It's hard to believe that it is already come to this time of my
schooling. I am now a quarter 12 student meaning that the only people
who are older than me at school are super seniors. I have been intern of
the month since going to Florida to the bootcamp of Advanced
Orthogonal. (4 consecutive months). Dr. Bell still hasn't figured out
how he'll celebrate cause he has never had an intern do that.
It
has been a little surreal though as I have been in clinic 5 days a week
till 7-8 each day. Now that I am just about to end, it's hard to
realize how much time will be freed up. Change is a good thing though as
I have been able to focus more time on my other projects. I have been
selling all the class notes that I have been scanning in since the
beginning of school. Also I have been teaching the Advanced Orthogonal
class with Ric and Drs. Joe and Carol Ball. It has been fun writing
tests and making videos to help them learn the process.
This
past weekend I have been going to Part IV reviews for boards. It has
been only 20+ hours learning nothing but radiology and WOW! I have
learned SO much! It really put everything together in a systematic way. I
just wish there was more time to write it all down into a program to
help other people know how to read x-rays. Makes me wonder how I will be
using technology to help chiropractors in the future. I keep making
excel files for different reasons. Maybe that will lead me somewhere...
:)
Chiropractic is truly amazing. I never could have
imagined what chiropractors do if I had not seen it firsthand. To
realize that people walk in and have problems for whatever reason, and
that all I do is find their subluxations and correct them. Once I do
that, they immediately feel better. They may not have zero pain that
visit, but their quality of life and function improve dramatically. All
of this with just inputting a small force into the body causing a
reaction within the body. It's not just a bone out of place. That is
something to tell children. In reality it is much much more than that.
How else can I help resolve people's low back pain when all I do is
adjust their neck? I am working with their nervous system and using the
reflexes that we all are hardwired with to cause a change within the
body. Yes, chiropractic is amazing.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Life During Clinic
Life has been busy. Too busy. It has been one of the most difficult things I could do. Trying to juggle clinic with classes is hard enough, but to keep up with family, spirituality, and leisure time has been near impossible. Not only that, but I have been working on several projects for the school, not because they are requiring it of me, but because I feel that I need to. I have recreated how Advanced Orthogonal is taught with an excel program that took 6 months to program, created a manual of lines of mensuration explaining how to perform this using the digital x-ray program that has now been given out to students, and I have working on an official Health Center manual that has been desperately needed for over twenty years. Trying to get new patients and doing all the paperwork for the current patients that I have along with scheduling them in has proven to be the hardest part. I thought I knew what it was like to "burn the candle from both ends", but I have reached a new level. I know that it is possible, however I know that I wouldn't be able to do this without my wife. She has been the biggest asset as I have struggled on this journey. I can't imagine doing this without her.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Post Boards 2, 3 and PT
Well I passed the next phase of national boards! I did really well too :) Part two and three are mainly about diagnosis and care plans. It was nice to know that I won't have to worry about taking any of these tests again. Now to study for part four (practicals).
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Clinic Entrance
I have never studied harder in my life.
Clinic Entrance is a test that is three hours long where you vocalize and perform tests that you have learned over the past year and a half. The following are the subjects that we are tested on:
If you perform the exam and do everything right except for something that would harm the patient, then you automatically fail the station. If you perform it right, but vocalize it wrong, then you become dangerously close to failing if not fail completely. If you vocalize it right, but perform it wrong, again you will most likely not make a passing grade (75/100 points).
Thankfully, they give you points for just introducing yourself and being professional. However once again, because of your state of mind when you are in that situation, you seem to forget even the simplest things.
Typically at least 50% of the test takers would have to retake the exam the following week. Because of this I started studying 3 weeks before the test came up. I spent around 4-8 hours a day looking over the different sections and did group studies with Emma Lockwood to make sure that we would pass and not make the little mistakes that are so easily done. As the time got closer though it seemed impossible to be able to know everything and that it was inevitable to have to take remakes.
The day before the exam both Ric Bollen and I have school from 7:30am to 8:00pm which gave us no time to study at all before the test on Wednesday. Once I got home at 8:20pm I had to run to the dentist office to clean that since Monica and Kim are in Hawaii for 3.5 weeks helping out David and Jeanette. This meant that I wasn't going to get home till 9:30pm. There was no way to do anything. On the drive home from the dentist office I felt the spirit whisper to me that I should go to Matt Alexander's home to ask him for a blessing.
