A few weeks back I thought about Lee Iacoca's autobiography and recalled a passage in the book which stated a thought from Lee soon after he took over as CEO of the Chrysler Corporation, "It's a good thing god doesn't let you look a few years into the future or you might be sorely tempted to shoot yourself." Apparently this was due to the fact that he knew Chrysler was bleeding but, what he didn't know, and was soon to find out, was that it was hemorrhaging. I've pondered over my recent Don't Care attitude and wondered how that might relate to my brains self preservation mechanisms (assuming there is such a thing which, I think there probably is) and I was thinking that not caring is a slightly better thought pattern that wanting to shoot yourself, even if only metaphorically speaking, thoughts of self harm can not be a good thing. So, I ended up putting myself in a place of not caring, still showing up for all my classes but letting the chips fall where they may.
I was pleasantly surprised when I got my Dx Imaging III midterm grade and not only passed but did so with a couple points to spare.
I've learned the thoughts and feelings I have been having are not uncommon throughout my classmates. I can cite a few reasons why this trimester has been particularly difficult.
- National Boards
- Irene Gold Board reviews
- NBS Board Reviews
- SOT class
- IHS class
- School closings due to Snow Days
- School closings due to power failure
- My Brother's wedding
- various certifications and extra activities
- starting clinic a week late due to Comp Boards exam retake
Some of the items listed may be common throughout the year and some are more specific to myself or having clinic at this time of year. Both the Spring and Fall semesters may get hit with National Boards. Irene Gold was my choice and takes up three full weekends (Fri, Sat & Sun) which eliminated 9 days from current school focus (classes). NBS is going to be required for everyone taking boards and takes away four more school days and cause another clinic day to be lost. SOT was my choice in wanting to learn more. SOT is a great class and I wish it was part of the regular curriculum. It's been two years since we had any snow days. This also took away from pt appointments. The power failure happens from time to time with bad weather. My brother's wedding was a good thing but cost me another clinic day. I can't remember all the various certifications or extra activities but they tend to take away from possible clinic time - every Tri-7 semester students have to deal with that and starting clinic a week late is just something I had to do and has a lot to do with falling asleep during the first attempt at taking the written exam.
A classmate expressed a majority of class sentiments with the following post on facebook.com
- LOST: One large piece of sanity. Last seen at Logan College of Chiropractic studying for boards, treating patients, and taking midterms. Answers to the name Tori. Disposition is somewhat friendly with a snarky attitude. If found, please call the St. Louis Funny Farm at 314-GON-NUTS.
Another classmate I talked with yesterday said he was looked up "depressed chiropractic students" on Google and commented that he wasn't sure if this was what he wanted to do with his life.
I've also noticed the effort to respect ratio for chiropractic school is somewhat dismal. It's hard to think of another profession which requires as much effort and has as much of a jaundice view towards the profession by so much of the general public. Much of this is founded on simple ignorance of what it takes to become a chiropractor. 90% of our studies involves taking the same classes one would take if going to medical school. That doesn't mean we're missing 10% of what they learn either because we have 10 semesters instead of 8 and those extra two semesters makes up the balance of what we learn with respect to adjusting techniques.
I think I've mentioned this before but, after 3 years at Logan, I've concluded that the two main things I chiropractor does is diagnose and adjust. I say diagnose because that's what 90% of our classes consist of and I say adjust because that is our primary form of treatment. The ironic thing is that Texas is pushing legislation to remove diagnosis of diseases off the pallet of what chiropractors are legally allowed to do. The public, in general, really needs to become aware of what chripractors have to go through in order to get their degree. There's far too many people who would be stunned at the level of science oriented classes that need to be taken. They would be stunned at how much our coursework mimics that taken by medical students.
At the other end of the spectrum we have states like New Mexico that are trying to combat the deficiency of doctors by passing new legislation to allow chiropractors to prescribe medications.
