together.
Rachele Burriesci:So Labor Day is usually one of the ones that we try to get, because it's usually not a big celebratory um weekend for us and we might do a barbecue if we're home, but other than that it's. You know, it's not Christmas, it's not, it's not around a birthday Um. So we try to get this one. Plus, next weekend is our wedding anniversary. So we typically don't work on our wedding anniversary and I did not get Labor Day this year, but Nikki did and she got both days. So rare full weekend off for me and Nikki's at work.
Rachele Burriesci:So this is healthcare. This is, you know, something that we play around with. There will be a point in life where we don't work weekends at some point and that is like one of those goals to get to. So I'm always jealous when people you know are in healthcare and don't work weekends. It's just different, it's a different beast. So here we are.
Rachele Burriesci:I'm going to record today, going to post today. So happy Labor Day weekend. If you are listening to this on Saturday evening or Sunday or even Monday. All right, so this might be a quick episode today, but it's something that I've been sitting with because the school year for most DPT and PTA programs start around this time. So whether it's the semester starting or the school year starting, this is usually a new semester time. Whether you started last Monday or you're starting after Labor Day, this is usually when we start back up.
Rachele Burriesci:Advice to one specific class. I figure I will give it to more people. So there are certain things as an adult learner that I have learned as a faculty member. I have learned being in academia, that you know you just start seeing trends and things and you notice maybe who performs better or who has a harder time and you start to sort of see the big picture. And so one of the and this is for any year right If you're first year, second year, third year, depending on your program, this advice holds true all the way through. My number one tip for students, especially at the start of a new semester right, new semester, new goals. Let's literally get after this, let's step on the right.
Rachele Burriesci:Obviously, the faculty member is going to say pay attention to my class, but I truly mean this, and I mean this for so many different points. First of all, pending. If you're hybrid versus you know on ground, your schedule might be half day, whole day, you might have giant breaks, whatever it might be, everyone's program runs very differently. But why waste time when you can get the most impact during class time? It is the simplest of advice, but I noticed that it doesn't always happen that way and I do have to say that the students who typically don't pay attention tend to struggle more or tend to miss big points. So I understand, class is long I mean, I think two hours was about the average cardiopulmonary lecture time and I'm telling you, you're pushing it Like you are pushing that clock, you are taking breaks just to give breaks, but really those breaks take away from that teaching point. But obviously it's needed. Pay attention when you're in class.
Rachele Burriesci:We live in such a distracted society and I am talking to myself at this moment too but one of the things I would tell my students it's in the syllabus, right is turn off your notifications. No texting, no emailing your notifications. No texting, no emailing, no instant messaging, no Instagram messaging, facebook messaging, tiktok messaging, whatever messaging system group, me you have. Turn it off, don't get distracted Every time a notification goes off every time you send a text, every time you check an email, every time you check your to-do list, whatever it is that is distracting you from class. Every single time you pull away from what you're doing, you're going to lose time, not just the time that you're sending the text message, but the time after that when you're trying to get back up to speed and figure out what the hell is going on. We know, right, like we know, that it's happening. I could literally watch the messages happen across the room, right.
Rachele Burriesci:So, first of all, from a respect level, it is very distracting to the faculty member. When you are communicating to other classmates in the class. You can watch it happen. Right, the text. You know the hands go up to text. Or? Right, because we think we're sly on the instant messaging. Right on the computer, it looks like I'm taking notes. No, it doesn't. Right on the computer, looks like I'm taking notes. No, it doesn't. Then you see the send, you see the head turn because you want to see the person's reaction, and then you see the person's reaction and then you watch that person type back and the whole thing keeps going and it just depends on what type of faculty member you have. Are they going to call you out? Are they going to ignore it? Whatever, either way, you are losing out in that moment. Take away the distractions. You are paying so much damn money to be in that classroom. Be in that classroom. Same is true for hybrid. Same is true if you have an online class. Put the notifications down. Pay attention to what you're doing, take notes to some degree, right, and I say that because you have two ends of the spectrum.
Rachele Burriesci:I was just talking with a mentee of mine who just started teaching and she mentioned that five of the kids didn't have a notebook, a laptop, a writing utensil and just sat there and listened. Now, everyone's a different learner, so if you are an auditory learner and that is how you absorb then do you. In my experience, there are a lot less auditory learners out there, and Nikki will. If she was here right now, she would be, you know, razzing me from the back that not everyone takes notes and she was one of them, and she's one of those rare breeds that could barely pay attention and get 100 on the test. She's the one that you want to really shake right Because you worked your ass off and she's just like you know doing the crossword. I digress.
