The past three months I have had the privilege to leave
school early and participate in an externship program instead of staying in
Spartanburg for my final quarter. The externship program is an opportunity
where students who finish their clinic requirements early can go out into the
field and shadow an existing doctor of their choice for the remaining time of
their school career. Without question, I chose to learn as much as I can from
Dr. Chad McIntyre of the Triad Upper Cervical Clinic in Kernersville, NC . He
changed my life and I am forever grateful for him and passion to bring healing
to the world. The last requirement for graduation is to write a reflection
essay to a prompt regarding my experience during the externship. So, this is
what I turned in for my final paper, my final assignment, and my final
departure from school on my way to becoming an Upper Cervical doctor.
Create an essay of reflection considering the
totality of your observation experience and how it will inform your own
decisions as you begin practice. Use specific incidents reflecting practices
that you may consider positive or negative and comment on what you will take
away from the situations
I am very grateful that I got the
opportunity to participate in the externship program this past quarter. I found
it very beneficial for me to be getting constant advice and experience on a weekly
basis. Dr. Chad developed a goals list for me during the first week regarding
all of the objectives we wanted to get accomplished during this 10 week period.
It seemed like every day there was one or two highlights that I picked up on
that were very valuable for me in all of my decision making processes. Only
because I have to mention negatives in the essay, (there really are none); the
only negative that I can say about the externship experience is the travel
distance from my place of residence to the office. There are simply not enough
Upper Cervical doctors in North Carolina, or in world for that matter. If we
had more doctors, we can help so many more people in areas that are underserved.
People have no clue what we do as Upper Cervical doctors. There is an extreme
need for more of us.
However, I experienced a vast
amount of positives during my externship experience that really gave me a lot
of momentum in the future months as I begin practice. For one, I efficiently
learned an organized system regarding processes for new patients. From first
day case histories, explanation of policies and protocols, to the x-rays were
so much more simplified and easier than what we did at the Sherman clinic. Our
interns back at school take way too long to get a patient processed and under
care under the current health center policies. Regarding day two, I learned
easy systems on how to relay information to the patient regarding report of
findings and the care plans. One of the most important things I learned during
this externship was how to DISCUSS financials with patients. The Sherman health
center handles all of that for us so we get absolutely no practice with it. In
addition, the health center system does not operate in a way that is conducive
with upper cervical care regarding when and when not to adjust patients. At Dr.
Chad’s office, I learned how to discuss how the goal is not to make a
correction every time and how the investment into their health is worth not
being adjusted all the time. If there is too much adjusting going on, we might
be doing more harm than good. If you truly educate people on your goals and
objectives AND WHAT HEALTH IS, they understand and are on board with what you
are trying to accomplish. I also learned how to effectively educate patients at
the end of care plans and transition patients into wellness/maintenance.
I also learned the ins and outs of
running the front desk and the managerial tasks needed to operate the office.
What Mollie and Sarah (office managers) do at the front desk is nothing short
of amazing. They keep the practice running smoothly and without chaos. It was
always good to walk through the front door and see their smile and know that
they are truly happy to see you on that day. They make the patients feel
welcomed and comfortable during their time at the office on an everyday
occasion. Mollie was awesome during my time at Triad Upper Cervical Clinic. She
gave me several resources, contacts, and advice throughout the entire process.
She taught me so many things that cannot be taught in a classroom or through a
textbook, but only in real life situations. Mollie also taught me how to run
the software program in order to efficiently keep the front desk organized. She
has been a great mentor and resource. I honestly expected I would be spending
100% of my time with Dr. Chad learning how a practice is operated going into
the externship. However, Mollie was so receptive and willing to teach me all of
what she knows; it has been a great blessing sitting at the front desk with
her.
In addition, I experienced huge
leaps and gains regarding patient education. Not too many people know what we
do as Upper Cervical doctors. So, educating the community is extremely
important. Dr. Chad taught me how to perform health talks for new patient
orientation classes, and how to run other education oriented events such as
movie nights and screenings. Dr. Chad and Mollie even took an hour out of their
late Tuesday night well AFTER the office had been closed and listened to me give
a health talk to just the two of them. They were extremely encouraging and
helpful providing excellent feedback and positive criticism. This along with
other aspects of practice such as scanning and adjusting protocols created the
greatest gift Dr. Chad and Mollie gave me during these three months, which was…
confidence. They gave me the confidence to do this on my own in front of
my community. Encouragement goes a long way no matter what the context or
subject, in every aspect of life.
Dr. Chad was also an integral part
in me getting my business set up. He helped with a countless number of tasks
that I still to this day take for granted. He helped me with my location
selection, my business startup documents, my equipment, my software programs,
even to the type of furniture I use. Anytime I asked him, he had an immediate
answer and I just can’t express with words on a paper how helpful he has been
throughout this entire process. Not just during the externship these past
couple months, but since Day 1 of starting school, he has been there for me
without hesitation.
Most importantly, this entire
experience refocused me on why I’m doing this. I sometimes find myself
concerned regarding paying back the hundreds of thousands of dollars of student
loans. Dr. Chad’s meekness and true passion for simply HELPING people is both
electric and contagious. I am truly grateful for everything he has taught me
and will continue to teach me on my journey of seeking to do exactly what he
does… which is care for others. Every person that I help in my practice can
thank Dr. Chad for getting me to where I am. Without him, who knows what I
would be doing… seriously, I have no idea where my path would have led if God
didn’t choose to put Dr. Chad in my life at the EXACT time that He did, when I
needed him most, when I was at my lowest of lows and the most excruciating pain
I have ever experienced. He forever changed my life, and through God’s grace,
and Dr. Chad’s passion for teaching and helping, I hope to do the very same in
Wilmington.
Finally, thank you to all the patients who let me sit in on
your visits while working at Dr. Chad’s office. I appreciate your kindness and
willingness to help me learn and absorb as much I could during your time at the
office. The lessons learned were invaluable.
Merry Christmas and God Bless,
Josh
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