I didn't have my phone since I lost that when we went camping two weeks ago at Zion's Camp in the Sierra Nevadas, so I just knocked on the door hoping that they were awake and that he was willing to give me a blessing. Thank goodness he was and he gave me a blessing and sent me on my way. I felt peace come over me and knew that I would be able to stay calm during the test.
On Wednesday just before entering the testing area, all the students waited in the entrance to the school. All of us were worried and you could just feel the tension in the air. I tried to stay by myself to keep a clear head. I didn't want to feel to someone's negative energy. I hummed "I am a Child of God" repeatedly for 15 minutes as we waited to enter the clinic area to take the test.
I started at Toggle and made my way around. I felt pretty good with each exam. I did make a few mistakes such as I had forgotten to introduce myself in the Gonstead station, almost ran out of time in vital signs because the examiner wanted me to perform it bilaterally instead of just saying that I would do so like every one else, and I thought I bombed the x-ray station.
Once done everyone relaxed. I went home and vegged till 2:30am. I just didn't want to go to bed. I still went to school and continued to be the good student. Friday came around and at lunch time the results went up. I was performing a physical exam on a patient already so Ric went to see what I got.
I PASSED!! I couldn't believe it!! Not only that but most of our class made it! I was so proud of everyone. This means that we can now move on in clinic and start helping student families, faculty at LCCW and any other courtesy patients. We still can't take on Out Patients till we are drafted in a pod (group of interns under a licensed D.C in the clinic) and have made 30 adjustments. We are all on our way to make it to graduation and beyond to a beautiful practice.
Clinic Entrance is a test that is three hours long where you vocalize and perform tests that you have learned over the past year and a half. The following are the subjects that we are tested on:
- Toggle
- Diversified
- Droptable
- Gonstead
- Spinal Analysis
- Vital Signs
- Ab-Thorax
- EENT
- Neurological and Orthopedic
- Extremities (more orthopedic testing)
- Physiotherapy
- Case History
- X-Ray
If you perform the exam and do everything right except for something that would harm the patient, then you automatically fail the station. If you perform it right, but vocalize it wrong, then you become dangerously close to failing if not fail completely. If you vocalize it right, but perform it wrong, again you will most likely not make a passing grade (75/100 points).
Thankfully, they give you points for just introducing yourself and being professional. However once again, because of your state of mind when you are in that situation, you seem to forget even the simplest things.
Typically at least 50% of the test takers would have to retake the exam the following week. Because of this I started studying 3 weeks before the test came up. I spent around 4-8 hours a day looking over the different sections and did group studies with Emma Lockwood to make sure that we would pass and not make the little mistakes that are so easily done. As the time got closer though it seemed impossible to be able to know everything and that it was inevitable to have to take remakes.
The day before the exam both Ric Bollen and I have school from 7:30am to 8:00pm which gave us no time to study at all before the test on Wednesday. Once I got home at 8:20pm I had to run to the dentist office to clean that since Monica and Kim are in Hawaii for 3.5 weeks helping out David and Jeanette. This meant that I wasn't going to get home till 9:30pm. There was no way to do anything. On the drive home from the dentist office I felt the spirit whisper to me that I should go to Matt Alexander's home to ask him for a blessing.
I didn't have my phone since I lost that when we went camping two weeks ago at Zion's Camp in the Sierra Nevadas, so I just knocked on the door hoping that they were awake and that he was willing to give me a blessing. Thank goodness he was and he gave me a blessing and sent me on my way. I felt peace come over me and knew that I would be able to stay calm during the test.
On Wednesday just before entering the testing area, all the students waited in the entrance to the school. All of us were worried and you could just feel the tension in the air. I tried to stay by myself to keep a clear head. I didn't want to feel to someone's negative energy. I hummed "I am a Child of God" repeatedly for 15 minutes as we waited to enter the clinic area to take the test.
I started at Toggle and made my way around. I felt pretty good with each exam. I did make a few mistakes such as I had forgotten to introduce myself in the Gonstead station, almost ran out of time in vital signs because the examiner wanted me to perform it bilaterally instead of just saying that I would do so like every one else, and I thought I bombed the x-ray station.