Rachele Burriesci:My point is you have to know how you learn and you have to be engaged in your learning when you're in class. Be in class. You will save so much time studying if you pay attention in that moment, if you take notes, if you pay attention to big topics, right, like if you spent 20, 30 minutes discussing a specific area. Make a note that you spent a lot of time on this idea, on this topic, on this technique, on this foundational information, because likely it's going to matter Somewhere across the curriculum. Pay attention, make a note.
Rachele Burriesci:The other end of the spectrum is the person who tries to write every single word that is said Also can be a problem because you're not necessarily retaining right. If you're just writing, you start missing. So be proactive and aware about your note writing. Build on your slides versus rewriting the whole slide. Right, be active but also engage.
Rachele Burriesci:Ask questions when something isn't landing. Participate. If a question is asked, jump in. And what I always tell my students is say it confidently. Say it with a period, because you're going to get used to articulating. This is so important, especially in the world of PT and healthcare, because you're going to have to articulate your thought process for the rest of your career. You're going to have to do it on practicals and get graded on it, and you're going to have to do it on clinicals. And you're going to have to do it when you are pitching your case on rounds to a physician nursing team. Your own staff Participate, get used to answering a question, standing your ground. It will make a huge difference.
Rachele Burriesci:So pay attention in class. Turn off the distractions. There are so many of them. They really take your focus away and make the most out of your time, because you have so much information to learn in such a condensed period of time and you don't want to be up until 2 am every day trying to learn the material. If you pay attention in class, you're going to get more out of it than anything else, and that I do promise you. All right After class.
Rachele Burriesci:Now this really depends on your schedule, right? How much break do you have between classes? I've seen everything from back to back where you barely have like 15 minutes to switch classrooms to three hours, to maybe 30 minutes. So you're going to have to be strategic about how you use your breaks, and we'll talk about that in a second. But after class, if you have, let's say, an hour break, a couple of things you can do immediately after class to help keep that information in, right? You are spending two hours in class. You're going to take a break. You're going to spend two hours in another class. You're going to take a break. You're going to spend two hours in another class. It's very easy to lose that information afterwards, right? There's just so much coming in so fast.
Rachele Burriesci:I always say PT school is hard and fast, and it truly is, so you want to make the most of it. You want to be able to retain information versus cram information. I think it's the biggest miss that we have in our schooling system is teaching kids how to study and also teaching how to retain information and not just pass a test. How to retain information and not just pass a test. It's going to be something that I think we struggle with forever, but I think it's something that we can continue to educate on. And as an adult learner, I will tell you that I cannot memorize the way I used to be able to memorize. It just doesn't stick that way anymore. I cannot just go and memorize 100 facts and spit them back at you. It has to make sense, and the more you can make it make sense, the more it's going to stick.
Rachele Burriesci:So if you have 5, 10 minutes after each class, I would recommend either on the back of your notes, somewhere that it's still contained in your information for that class, whether you do notebooks or you're doing PowerPoint slides like make a Word doc, make a folder for that class, do a white paper test. Literally, take out that white paper and jot down all of the big pieces of information that you remembered from that class, whether it was a topic, whether it's like a specific diagnosis, whether it's a specific technique. Write it down Because you're going to make better neural connections with that. If white paper testing, maybe you don't have the time for it or you want to do something different, the other recommendation would be to reread that PowerPoint and, if you have the notes that you were writing throughout, fill in the blanks if you missed something, because sometimes you'll jot notes and then you get moved to the next thing and you have this half written note down. Right, it's going to be fresh, you can be able to retain it better. So, white paper test after your class. Reread your PowerPoint one of the two In that day at some point make making flashcards or Quizlets part of your study technique exercise, kind of like a white paper test recall sort of thing.
