Recap: “It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos”

This week was mentally and physically draining. I had an exam or skills check just about every day. I had some pretty solid performances across the board, but my favorite was from my skills check for my Clinical Biomechanics class. On paper, skills checks don’t seem too difficult, but performing palpitations in a real-life scenario can get to the nerves of most students, even myself. 

We got paired up with another classmate and performed a randomly selected motion-palpation.  The motion-palpation that I got was a “left ilium posterior glide”. This was one that I was hoping to get. After I performed the palpation, the doctor asked me a couple of questions regarding what I should be feeling and what would happen if there was a restriction in the [sacroiliac] joint. I answered the questions correctly and even confidently. I was lucky to make it out alive and with a perfect grade.

Friday was my brother Logan (27) and sister Liley’s (21) birthday. Later tonight, me and a couple of my classmates are going out to celebrate my brother as well as making through an extremely long week. We have all earned it. 

School: “The future belongs to those that believe in the beauty of their dreams”

For my Clinical Imaging class, we have learned a lot about different types of imaging modalities and what abnormalities to look for. Whether it’s anatomical displacement, fractures, or structures missing altogether. So far, we have primarily focused on x-rays and all of their various angles and views, though we have talked about MRIs and CTs (mainly last trimester).

I never knew that x-rays could be so complicated. There are many variables that go into setting up these clinical images such as patient position, radiation intensity, and level of contrast. Making sure all of these variables are appropriate will lead to the highest quality image and safety for the patient.

I have enjoyed getting comfortable with x-rays because they will be frequently referred to when I begin my chiropractic practice. They are like a puzzle. Being able to decipher what is wrong with the image that is put in front of you. I’m excited to continue learning about low-back and pelvis issues and how that could appear on an x-ray.

1 in 8 people have chronic low back pain

85% of people will experience low back pain in their lifetime

We had our first Clinical Imaging exam on Friday that consisted of 21 multiple choice questions and 34 short answer questions. The short answer questions were based off of several images that cycled through every 45 seconds. The unfortunate part about this was that if you missed a question (or didn’t have enough time to process), you would have to wait until it rotated back onto the screen. A majority of the students were not a fan of this format, and neither was I, but since I prepared well with my classmates, I believe the test went well. Only time will tell…

Conclusion: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear”

My study group (Erin and Taaron) are amongst the most motivated and determined students in our class. We are all naturally smart, but we take pride in studying and working on a topic until we master it. They have been a great benefit to my education as they help push me to be better than I perceive I need to be in order to be successful; reaching my true potential. 

Next week I’m going to be focusing mainly on Gross Anatomy (GA). I have a lab practical on Tuesday where I will have to point out the anatomy on real cadaveric bodies and then have the lecture exam on Thursday. The lab practical is notoriously known for being one of the hardest tests of the entire trimester and is one that is a determinant of whether you will have to re-take the course or not.

Taaron and I have two other students in our lab group who are re-taking GA and have expressed the level of difficulty we should expect. Luckily, we both do not fear this challenge. We embrace it and are going to approach it like we do any other exam.

We won’t study until we get it right. We will study until we never get it wrong.

— tovey.eth