Once done everyone relaxed. I went home and vegged till 2:30am. I just didn't want to go to bed. I still went to school and continued to be the good student. Friday came around and at lunch time the results went up. I was performing a physical exam on a patient already so Ric went to see what I got.
I PASSED!! I couldn't believe it!! Not only that but most of our class made it! I was so proud of everyone. This means that we can now move on in clinic and start helping student families, faculty at LCCW and any other courtesy patients. We still can't take on Out Patients till we are drafted in a pod (group of interns under a licensed D.C in the clinic) and have made 30 adjustments. We are all on our way to make it to graduation and beyond to a beautiful practice.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Where to Practice and What to Use
I have been thinking a lot about where to practice and what are the techniques that I will do. While I would like to eventually go back to Utah, I know that I don't want to go there right away. I have multiple options available to me.
Here is my sample plan for my patients:
- I could stay here and work with Matt Alexander
- I could go to Reno, NV and work with Steve Perry
- I could go to Yuba City and work with Dr. Ellison
- I could go back to Utah and work with Dr. Free or Dr. Hanson
- I could go to Arizona and work with someone there
- I could go to some random location just because we want to
Here is my sample plan for my patients:
- Start with AMIT because it's no force, no x-ray needed and it will change the neurology of the muscles so that they will hold the adjustments easier.
- Next I would use SOT because it is also no force, no x-ray needed and is still a chiropractic adjustment.
- Then I would use Activator as it's a low force, may or may not need x-ray.
- If that doesn't help, then I will use droptable mixed with CBP to get the structural adjustment that is needed.
Student Clinic 1
It has begun! This quarter was the beginning of my clinic experience. We start out with just one patient called your reciprical. They are you reciprical because they are your peer and they are your doctor also. What has been fun is that typically it's a race to see who can get to CMR (Case Management Review) the fastest because then you are finished with the class and you'll be able to start adjusting at that point.
Typically it takes 4-5 weeks to accomplish this if you are dedicated, however I was able to set the record by doing it by week 3 on Thursday! :) YAHOO!! I was able to start adjusting on week 4 on Wednesday and again today on Friday.
I had tons of mixed feelings as I was not only excited to start, I was also filled with anxiety because this was my first time doing this. I made a diagnosis on someone. That's a big deal! People really like to know what their diagnosis is and it has legal ramifications. Not only that, but there is a ton of paper work that is always demanded of you.
I have seen other interns go up to a doctor and get reamed because they forgot a number or name. Something so simple, yet so important. I hate making mistakes, so I triple check to make sure that I have everything in order before I go up to them. So far they haven't chastised me :)
The other thing that has amazed me is the amount of time that it takes for people to get in and adjust. I have been adjusted multiple times in the health center and it has taken usually an hour to be done. Both times I was able to be done within 20 min. That to me is just incredible.
The really neat thing that is the most important is that my patient has been adjusted by me since the start of our adjusting classes. I have almost never done a good adjustment on him. Today I did a droptable adjustment on his low back - something that has hurt him for a long time and I have never been able to adjust it. It has been a 8/10 pain typically everyday for almost a year. Today he got relief. One adjustment and he felt instant relief. Talk about the best feeling in the world. Knowing that even with my novice hands, I was able to make a positive difference on someone.
I hope that this feeling continues and I start to adjust other people and especially outpatients.
Typically it takes 4-5 weeks to accomplish this if you are dedicated, however I was able to set the record by doing it by week 3 on Thursday! :) YAHOO!! I was able to start adjusting on week 4 on Wednesday and again today on Friday.
I had tons of mixed feelings as I was not only excited to start, I was also filled with anxiety because this was my first time doing this. I made a diagnosis on someone. That's a big deal! People really like to know what their diagnosis is and it has legal ramifications. Not only that, but there is a ton of paper work that is always demanded of you.
I have seen other interns go up to a doctor and get reamed because they forgot a number or name. Something so simple, yet so important. I hate making mistakes, so I triple check to make sure that I have everything in order before I go up to them. So far they haven't chastised me :)
The other thing that has amazed me is the amount of time that it takes for people to get in and adjust. I have been adjusted multiple times in the health center and it has taken usually an hour to be done. Both times I was able to be done within 20 min. That to me is just incredible.