Things will come full circle eventually. T'here are things chiropractors do that no other health care professionals do. It all goes back to a sign I saw in my chiropractors office back when I was in 8th grade. "If yours is not a chiropractic problem then chiropractic will not help but if yours is a chiropractic problem then nothing else will help." With this I recall one of the secondary reasons for enuresis being neurological. I recall hearing from a patient first hand who, after I did pelvic work on them, reported back to me that the night of sleep they had after that work was the first night they'd had in recent memory that they didn't have to get up in the middle of the night multiple times to go to the bathroom.
We introduce movement into joints which have previously been lacking movement. Motion in our joints is a key to health and it's a big one.
Chiropractic is very advanced medicine. We have many very plausible reasons and explanations based on solidly accepted medical knowledge of the human body and nervous system in particular but science regarding the human body, as a whole, still doesn't know everything. Eventually, as science bears out more an more, then the benefits of chiropractor will eventually become accepted facts in all communities.
Honestly though, there would seem to be enough on the table to already accept the benefits of chiropractic. .....i guess you could insert many hours worth of discussion here but, I've got a patient at 10 a.m. today that I need to get prepped for.
Regarding my preceding notion of not caring ...as best as i can tell those were transient thoughts perpetrated by stress and innate instincts based on self preservation.
I *finally* hit 20 adjustments this past week. I kind of wonder if we couldn't just have 50 appointments instead of 50 actual adjustments in order to move on to outpatient clinic :)
I'm wondering about this because 2 of the 5 appointments I had last week were canceled. I only have 5 more weeks until finals start. Getting only three adjustments in per week will not cut it. I'm continually hopeful that things will work out but reality keeps slapping me in the face.
As part of a battle plan, I can work to get in two adjustments per week with my room partner. That would be 10 more adjustments. I will be getting one of my room partner's patients which I could maybe do the same thing with to give me 10 more adjustments ...that's kind of a tall order but I need to at least work to make it happen. I've got a solid weekly schedule going with one of my patients to give me 5 more adjustments and I picked up a new patient this past Thursday which, theoretically could give me 5 more adjustments ...well, that's 50 but, I have another patient I thought I could count on and he was one of my cancellations yesterday. I'm not certain how well I can fit in those two appointments per week. At a minimum, at least once per week
pt a - 5 min, possible 10
pt b - 5 min, possible 10
pt c - 5 -
pt d - 5 -
pt e - 4 -
pt f - 5 -
at a minimum, with the 6 patients above that I'm considering is 29 additional adjustments. It's really close. I need to get one more new patient transferred over (pt b) and hope like heck that all the remaining patients are able to keep their appointments (rolling my eyes) I guess this is good practice for maintaining some type of composure when dealing with things you don't have any ultimate control over.
Other than getting through clinic, I need to get through my classes. Diagnostic Imaging III was my biggest concern because so many people in the class ahead of us failed the class and had to take it over but, with so many failing they all got special permission to retake Dxi III and IV together to be able to stay with their class.
Gonstead class is going to have to be my special project to be able to pass that class. Endo is another class of concern. We have an exam in Endocrinology on Monday and an exam in GIUG on Tuesday then regular classes on Wednesday and no class on Thursday so we can study ...HOWEVER - Thursday is my clinic day and I can't afford to miss any clinic days so I do have appointments scheduled.
In order of priority
- Getting through Clinic is my number 1 priority. I want to make it to outpatient. I want to learn what they have to teach me in the St Peters office
- Getting through ALL my classes is my next biggest priority
- Passing Part II Boards
Part II boards is this week so I'll need a bit of a push and focus this coming week for boards then that part of the semester will be OVER.
I have to leave in 95 minutes to give a physical. That physical will take about two hours. In addition to getting in 50 adjustments I need to have 75 hours of clinic time and 4 CMRs. The CMRs are Case Management Reviews by doctors at the school. Today will be my second one. I only had one patient in my initial list of patients that needed a CMR. I am planning to get my Dad into the clinic on March 26th for a physical to get in my third CMR. Then I'll need to do a regional exam on one of my patients to get in the fourth CMR.
OK - time to get ready for my 10 a.m. appointment.
Today's picture I found from Googling the phrase "holding it together" and is a pretty good representation of how I feel.
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What is this chiropractic?
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