Friday, January 28, 2011

Tri-7 Wk3, Day 414 - Another Week in the Books!

Well, I made it! The smiles and happiness that got sucked out of me earlier in the week is back in it's proper place :)

Now, to help myself get through Week 4 I'll need to get plenty of work done this weekend. I'm just thinking about all my patients right now. I've got 8 and responded to an email earlier today to take on additional patients. That should put me up to at least 9. There was an email sent out in a previous week asking who would like to care for ladies who are pregnant and children. I'm OK with the pregnant ladies, I know there is a lot we can do to help them out. In fact, we were discussing the round ligament with our Neurology teacher, Dr. Bub, in Geriatrics the other day because he had questioned the voracity of the Webster technique (which stretches the round ligament) but, after some research he learned, to his satisfaction, that the round ligament does contain mechanoreceptors thus, the Webster technique does have evidence to it's effectiveness. What's also interesting is that yesterday Dr. Kettner mentioned that ligamentous injuries could be considered a neurological type of trauma which, merely reinforced what I'd heard from Dr. Bub the previous day. Also, both these doctors hold diplomats and are specialist in Neruology (Dr. Bub) and Radiology (Dr. Kettner).

We had our Class IV Laser exam today and I think I did pretty well. Once passed I'll get an updated picture of my clinic badge posted :)

I'll be going up to school again tomorrow. I already had this thought of going to school on Saturday to get some work done for school but now I've got an appointment set up with my room partner to help ensure I get up there! :)

I really need to look over any previous SOAP notes I have to help get that down when working with my patients. So much of our time is spent with paper work that I need to get as proficient as possible to help maximize my time with my patients.

There's a lot I need to do so I better get to it. On the plus side - only 3 1/2 days of class next week!! Yeehaw! :)

Today's picture is of the K-Laser we use at school. It's a class IV laser which is the same class laser used for surgeries.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Tri-7 Wk3, Days 413

I guess this was my first day with patients. I had 5 appointments and three of them actually showed up :) Two had to cancel.

Exhausted and obliterated are a couple of adjectives that come to mind to describe how I'm feeling. Tuesday I was wiped out like no other day. It's hard to describe ...not just tired but completely drained ...physically, emotionally & spiritually. I'm starting to understand firsthand when we were told from an upper class student how some people get depressed or think about quitting when they get into Tri-7. I sort of think, as far as this semester goes that certain aspects have to get better because it would be hard to imagine how they could get worse. I definitely need more sleep.

There's a ton of interesting stuff going on with my classes, it's just hard to get to them mentally. I've normally always been happy at school but, that pervasive feeling of bliss for no apparent reason has kind of been replaced with dull, stoic tones. I'm very glad I'm recording my classes because of how often I find myself falling asleep in class.

Activator class was cool. I think I have a model A-1 Activator gun that I got for Christmas. That model came out in 1975. I think the A-2 came out in 1993 and the A-4 came out a couple years ago. We can get a super discount if we order one through the Activator club at school as long as we have at least 20 people ordering but even then it's a $500 item. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that. A rational thought I had today (one of very few) was to maybe finish out this trimester with what I have then, if I decide to go on and learn more about the activator then maybe get the A-4 model.

In our Research Methodology class we learned about some of the techniques with the greatest amount of research behind them. Those were HVLA, Activator and COX.

I just remembered I have a paper due in PT tomorrow morning ....not to mention a 100 question exam to get LASER certified ....
it's not quite 9 ...
I *have* to get some sleep. if i get up ....i guess i can sleep until 4 and maybe pull something off.

dead tired, just dead tired ....

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Tri-7 Wk3, Days 411 & 412, Tue & Wed :)


I keep cycling in and out of complete exhaustion. Today I knocked out my first of two shifts at the front desk of the clinic. It's pretty simple and gives us a good idea of some of the things that go on behind the scenes. For our shift we mainly work with the files, setting up appointments and act as the doctors on call in case of any walk-ins.

We had a really interesting two hour presentation by a representative from K-LASER this morning. Our laser certification exam is this Friday at 11 a.m. We learned of a Russian scientist by the name of Tina Karu who figured out why LASER therapy works. There is an enzyme called Cytochrome C Oxidase which is the terminal mitochondrial enzyme in the cellular respiratory chain. The LASER stimulates these molecules which leads to increased cellular metabolism, the end result is increased ATP production which means faster healing.