Rachele Burriesci:But the reason why it would be helpful to make some sort of flash card after a lecture is because you're going to use that information when you're actually studying for the test and it's going to be much easier to tackle when you do lecture by lecture versus trying to do 10 lectures at a time, because making flashcards can be time consuming. So, whether you do it in a later break, whether that's what you do when you get home, try making flashcards part of your routine, and I did just date myself. You can also use Quizlets, which is basically the online version of a flashcard, but in my humble opinion, the writing connection can be very beneficial. So if you are going to use the flashcard technique, I highly recommend that you get the big index cards and I like the white ones White on both sides, no lines. So if I need to draw a picture, if I need to, you know, like if I'm doing circulation or something, I can draw a picture on one side. It also doesn't confine you, so everyone's a little different on what they like, but flashcards can be super helpful and I highly recommend that you start making them early so that you're not trying to cram making flashcards and then by the time you get to studying, you have no time left to study. I also recommend being organized across the board. So if you're making flashcards, make a cover flashcard, tell you like what section it is Maybe it's like cardiac anatomy, pulmonary anatomy, cardiac meds and rubber band them or something. Keep them organized, because these things aren't just going to be great for the test, they're going to be great for the final and they're going to be really great for that NPTE. That's a few years out, and they're going to be really great for that NPTE that's a few years out. So anything you can do to create a habit, create recall, create connection and then have the ability to actually use it to study later on is going to be super beneficial for you. So I put flashcards super high on that list.
Rachele Burriesci:I think I said this before but I'm going to say it again If something doesn't make sense to you, ask a question. If you're in class, ask in that moment. Try to get clarity. If that's not your thing or you're nervous to do that, write the question down. You can email out later and what I would recommend the most, being in a doctoral program or master's program, wherever you're at, look up that information.
Rachele Burriesci:And this is a really great time to have a textbook. Everyone's anti-book these days. I think maybe 5% of the class will buy the textbooks and I'm talking online and paper or paper. I mean, it can be so helpful to have a library of textbooks. If a topic isn't making sense, being able to read a section on that and get the depth, get the behind the scenes, sometimes just is enough to put the pieces together. When you are sitting for two hours, you might check out and you probably missed something that connected the dots. Sometimes reading can help do that. So highly recommend having access to textbooks. Highly recommend using them to help fill in the gaps.
Rachele Burriesci:All right, I have, I think, two more tips here. Use your breaks. This is a huge, important piece. I like to tell students to use their school day like a work day. The time you're on campus, make the most of it, and that includes doing things for your mental health. But figure out where your breaks are, how big your breaks are, and utilize them to your advantage so that you have to do less at home. Okay, so make sure we're bringing snacks, nutritious meals, big on meal prep. For this reason, planning your workout depending on what time of day works best for you, your schedule Plan intermittent walks throughout the day. So even if you don't have, you know, a two-hour break and you can get like a good workout in, go, take a 10-minute walk around campus, go outside, breathe fresh air, get some steps You've likely been sitting for a long period of time and also do things that can help prepare you for the next day, whether that's studying for a test, getting assignment completed, doing white paper tests, meeting with a study group or a project group, whatever you might have like, use that time.
Rachele Burriesci:Maybe this is a great time to make index cards where you are either working as a group and doing it together, maybe we do quizlets and share them, whatever it might be, maybe you just have your study group and everyone's making the same thing. Be Maybe you just have your study group and everyone's making the same thing, so they have similar type of study material. And then let's also add in some fun, some ability to make connections with your classmates, lots of things like spike ball and frisbee and playing catch, even if it's just 20, 30 minutes, that little bit of a activity and also camaraderie can really go a long way. The one thing I will say and this is where people get very upset with me is like really be careful with your extracurricular activities that you choose. I am an athlete, I have always been an athlete, but as I have gotten older and I work in healthcare, but as I have gotten older and I work in healthcare, you have to be really careful with the decisions you make on the activities you're either trying for the first time or whatever. For example, rec league basketball can be a lot of fun but, for whatever reason, tends to have a high risk of injury Ankles, acls, all of the things. Volleyball one that I would not assume to be a high injury sport in the rec league type world Lots of injuries, including shoulder subluxations.
Rachele Burriesci:Skiing really one of those things. If you haven't ever tried it before maybe during PT school, not the best time I did something I'll share a story. I'll share a story with you If I haven't shared this one before. This was not during PT school, but this was during, like adult working time. I was home on family vacation, I was at the beach and my nephew was doing something called skimboarding, and so if you are unfamiliar with skimboarding, it is a very narrow wood type board and you throw it on the wet wash of the wave. So the wave comes in, you get that like little slip of water that goes up the sand and then it scooches back down. That little bit of water that ends up on the sand is what you essentially surf on, this very skinny board.
