Danielle Zappile's Blog

Physical Therapy

I decided that over this break, I would take a PT class so that I am certified in physical therapy. Since we practice straight chiropractic, physical therapy is not offered at our school. As this is the case, most of us decide to go off campus and take this course. Of course, this does not make us physical therapists, but allows us to offer suggestions to our patients, like whether or not to use ice or heat. It is actually very interesting that a lay person can tell anyone to use ice on a swollen body part, but we need to be certified in order to make this suggestion. I will be starting the class this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday, all day, we will be learning about different therapeutic modalities. Then, starting December 16th until the 22nd, we will be spending full days learning about various physical therapy related topics. It is really ashame, that Sherman does not offer this course as it is required by nearly all of the 50 states. However, this is the choice we make when we decide to attend a school focusing on straight chiropractic.

I am looking forward to learning more about physical therapy as I think it may be useful in the future. I am not looking forward to 12 hours days, but it is just one more hurdle to jump through in becoming a chiropractor.

Unexpected Surprises

I was thrilled to learn that we will not be having classes this Thursday. This is because the school has changed the health center entrance and exit exams and all of my professors will be participating. This gives me the opportunity to sleep in, complete assignments, and study for upcoming exams. I actually get more accomplished during the daytime hours so I will probably accomplish more on Thursday than on a regular school day. I still wish Sherman would consider block scheduling. I believe this would give the students an opportunity to study and learn more effectively while at the same time cutting down on in class hours.

I am also considering traveling to Greenville on Thursday and helping out the economy. I need some shoes and clothes for the health center. I also need to get started on Christmas shopping but I think that is going to have to wait until after finals!

Enjoying the Break

We have had a few days off for Thanksgiving and now it is time to gear up for the last few weeks of school. I believe we have two weeks left in the quarter and that is always crunch time. This is time where we have to catch up on all the requirements that are needed to pass our classes for the quarter. This week does not look too bad as I only have one test. I also have to spend two hours shadowing an XRI ( x-ray intern). An XRI is a student who has taken a few extra x-ray classes and assists the interns in taking their x-rays. As x-raying is not my most favorite, I am extremely grateful to these students for always being there to help us out! I have a few assignments to catch up on for school this week so I best get started so that I can enjoy the rest of my day.

Long Weeks

What a busy week! With three tests and patients in the health center it seems like the week will never come to an end. Today we have a dermatology/ toxicology exam. Tomorrow we have OBGYN and our exam on Thursday is subluxation theories. This on top of getting checks in at the health center and analysing the x-rays that I had taken yesterday. With all of these tasks to complete, I am looking forward to next Monday when we have the day off. It is only Tuesday and I am already looking to the weekend! I should probably look over the slides one more time before my exam since we have a short practical portion on the derm/tox exam at 11.