AK (applied kinesiology) was pretty cool today as well. Geriatrics was fun then straight to clinic for a couple ours work until my Dx Imag III class then HCP and *then* I finally had a good half hour break until my next shift started. It's been a busy day.

I've got four patients scheduled for tomorrow. It's late and I need to get to bed.

Right now, I'm lucky I have the commute that I do because that's been the only time I've been able to study.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Tri-7 Wk3, Day 410 ! ~ I N T E R N ~ !


Rocked the Written Exam for boards today, just crushed it! What a difference being awake for an exam makes!

Today's pic is of my Intern badge for school :)

I have *got* to get to bed. I've been up since 2 a.m. and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Tri-7 Wk2? Day 409? 408+1? 409-1?


I had a class Saturday and am not sure how to keep track of that in this blog. Part of my curiosity with this blog was tracking the number of class days it took to become a chiropractor. My Saturday class was an extra class that not everyone is taking, nor is it necessary but, I saw it as an opportunity to get better so I grabbed it. :)

For me, it was my 409th day of class but, putting a minus one afterwards seemed to have negative connotations so, maybe I'll go with the +1 appendage since it seems a bit more positive :) LOL

SOT was pretty amazing. Very amazing. I'm pressed for time again. I got home after 6 p.m. last night from school and fell asleep around 8 a.m. ...woke up at 2:30 then back to bed a few hours later until 8.
I spent considerably more time over at my parents today watching the Packer's/Bears playoff game but, it was *really* nice to be around people and not sitting home alone.

I have to pass tomorrows Written portion of our Competency Boards exam. It's scheduled for 11 a.m. I sure hope I do well. If I pass then there's a very nice breakfast I can take my parents to on February 10th from 7:20 to 9:05 a.m. It's some kind of business card ceremony designed to help celebrate successful completion of boards

...there I go on another Tangent ...I've spent several hours today looking into some of the diplomat programs available. Today's pic is the shield/symbol for the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies. There are modules held at the St. Louis Marriot West on various Saturdays and Sundays. Each module consist of 15 hours. 300 hours or 20 modules are required to be eligible to test to become a diplomat. The site is quoting $375 per module but I think I can get them for $325 as a student. A classmate mentioned a rate of $275 so I emailed the school to ask them about it. I think I'm free on the first weekend of May ...

I need to sleep to get my brain reset.
tomorrow -

7:20 - Endocrinology
8:15 - GI-UG
9:15 - GI-UG
10:10 - Soft Tissue
11:00 - Comp Board, Written retake
12:55 - Research Methods
1:50 - Diagnostic Imaging III
2:50 - Diagnostic Imaging III
4 p.m. ...come home and collapse into a warm, comfy bed!!! :)

Friday, January 21, 2011

Tri-7 Wk2 Day 408, Friday ~Snow Delay, LASERs & Diversified Exam!


We actually were informed yesterday that the school would be on a snow schedule today, awesome!
Due to the delay which precluded our first two classes, we only had one class today which was Physical Therapy II. Essentially, we did the same thing as Wednesday which was going over all the LASER therapy equipment in the Bio-Freeze lab again. After class I had about an hour before my Diversified retake.

I really wish I knew what they were looking for on those Diversified comp board exams.

Wow! I just checked my Logan email and saw a scholorship that I'm less than 1/10th of a point away from being eligible for! That and I'd have to be a Mississippi resident but, that's the closest I've been to one of those scholarships. Maybe they could have an "Over 40" type scholarship for us older adults who have never failed a class at Logan and keep chugging along.

I'm still wondering what they're looking for in diversified. I saw a whole page of things the proctors could check off, either yes or no. I caught a glance of the grading paper for my first of two diversified exams and I was guessing there were at least 14 different things that the teacher was looking for and I know he bubbled in almost all "yes" and only two "no" so, that's a good 85% which means I would have passed that first exam thus getting me through the diversified portion of the Comp Boards.

