Here we go again.
Tomorrow I start another term in graduate school (9 of 13). I did fine during my previous finals. My Lab final I knew was going to be difficult, and it proved to be. I will be taking a remedial class this term to compensate for my final, but I did fine, actually really good on the rest of my finals, including the written portion of the class associated with the Lab final.
This term I will be half way through the 8/9 split. WSCC allows students the option to take the 8th and 9th terms and spread them over three terms. This means that the two hardest terms can be spread out and made a bit more doable. This term I will also be working on my thesis paper for my BS program. I will be in my 3rd of 4 terms of service as the ASB1 Secretary. I will be starting the middle term of the three terms of the split. Which means that I will have 2/3 of a full term load (2/3 equates to 25+ credits). I will have every other friday off, I will have half of wed and most of thurs off. On tues I have a 4 hour break in the middle of my 6 hours of class. I will have an increased patient load (either 3 or 4) and I will need to increase my visits to make up for my lax term last term.
Next term will be similar. Then this July everything changes. I will treating in the Out Patient Clinic (OPC). I will be at school from 7 am to 630 pm every day and will have a 50% chance of having to go to school on Saturday (with a day off during the week). I won't have the option of breaks between terms. I will be treating patients that come to the school to be treated by interns in a teaching clinic. (Much like the patients who go to OHSU to be treated by medical student interns). This is one of the final stages of my education.
Also during this period I will have to take and pass the remaining NBCE exams, two in March, one in Sept and one in Nov. I have been told by my peers that have already passed these milestones that the remaining exams are pretty easy compared to the first one I took last March.(WSCC reputation is such that our students do really well, well above the national average for these exams.) But so far nothing has come easy, so I don't plan on letting that advice lull me into not over-preparing for them.
If everything goes well, next January I will be moving my family to spend the first three months of 2008, and my last 3 months of school, working in a field doctors office, as an intern, treating his/her patients. Then I will be done and my transition to Doctor of Chiropractor will be complete.
So tomorrow I start the downward slope of the mountain that I have been climbing to accomplish this feat. Wish me luck. It starts to get fast from here on out.
This term I will be half way through the 8/9 split. WSCC allows students the option to take the 8th and 9th terms and spread them over three terms. This means that the two hardest terms can be spread out and made a bit more doable. This term I will also be working on my thesis paper for my BS program. I will be in my 3rd of 4 terms of service as the ASB1 Secretary. I will be starting the middle term of the three terms of the split. Which means that I will have 2/3 of a full term load (2/3 equates to 25+ credits). I will have every other friday off, I will have half of wed and most of thurs off. On tues I have a 4 hour break in the middle of my 6 hours of class. I will have an increased patient load (either 3 or 4) and I will need to increase my visits to make up for my lax term last term.
Next term will be similar. Then this July everything changes. I will treating in the Out Patient Clinic (OPC). I will be at school from 7 am to 630 pm every day and will have a 50% chance of having to go to school on Saturday (with a day off during the week). I won't have the option of breaks between terms. I will be treating patients that come to the school to be treated by interns in a teaching clinic. (Much like the patients who go to OHSU to be treated by medical student interns). This is one of the final stages of my education.
Also during this period I will have to take and pass the remaining NBCE exams, two in March, one in Sept and one in Nov. I have been told by my peers that have already passed these milestones that the remaining exams are pretty easy compared to the first one I took last March.(WSCC reputation is such that our students do really well, well above the national average for these exams.) But so far nothing has come easy, so I don't plan on letting that advice lull me into not over-preparing for them.
If everything goes well, next January I will be moving my family to spend the first three months of 2008, and my last 3 months of school, working in a field doctors office, as an intern, treating his/her patients. Then I will be done and my transition to Doctor of Chiropractor will be complete.
So tomorrow I start the downward slope of the mountain that I have been climbing to accomplish this feat. Wish me luck. It starts to get fast from here on out.
- Associated Student Body; the student government organization.