Rachele Burriesci:So I was watching my nephew do it all day. He asked me to do it a few times I was like no, I am old and boring, so I don't do things like this anymore. And then all of a sudden, at the end of the day, I was like you know what? Look, look how simple this looks. You just run, jump, catch that little wet wash and you get to ride it for five to 10 feet and you fall. You bounce right back up. I'm watching all these people hashtag kids falling and like they just bounce right back up. So here comes Aunt Ray it's like five o'clock, the end of the day should have just, you know, called it good. And I asked my I think he was like eight at the time eight-year-old nephew to give me some instructions on how to do this. And he's like you just throw the board, run after it and jump on it. So that is what I did and I did all of the instructions, except when I jumped on the board, my ankle 100% just gave out on me and I went down like a ton of bricks and as soon as I hit the ground I said that's it, it's broken. So I was then in a boot for three months max assist transferring patients.
Rachele Burriesci:It was not fun, nor was the non-weight bearing through the city, nor was the non-weight bearing through the airport. Stuff happens. So I hate to be that person. But if you're in healthcare, if you're a student, you have to start making some adult decisions that aren't always fun, that maybe it's not the time to try rec league basketball, whatever it might be. Also, do you You're in a grown-ass adult to make your grown-ass decisions? Just throwing some wisdom based on the many things I have seen, including things I have done myself. So have some fun on your breaks, work out, get your steps, use your time to your advantage. So when you go home, you can either be done. Maybe you just have your rereading PowerPoints at the end of the night, studying for a test, whatever it is.
Rachele Burriesci:My last, last piece of advice have an end time. This is probably one of the most important pieces of advice I give to my students. You cannot wake up at six o'clock in the morning and do this until 2 am every day. It's not healthy. You're not going to retain the stuff and you're going to burn out. You're not going to retain the stuff and you're going to burn out. So be consistent with your wake up, be consistent with your end time, and that end time should give you some time before you actually go to bed so that you have like a down trend time, like an off time, down regulate a little bit before going to bed. I'm giving you this advice because I have done the opposite and I know exactly how you start to feel. And in my times of having POTS, or where I start to feel those symptoms again, it's usually when you're trying to overdo and you're not downregulating before bed. You're staying up too late and I will tell you that, as a faculty member trying to get material done for class on time, I have run this way for weeks on end and it is not healthy.
Rachele Burriesci:So use your time in school to make the most out of your day. Maximize your studying. Maximize getting assignments done, like use your time in school to make the most out of your day. Maximize your studying. Maximize getting assignments done, like use your time, get your workout in and then your evening time. You can make decisions about how much time you're allotting to school. Maybe it's minimal, maybe you have a family at home, maybe you want to make dinner every night, maybe you prefer to work out at the end of the day. Whatever it is, maximize it so that you can set yourself up for success.
Rachele Burriesci:That is my number one advice through all of this. So, number one you're paying attention in class. You are actively participating. You're engaging. You're turning off those notifications. You're writing strategic notes. Don't try to write every word and don't sit there and don't write anything down unless that's 100% how you learn. There are some people that exist that way, some people that exist that way.
Rachele Burriesci:Make sure that you are going over the material close to the time that you sat through class, whether it's white paper, testing it, rereading your PowerPoints, filling in your notes on your PowerPoints. Definitely pick up some sort of habit to make flashcards or Quizlets, whatever works for you. Use your breaks to your advantage. Get your workout in. Get your steps in Eat nutritious snacks and meals and maybe get an assignment done. Maybe get your flashcards done, maybe white paper test after each class, maybe white paper test after each class. Everyone is going to be different, but I highly recommend that you use that school day to your advantage so you have less to do.
Rachele Burriesci:At the end of your school day, Make sure you have an off time. Maybe that's 10 o'clock, maybe that's 9 o'clock, maybe it's 8 o'clock. Right, everyone has a different time where they work. Well, Just make sure you're stopping your assignments, studying, reading, anything school related, and then have a down regulate time before you go to bed. Don't just study, fall asleep studying, read, put it down, go to bed. You need that time to undo a little bit. So hopefully that is helpful for you.
Rachele Burriesci:From my experience, if you can maximize your day, if you can be active in your learning, recall is the number one thing that helps you create those neural connections, and then the ability to teach it comes after. If you can utilize your day to your advantage and set yourself up for success, it's going to make everything much more easy and also allow you to retain information for the long haul. And those quizlets, those flashcards, those things are going to come in handy for you for months and weeks and years on end if you set yourself up for success in that way too. So if you have any questions, please reach out to me. I hope this was helpful for you. Shoot me a text, instant message not during class and I would be happy to get back to you. All right, I hope you all have a wonderful day, a great semester, and whatever you have to do, get after it.