I still need to pass the written portion on Monday then I should have all my results again by Tuesday, I'm thinking.

Today's picture is me with a Class IV LASER called the Cutting Edge. Hopefully, I can be certified with the K-Laser after next Friday's exam.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Tri-7 Wk2 Day 407, Wed - Snow Day on Thursday!

Catching up on the blog here for Wednesday. It's currently Thursday and we have a snow day at Logan!!! Yeehaw! I didn't end up getting home to end my day until close to 11 p.m. last night. I'm trying to sleep a little later in the morning but the alarm is still going off at 4:45 a.m. which is making for some long, arduous days. No problem. I can do this.

Here are some interesting facts I totally forgot about until I re-listened to a few lectures while commuting.
  • Per Dr. Kuhn, According to the AMA, 80% of cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) surgeries are unnecessary.
  • One of the top three predictors for whether or not a lady will have a hysterectomy are the number of doctors in the patients zip code. (Dr. Kuhn)
  • 6% of the elderly are binge drinkers. (Dr. Bub)
Physical Therapy was very cool yesterday, we got to work with about a half a dozen different LASER modalities, including two Class IV LASERs which, I'm hoping to get certified in next Friday, the 28th of Jan.
I also learned that IHS (Internal Health Specialist) could be three letters to add after my name, right after the DC designation once the post graduate class is completed this year but, I also learned from a classmate that our Part III National Boards are on the same weekend as the last session for IHS although I haven't confirmed this for myself.
I had a CMR scheduled yesterday with Dr. Montgomery, that was kind of like a bonus section of the day to get to spend one on one with Dr. Montgomery. Quite educational but again, it's hard not to notice the vast discrepancy between a Hall of Fame doctor like Dr. Montgomery and the level I'm at now which is struggling to stay in the minor leagues and hoping to make it to AAA ball by the time I graduate.

I can't spend too much time on this blog. I still have my retake for Diversified scheduled for tomorrow at 11 a.m.

I'm loving the iPad, it's so easy to reschedule when things change. Just a tap of the item scheduled then tap the new date and you're done. I've gotten emails from a couple teachers today on reschedules due to the snow day but still have the hands on portion of our CPR training to reschedule.

I still have to get to the bookstore to get the remainder of my books needed for classes. I thought I'd head up this weekend then realized I have SOT classes all weekend. There must be a lunch hour on Saturday when I can take care of this.

OK, 1/2 hour to get cleaned up, 90 minutes on making an outline for Lower Cervicals, leave home at 11:30 to go practice Diversified w/ Dad, lunch, errands, practice Diversified again w/ Dad, study some more then, if enough time, get a third round of diversified practice in tonight.

I need to focus on now & today. One day at a time.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tri-7 Wk2 Day 406 ~ Crazy Busy! ~

OMG ...kind of unreal. I'm not even sure what to blog ....

tomorrow's pt exam conflicted with an 11:15 meeting pertaining to the bachelor's degree graduation ceremony in February so we knocked that out today from 3:45 to 5:45. Thursday I have a retake for the written portion of comp boards. I suppose not being so wiped out that one falls asleep during the exam probably didn't help me much there. I made it through 1 of the three diversified stations which, is what I was planning on and hoping to do but, that was before I learned that each section of the Comp Boards was graded independently. I'm not sure why so much needed to be kept secret about those boards. Just something as simple as how they are graded would have made a big difference. All I knew going into it was that we could fail up to 6 sections which, i thought was for the whole exam sequence, I didnt' know that applied only to the OSCE portion which, I totally crushed. Anyway, you have to pass 2 of the three stations in diversified so, I'll brush up on whatever portions I still need to pass and retake that on Friday which, unfortunately, now conflicts with my Class IV laser exam ...maybe I can finish Diversified quickly and still have enough time for the Laser exam.

Oh, we also have our hands on CPR training on Thursday ....there's a lot to keep straight ..CPR is at 12 and I'll retake the written exam at 11 a.m.

I sure have had a lot of exams for this only being my 5 day of the semester ...

Geez ....this weekend starts my SOT class. no biggie, I'll just have to work my butt off when I get home each night ...kind of considering staying at a hotel Sat night. There must be something cheap close by.

