Student's Journey of Becoming an Upper Cervical Doctor (11th Quarter)

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed a fun and safe Holidays with their families and loved ones. Another quarter down at Sherman College. When talking with some of the younger quarter students at school, it amazes me how I felt like I was in there shoes like it was yesterday. Starting school, I would look up to and have so much respect and admiration for all of the students in clinic and would always ask questions. Now, the roles have reversed and it just amazes me how fast this entire process has gone. I will be done with school in less than one year. I told myself walking out of my last final in December, “This will be the last time I will have to take a test this time of the year.” Around December of next year, I will be concluding my externship and getting my new office up and ready. Afterwards, we will be changing the lives of patients in my community of Wilmington, NC.

        It’s funny, I was looking back at the previous blogs I have written on the past few quarters and it’s amazing how perspectives change. About a year ago, even six months ago, I was so burnt out. I was so tired of studying, couldn’t focus, losing respect for my professors, and just needed to get away. I talked about vacations, spending time with family, and when all that fun was over, I came back to school still burnt out and miserable some days being there. The grind finally took its toll and I was just ready for something new. After a nice Christmas Break, and only having 4 classes this quarter compared to the average 8 or 9, I am beginning to spend more hours in the clinic and am now enjoying my experience a lot more. I have built great relationships with my patients and am learning new things every day. I actually enjoy waking up in the morning and going to school to see and take care of my patients. Six months ago, I dreaded setting an alarm and had a difficult time pulling myself out of bed because I knew I had a 6-8 hour day in the classroom and then seeing patients was the last thing I wanted to do. Those 11 hour days (8:00 am – 7:00 pm) are no more! Moving on with life, the batteries are refreshed; and the days are going by very quickly now. Sooner than I know it, I will be getting married to the love of my life, taking my final board exams, graduating, and starting practice!!

        So, allow me to show you the six classes my colleagues and I completed this past quarter and then we will move on.

1)      Pediatrics/Geriatrics

2)      Public Health and Wellness

3)      Clinical Case Management II

4)      Active Rehab (Physiotherapy)

5)      X-ray Review

6)      X-ray Positioning III

Last March, my classmates and I completed Part 1 of the National Board Exams for licensing. This upcoming March, we will take Parts 2 and 3 on the same weekend. Believe it or not, I already started studying for it. Material covered on the test goes all the way back to 3^rd quarter up to what we just learned this past quarter. Needless to say, it’s a lot of information and the review packets somehow cram two years of graduate school material into 50 pages of notes. A lot of memorization and clinical recognition is needed to pass these boards. As of right now, my classmates and I have a 100% pass rate on the National Boards, hopefully, we can all keep that trend going. Part 2 consists of 660 multiple choice questions and Part 3 consists of 140 questions, for a total of 800. Good thing is a much needed Spring Break is the following week. 

So to some extent, this is what I will be doing the next 12 weeks.

In addition, with graduation less than a year away, it’s very important to start narrowing down where we are going to be. When discussing these matters with my classmates, it’s amazing the places that are going to be forever changed when these future chiropractors start knocking down barriers and changing how their communities will view health. The following locations have been discussed for my seven other classmates: Michigan, Ohio, Germany, Florida, Norway, another Michigan, and South Carolina. My fiancé and I have decided to go back to the town we fell in love with during our undergrad years, Wilmington, NC. This city has held a very special place in both of our hearts for the past few years and we always long to visit and relive all those memories. We both love it so much that we decided that’s where we want to start our lives together. Barring any amazing job offer or financial struggle between now and next year, you will be able to find me on the beautiful coast of North Carolina, God willing of course.

So, that’s it. The clinic has been an amazing experience thus far. I get better every day. I still don’t get the 100% results that I demand of myself every day, but who knows, I may never get there. But the journey is so worth it. Seeing those changed patterns, and sometimes even those straight lines are GIGANTIC blessings to me on a daily basis. I just wish every person in the world knew about this form of healthcare and dove in. But, I guess that’s our job right? No, not as doctors and future doctors, but patients as well. If your life has been changed by Upper Cervical Care, tell a friend, or two, or three, or nineteen. Every specific correction can only improve their qualities of life, what is there to lose? I hope everyone has a blessed year and that we all live our lives a little better and with a stronger purpose each and every day. Because every day that we wake up is a gift, we’re here for a reason; otherwise, we wouldn’t have breath in our lungs.

Until next quarter, I’ve really enjoyed sharing my experiences with you all.

Josh

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”

Lamentations 3:22-24 (ESV)