It’s summertime! One year down,
only two and half to go until I am an Upper Cervical doctor! This past quarter
(4th quarter) seemed to fly by. Without a doubt, this was BY FAR the
most rigorous and challenging quarter out of the four, no contest. We went 8:00
am – 4:00 pm on Monday-Wednesdays, and until 5:00 pm on Thursdays with only a
one hour break for lunch. Fridays were a little more generous. It was sometimes
rather difficult to manage the 7+ hours of lecture every day and then go home and
try to figure out what in the world they talked about all day in class
(studying). This applies especially when you have other commitments like trying
to stay sane and do anything besides school. With that said, I am extremely
grateful that it is over and am even more grateful for the three week summer
vacation. The summer vacation is even that much more enjoyable due to the fact
I know that 5th quarter is going to be awesome and much easier
compared to what my classmates and I just endured the past eleven weeks.
Here
is a summary of the classes that Sherman College students take during their 4th
quarter of study:
1)
Micropathology
2)
X-ray anatomy
3)
Spinal Biodynamics II
4)
Neuroanatomy II- This course is a 9 HOUR per
week course. The last 9 hour course per week for the rest of the program. The
next longest class that we will have to take is only 6 hours per week. This was
what makes 4th quarter the most difficult quarter of the program.
The way the class is taught is at a very intense and fast pace. This course is
the continuation of Neuroanatomy I. It covers the structural and functional
anatomy of the brainstem, the cranial nerves, and the forebrain. As in
Neuroanatomy I, nuclei tracts and the effects of lesions are studied at the
gross and microscopic levels. The laboratory portion includes the study of
microscopic slides, models and brain sections. So here is a little insight into
how complex and how difficult the class is. The lab portion is two out of the
nine hours in the week. We had 17 pages of structures to learn with each page
having approximately 15-25 structures on each page. We had to know every
structure on every model in order to be successful on the test. Get this, this
exam is only 15% of the class and it was the easiest part of the class.
Although this class was only one of our eights classes during this quarter, I
probably spent about 50% or more of my study time on this class and just
crammed for every other class right before exams. You can’t afford to fall
behind in this class or you might have to take it the following quarter. Now
that we are done with this class, my classmates and I know it is all downhill
from here. Don’t get me wrong, we still have 10 quarters left in the program
with a lot of challenging courses ahead, but none will be harder than what we just
accomplished with Neuro II. (Side Note: Looking back now as a doctor in
practice, this fact held true throughout my academic career. No class was
harder than this one. It’s analogous to Organic Chemistry on steroids).
5)
Upper Cervical Technique- This course covers
knee-chest and side posture adjustment set-ups for the proper use of toggle
recoil technique for the upper cervical subluxation correction. Emphasis is
placed on correct patient placement and doctor’s stance. The correlation of
x-ray and
spinal examination findings to increase certainty in the determination of upper
cervical listings is also stressed. This class was exciting because we actually
got to learn and practice what I want to do for the rest of my life. The fact
that the curriculum teaches the course so early in the program is awesome for
the students. Now, we are completely competent in the set-ups for correcting an
upper cervical subluxation. In this upcoming quarter (5th quarter),
my classmates and I will be taking X-ray analysis 1, where we will learn how to
analyze the subluxation through x-rays.
6)
Microbiology II
7)
Case History
So,
that’s the list of all the classes we completed this quarter. Like I previously
mentioned, this was by far the most challenging quarter. I’m looking forward to
the next quarter where the intensity should tone down a little bit. After the
last day of finals, I raced home as fast as I could and began my much needed 3
week vacation. The first week, I spent a few days in my hometown of
Mooresville, NC and hung out with family and friends basically just going brain
dead. I would wake up in the morning, lift weights or run, and then go to the
pool the majority of the day. I didn’t mind sitting around for countless hours
not doing ANYTHING, as long as I wasn’t studying. After that, I went to the
mountains a few days with my girlfriend and parents to get away for a bit. It’s
really peaceful up in the Appalachian mountains, there’s just something
different when you’re up there. The people are different, everything about it just
seems simpler. If you have never been hiking or even just drove on the Blue
Ridge Parkway, I would highly recommend it. The way God paints the sky over the
mountains every day is a beautiful thing. After the two days in the mountains,
my family and I made the 12+ hour trip down to Fort Lauderdale, FL for the
week!
The
beach was awesome! The weather wasn’t always that great while we were down
there, but that didn’t stop me from hanging out in the sand and crashing into
the waves while throwing a football with my little bro. It was a great week to
rewind and relax with the family. After the Florida trip, we made the 12+ hour
trip back home to Mooresville to enjoy the fourth of July weekend. We had to
stop and load up on fireworks in South Carolina beforehand of course. On Sunday
night, a few good friends and I drove down to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
in Charlotte to see Zac Brown Band play. It was an awesome show! They did a
really great job, and since it was the 3rd of July, folks in
Charlotte were lighting fireworks in their neighborhoods behind the
amphitheater, what a great sight with great music with great friends.
Then,
the final week of my vacation, we just hung with family and friends and enjoyed
the time together before having to head back for another quarter at Sherman
College of Chiropractic. My girlfriend and I celebrated 5.5 years of being
together this past week and she just left today for a 4-month long mission trip
to Uganda to help serve orphans and build an orphanage. She recently graduated
from UNCW and just hopped on multiple planes today on her way to Africa. If
anyone is interested, she can be followed on her blog through the following
website: http://faithhopeandlove-bb.blogspot.com/.