Dr. Kuhn pretty much kicked my butt today in GI-UG

oh, i also learned we have a research project due on Thursday for a class that hasn't even met yet.
Well, looks like a 9 page article to read for the research project then a page of questions and things to look up. this is interesting, the assignment is to be done on Microsoft word and emailed in on the 20th ...

breath ....breath ....breath .....

got to get to my parents to practice some Diversified and get some moral support :)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Tri-7 Wk1 Day 405, Friday


Looks like Dr. Sanders is back on Facebook! I had him listed as a suggested friend this morning and sent him a friend request. For Tri-7, Dr. Sanders teaches Endocrinology. Endo is a two hour class which, is somewhat misleading as far as study time is concerned because I'm pretty sure it's going to be one of those classes where I'll have to study as if it's at least a three hour class. Which reminds me, I was thinking of what Dr. Wittmer told us last semester about deciding what grades he wanted to get in what classes before his semester started. So far, I've always wanted to earn at least 80% or better overall in all my classes which, is what my GPA indicated I did this past semester. My two biggest classes are Dx Imag III and GI-UG which are both 5 hour classes so, if I were to pick which classes to get A's in, those would be the two classes.

Geez...the thought of A's in those two classes has me stymied. There are only two exams in Dx Imag III, the midterm and the final and you need close to perfect to get an A, not missing more than 1 or 2 questions on either exam. It's easier to wrap my brain around bumping my overall GPA to the point of say, 3.00 which is an 84% average or better in all my classes. There is a study skills seminar Monday at 11 which I have on my calendar, maybe that will help give me some ideas.

I did learn a few things about comp boards the day after we took them by Dr. Sanders. I had heard we can miss up to 6 pieces of the comp boards and still pass. Initially, I thought we had to pass everything. Then, I learned from Dr. Sanders that there are 5 sections to the comp boards and each section is graded independently and the 6 missed applies to the OSCE portion of the comp boards. I already passed 5 of those sections in Tri-6 which meant I only needed to pass 9 of the remaining 15 stations to pass OSCE. I'm rather certain I did that and think I only missed two sections of the OSCE.

The grading information would have been invaluable to me since I could have backed off on the amount of time I was giving OSCE and put some of that time towards the Diversified portion of the comp boards. As it was, I didn't study the Diversified portion at all. Without study I was figuring on passing at least one of the three diversified stations thus missing two and doing as well as I could to not miss any more than 4 stations throughout the rest of the comp boards ...anyway, my strategy was based on incomplete information. For the Diversified and Basic sections we needed to pass 2 out of three of the stations for each of those techniques.

The retake for diversified is next Friday on the 21st of Jan. and I'll plan on taking that part and studying in the interim just to be safe.

I've been making amazing use of the new iPad I got for Christmas. It's taking the best of computers and put it in the palms of your hands. It's quite unique. Ironically, the one person who most talked me into getting an iPad, Dr. Sanders, isn't allowing any kind of electronic equipment to be used in his class. I'm guessing he's probably had some issues with the iphones & laptops in the past. All I really need to do to sidestep using my laptop in class to take notes is to make my notes ahead of time from the powerpoint presentations and have them printed out before class, then jot down any pertinent things he talks about in his lectures then get that information typed back into my notes. Which reminds me, I still need to get up to Logan either today or tomorrow to print out things like Ben's Notes for each of my classes. There's just a TON of things to do.

40 Hours - that's what I have this semester. 35 of those hours are in-class lecture type of hours and there's another 5 hours minimum in the clinic. My clinic day is going to be on Thursdays. I also think the assigned clinic treatment room for me and my partner is room 177. My partner and I will alternate using that room in 1/2 hour shifts so, I'll be able to schedule patients at 11 and 12 then go to class from 12:55 to 3:40 then take appointments again at 4:15, 5:15 and 6:15 which means I can see a max of 5 patients on my assigned clinic day. Our overflow day is on Friday and there's also some way of seeing patients on non-assigned days but I'm not really clear on exactly how that works.