The really neat thing that is the most important is that my patient has been adjusted by me since the start of our adjusting classes. I have almost never done a good adjustment on him. Today I did a droptable adjustment on his low back - something that has hurt him for a long time and I have never been able to adjust it. It has been a 8/10 pain typically everyday for almost a year. Today he got relief. One adjustment and he felt instant relief. Talk about the best feeling in the world. Knowing that even with my novice hands, I was able to make a positive difference on someone.
I hope that this feeling continues and I start to adjust other people and especially outpatients.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Cleanses
Many years ago I did a cleanse because I had just come back from a two year mission in Chile and wanted to make sure that I didn't have any toxins or parasites that decided to come for the ride. I got really excited about colon cleansing back then because I was also taking microbiology and learning about these different pathogens. I had great results, but it's been awhile since I have revisited this... till now.
Last year I took a class from a physiologist who discouraged from doing a "cleaning program" that you could buy. Instead he encouraged us to just eat healthier and make a lifestyle change. That has lasting results, whereas the other is temporary relief.
Once I heard that my heart dropped. I love my oreos, brownies and ice cream. Our ritual at night is to typically have one or all of these. Realizing that I will need to walk the walk instead of running the risk of being called a hypocrite, I knew I needed to change my diet and lifestyle drastically.
Two big things happened. One, Ric (classmate) helped me get a gym pass at the beginning of the year so that I could go with him two days a week. Two, 4 other classmates offered to help me out with the diet aspect. They started a 21-day cleanse from http://www.cleanprogram.com and offered to bring me lunch 4 days a week and I would bring it they other day.
I have been working out 2 times a week for 3 weeks, but this week was the first time I actually went on my own (making it 3 times this week instead of 2). I am loving it!! I don't know why I hesitated so much before. Being scared to go to a gym is a pretty lame excuse. Luckily I had a great friend who helped me get over that.
As for the diet change, that has been tough. I am an emotional eater. Last week was Monica's birthday so we decided to not officially start that week. I still ate lunches that were super healthy, but I didn't have the shakes nor did I refrain from eating my sugar. This week though was different. We started yesterday. SCARY! I made a green drink last night and I hated it. Monica was able to down it ok, and Kim sucked it down like it was lemonade on a hot summers day. This morning though was a lot better as I had Emma coach me on how to make shakes. It actually tasted good. Thank goodness.
For those of you wondering if you should change your healthy habits, just know that there are so many ways you can do it. Figure out what works for you and go for it. I know I am glad I did.
Last year I took a class from a physiologist who discouraged from doing a "cleaning program" that you could buy. Instead he encouraged us to just eat healthier and make a lifestyle change. That has lasting results, whereas the other is temporary relief.
Once I heard that my heart dropped. I love my oreos, brownies and ice cream. Our ritual at night is to typically have one or all of these. Realizing that I will need to walk the walk instead of running the risk of being called a hypocrite, I knew I needed to change my diet and lifestyle drastically.
Two big things happened. One, Ric (classmate) helped me get a gym pass at the beginning of the year so that I could go with him two days a week. Two, 4 other classmates offered to help me out with the diet aspect. They started a 21-day cleanse from http://www.cleanprogram.com and offered to bring me lunch 4 days a week and I would bring it they other day.
I have been working out 2 times a week for 3 weeks, but this week was the first time I actually went on my own (making it 3 times this week instead of 2). I am loving it!! I don't know why I hesitated so much before. Being scared to go to a gym is a pretty lame excuse. Luckily I had a great friend who helped me get over that.
As for the diet change, that has been tough. I am an emotional eater. Last week was Monica's birthday so we decided to not officially start that week. I still ate lunches that were super healthy, but I didn't have the shakes nor did I refrain from eating my sugar. This week though was different. We started yesterday. SCARY! I made a green drink last night and I hated it. Monica was able to down it ok, and Kim sucked it down like it was lemonade on a hot summers day. This morning though was a lot better as I had Emma coach me on how to make shakes. It actually tasted good. Thank goodness.
For those of you wondering if you should change your healthy habits, just know that there are so many ways you can do it. Figure out what works for you and go for it. I know I am glad I did.
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