Prayers are more than appreciated.
So,
onto 5th quarter… We have three classes in the health center this
quarter which is exciting! Especially since the last four quarters we have had every
single course in the main academic building. After completing a year at Sherman,
it feels like we have the routine and all the ropes pretty much down. A lot of
the days seem repetitive going class to class for 8 hours a day seeing the same
professors every day. It’s very easy to get burnt out and lose that fire that
was so passionately burning the first and second quarter. However, it’s also
easier to get more excited since every day we are getting closer and closer to
getting to the health clinic and getting out on our own. Speaking of getting
burnt out, all the guys in my quarter just planned a weekend island trip on
some lake in South Carolina for next weekend… everyone is already tired of this
new quarter and are not ready to let summer go, haha. I love my classmates..
it’s easy to get annoyed with one another every once in a while (8+ hour per
day Monday-Thursday… shortened days on Fridays). But, I love them all, they’re
all great people and we’ve become a close group. There’s a good core of
Christian guys in there that I can’t imagine going to school every day without
them. They help keep me motivated and driven to better myself every day and
never quit. It’s good to find that type of camaraderie here at chiropractic
school, compared to undergraduate where you are just a number and you are
competing against the people sitting next to you in order to stay on the upper
part of that bell curve. Chiropractic school is nothing like that.. It’s a
group effort. No lie, there’s been several cases where we have asked professors
to move big exams to the week after because someone was struggling or couldn’t
be ready for the exam in time. It’s an awesome feeling that we’re all trying to
accomplish the same goal and get through it together.
As
you most probably know, chiropractors are in somewhat different of a
profession. For example, most chiropractors are entrepreneurs, or that they run
their own office and are self-employed. As I am getting through this program, I
have only come to realize I am getting closer and closer to that peak which we
call graduation, then will be out on my own with 150,000 dollars worth of debt
at 7% interest in a questionable economy. It makes it seem like every positive
of being a self-employed chiropractor can also be a negative. For example, I’m
my own boss. I can do what I want in a sense, I can work how many hours my soul
desires, and sleep in on Fridays if I choose to make every weekend a three day
weekend. On the other hand, I’m my own boss… haha. For a 22-year-old kid who
still feels like he’s 17 sometimes, that can be somewhat of a gut-check every
once in a while. I have been taking nothing but science courses since high
school in order to prepare me for this very long and enduring journey of
undergraduate and graduate work. I don’t know the first thing about running my
own business. There’s only so many books you can read or advice you can take
from others, but I feel like nothing will replace that excitement/butterflies
in my stomach when I open up a practice and am out on my own with a huge roof
of debt over my head. Another cool little thing that comes with being an Upper
Cervical doctor is, if I want to be self-employed, I can CHOOSE to practice
anywhere I want in the 50 states or any country. There’s no restrictions. So,
that’s an advantage, right? Then again, there’s so many options that it can be
somewhat overwhelming at times. At some times when I’m reflecting on life and
my journeys through school, I figure, I only live once… why not live EXACTLY
where I want to live?? For example, the beautiful Atlantic Ocean on the outer
banks, the breathtaking Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, heck, why not
live in a mini-paradise and just move to Key West or Key Largo? Sometimes, I
tell myself to be humbled and strengthened by where my roots are and never
forget where you’re from. Wherever I go, there are going to be people that need
Upper Cervical Care and are unaware that they are slowly degenerating and dying
due to an upper cervical subluxation. So the endless options can somewhat be
stressful, sometimes I wish it was all taken care for me like many jobs where
they tell you where you have to work, (therefore basically where you live), you
get this much pay, and here’s your retirement fund provided for you.
But,
it’s important to think beyond this stuff… it’s important to not get caught up
in that and stay focused on the goal of caring for as many patients as I can in
wherever location God points me to. Funny thing is, I always put a bible
passage at the end of my quarterly blogs. Last quarter, I talked about what
Jesus said in the book of Matthew about not worrying and being anxious about
things in life, for God will always take care of us. So, that’s always a
reality check, I can’t always practice what I preach, which makes me a
hypocrite. But, grace is an amazing gift. Just have to have faith and trust. I
just have to be patient and listen and go to where He wants me to go. I just
wish I knew right now and had everything laid out like a story book. But,
that’s not the case and that’s one of the greatest blessings Christ gives us in
that we have freedom in Christ to make these kinds of decisions. Jesus can use
us anywhere to be his hands and feet. You can be an Upper Cervical doctor in
Wilmington, a coffee manager in Waco, Texas, or a grocery store cashier in Key
Largo. The God of all creation isn’t limited to where we live or what we do for
a living. We just have to submit to Him and serve Him and love Him with all
that we are. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Our stories haven’t been
written yet. Every day is a NEW DAY. Why worry and stress about the future? It
doesn’t add a single moment to our lives by worrying about other days… plus,
stress can play a huge role in brainstem
subluxations, haha… just ask students after taking final exams or an employee
trying to reach an important deadline.
So,
enjoy the ride. Life is a gift, not a privilege. Be grateful for each new day
and new breath and get better every day… every day, spiritually, physically,
mentally, emotionally, etc. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.
“Blessed
is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain
from her is better than gain from silver, and her profit better than gold. She
is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long
life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are
ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to
those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.
The
LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.”
Proverbs
3:13-20
God Bless,
Josh
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