Two semesters ago I had a spreadsheet made up with all my classes along the top and every day of the semester along the left hand column along and filled in all our assignments accordingly. I think I'll be using my iPad to collate all that information for Tri-7. It's rather time consuming with all the classes. I'll need to enter information from our Syllabus for each of our 13 classes along with another tab I'll need to create for all my patients. That should workout pretty well. I'll have to be sure to back up my iPad on a regular basis because it's going to be the crux of everything I'll need to do.

In week 2 we'll get recertified for CPR and simple emergency medical training. I took the 25 question CPR written online exam yesterday and got a 100%. When I first took that exam in Tri-1, I got an 80%.

I'm getting a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach thinking about everything that needs to be done ...I know the only way to quell that feeling is by taking action and knocking things out, one at a time. I'm considering my patients. Even, if say, I have 8 patients total, then we're looking at 43 hours per week for school but, each of those patients needs outside work and file reviews. We have a formal review for every patient called a CMR which, I believe stands for Case Management Review that we'll do in conjunction with one of the doctors on campus.

I know I need to get 85 pages read for Dx Imag III to be caught up for week 2. Hell, I still need to buy the rest of my books for classes!

Looking ahead to the immediate future ...I have 8 hours of classes lined up for Tuesday due to the 2 hour exam I need to give to my partner over my lunch break then, on Wednesday we'll swap roles and my partner will give me a 2 hour exam which means 9 straight hours. Opps, make that 10 straight hours on Wednesday because I have a CMR scheduled for 3:45 on that day with Dr. Montgomery.

My god ...during the first three days of class next week I only have two hours free, 11 a.m. on Tuesday and 11 a.m. on Thursday. ...alright, ...
On Thursday, we have the hands on portion of our CPR training then on Friday we have a LASER therapy exam so we can be certified for class IV lasers. That will put a nifty little red "IV" in the lower right portion of my intern badge. I'll have to scan that badge for one of my daily pics when I get it.

I'm also considering upgrading my activator gun. I wasn't sure what the difference was between the $175 activator (A2) and the $500 activator (A4) other than price but, the teacher for that class mentioned the A2 provides about 26 pounds of force and the A4 can provide up to 38 pounds of force. My brother has always used the A2 but he usually only uses it for sinuses which doesn't require that much force to begin with. I'm not sure he's ever taken the activator class but, if I'm going to put the time in then I'd like to be able to fully utilize my equipment. I'll have to check with him after he gets back from Vegas. Which also reminds me, I need to get an email out to my teachers to let them know I'll be heading to Vegas myself in less than three weeks.

hmmm.... I think I'm going to get the ToDo app on my iPad updated for the next couple weeks, then get moving on what I need to be doing. There's almost too much to spend too much time looking past the immediate week.

Today's pictures are of the Activator instruments. The silver one on the bottom (from my view) is the one I currently own, it's the Activator-2 model and the one on with the red body on top is Activator-4 model.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Tri-7 Wk1 Day 404 - Thur & COMP BOARDS! :)

What a day! Everything went as scheduled. I already spent a couple hours writing down reference material on things to study to make it through comp boards for some of my fellow classmates so I almost don't feel like writing about it here again. I did just get a comment on Facebook from one of my teachers who proctored one of the OSCE stations and he said I rocked his part! :)
That comment kind of lit up my world. :)

OSCE went alright. I think there were two sections that I didn't pass and believe it or not, one of the sections I bombed was because I couldn't get my examination gloves on! LOL
I should have had my own gloves, it only took me a minute to finally get them on but, we only have three minutes per station! YIKES! I tried answering some of the questions written on my cue card while I was putting on my gloves but the proctor wanted me to give the exam before answering any questions. I kind of flubbed up the shoulder station also because I didn't know that shoulder tendonitis was the same thing as bicipital tendonitis. Oh well. Live & Learn. I know abdominal and cardio went really well and, as Dr. Guebert pointed out, I did great with his section also. I'm trying to remember what that section was ...I remember the position in the room and sitting with him.

Diversified was a little more of a stickler than I anticipated. For Div V our final consisted of getting a subluxation type listing and we could use whatever technique we wanted in order to adjust but for comp boards, the listings were a little more specific and dictated body position (either prone, supine or seated) so ...the pull-through move I would have normally used on the listing I was given went out the window ....I'm hoping I at least got through one of those three sections.

The case management section (not sure why it's called that) consisted of 15 to 20 slides of anything we may have ever seen before while in school. One guy from class said that for every four questions we got right, it would count as one correct OSCE station, thereby replacing any station we may have failed. He said most people get 6 or 7 correct.

I need to get a lot done this weekend. Studying is definitely indicated. I keep hearing horror stories about Tri-7, especially the first four weeks. So, it may be super busy but, if they can do it, I can do it.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tri-7 Wk1 Day 403 - Wednesday

I'm kicking off my Competency Boards tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. with the OSCE stations! OSCE stands for Objective Standardized Clinical Examinations. 3 minutes per station, 21 stations and 5 stations were passed in Tri-6 so, 16 more stations tomorrow.

Then, We move onto 6 adjusting stations which cover Diversified and Basic. Having a review with Dr. Montgomery earlier today makes me feel more confident about the Basic stations than any other station.

Next, we'll move onto the diagnostic imaging portion of our Competency Boards. We'll have to look at things like x-rays & MRI's and answer any questions asked about the images.

Finally, we have a written exam that's over "anything we've been taught" kind of hard to study for something like that.

That's it, then we go home. People who may need special accommodations for the boards will take their exams on Friday or Saturday. Results should be back next Tuesday. If anything is failed then retakes are 24 hours later.

At noon today we had a meeting to help inform our class what to expect with the comp boards, clinic duty and Tri-7 in general. We were told about the toll Tri-7 takes on students and how even people in very good shape have ended up with things like PVC's and AF's. Those are heart conditions which mean premature ventricular contractions and atrial fibrillations. Some students would go out to their car, roll up the windows and scream. Other's have played video games where they get to blow things up! The moral of telling us all that was to make sure we had some kind of outlet for all the stresses and frustrations that build up. If I do anything it will probably be to try and get in the gym more. That and maybe screaming in my car ;)

going for two hours of sleep. making a pot of coffee, putting the pants i'm going to wear in the dryer, setting a couple alarms then laying down. I've got to think of it like a big nap.

Anyone reading this, please wish me well, send me good, positive thoughts and prayers are welcome also. :)

Tri-7 Wk1 Day 402 - Tuesday

Snow schedule on the first day so we started with our third class at 9:15 with Gonstead which is an adjusting technique. That teacher is pretty interesting and rather upbeat. He has a diplomat in Nutrition and gave such good analogies that it prompted me to break out my recorder. The class met with Dr. Perillat during our lunch hour to start going over our clinic duties. Of course, we've got to pass Comp boards & OSCE to be able to get into clinic to get our 50 adjustments and 75 hours of clinic duty to be able to pass her class.

We'll end up with one clinic day, either Mon, Tue, Wed or Thur and then we get Friday as an overflow day. Clinic duty will run from 11 to 1 then again from 3:45 to 6:45 on our assigned days. I'm not sure how many people actually made it into Tri-7 but, the last I heard, each of us will be getting around 10 patients each! That seems a little unprecedented and quite a load to juggle. We'll see what happens. We then had two hours of GIUG Dx. That class is taught by Dr. Kuhn. As if he wasn't already smart enough with being a DACBR but, he seems to know an overwhelming amount about the gastrointestinal portion of the body as well. He was spewing out so much knowledge that at one point I was thinking to myself I need to read more about all this stuff and don't really care if the material will ever show up on an exam or not. I just want to know it.

We finished the day up with Professional Development and we were told this trimester's Pro-D class would be different and we would be meeting every week but, after taking attendance we were all dismissed so, thus far, it seems pretty much like any other semester with that class. I think there are good intentions behind the concept of that class but, maybe it's still being developed.

I can't really focus too much on my classes right now. I have to get through those OSCE exams and pass my Comp Boards. I spent 10 hours at school on Monday then was up until 3 a.m. going over xray stuff. got home tonight at 11 p.m. since I stayed after at school to study then went straight to my parents afterwards to go over some of the exams again. It's too bad I have to sleep but I am running on left over adrenalin right now and need to get to bed.

Geez ...only about 30 hours until those Comp Boards start ...7 a.m. Thursday .....