Danielle Zappile's Blog

A Day OFF

Today we were lucky enough to have a day off from school. It is that time in the quarter for entrance and exit exams. This is the day where the professors tests those students who are hoping to be practicing in the clinic and those students who are about to graduate. I was hoping to use the day wisely, you know studying for boards, but as of right now that has not happened! I did however go and get my hair cut and colored! It is just so unusual to have a day off from school that I really want to forget all of the projects and work to accomplish and just go out and play. But, as a responsible adult, I have decided to study and get all my projects out of the way before I go and have some fun.

I only have one class tomorrow and that is x-ray III. We have a quiz in this class every Friday so I guess that is the first thing I am going to study this afternoon. Have a great weekend!

A Little Vacation

Last week we decided to take a few days and head down to St. Augustine, Florida making stops along the way in Savannah, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida. As much as I have been enjoying my time in the clinic working with patients, it is always nice to get away and not have to worry about school, boards, etc. Savannah is a quaint southern town but I felt the same way about Savannah as I did about Charleston, South Carolina. These are beautiful cities but I feel they are lacking something. I can't quite articulate what it is about these cities that leave me unimpressed, but I just feel they don't live up to the hype.

On the other hand, I love Florida. We had so much fun in St. Augustine just walking around, site seeing, and shopping. St. Augustine is a nice little escape from my daily life. I even love the little towns from Jacksonville down to St. Augustine. Who wouldn't enjoy spending the day at one of the country clubs in Sawgrass? As with everything, our time in Florida had to come to an end and we are back in school studying and awaiting taking part two boards.

Projects

We have had so much busy work this quarter and even though I have kept on top of it from the very beginning, I am still finding I have much work to accomplish. From papers to power points there seems to be something due at least once per week. Although none of these assignments are too difficult, they are time consuming. For example, each quarter, we have to write a narrative on one of our patients in the clinic. This project takes some time as you have to continuously refer back to your patient's file. Writing a narrative is definitely something we must learn as they will be requested by other doctors, insurance companies, etc. in our own private practices. However once I get into practice, I hope to have a computer program that will help me write these narratives quickly and effectively.

Today I have to work on studying for boards, writing a paper on a chiropractic technique, and finishing my power point presentation on Paget's disease. I hope to get the paper and power point out of the way before the end of the week so that I can just focus on boards the rest of the quarter.

And remember, it is important that everyone see a chiropractor to locate, analyze, and correct their vertebral subluxations. Come on in and see me in the Sherman Health Center, I would be happy to take care of you!

IOC

Today I am the intern on call or IOC. Although this may sound glamorous like you get all the walk in patients, it is truly anything but. I consider this to be more of what one would consider housekeeping duties. For example, you check in with the clinic's receptionist and then you collect all of the dirty gowns and throw them in the washer machine. It is very important that you keep the washer machine running all day so the health center does not run out of dirty gowns. Then, it is also The IOC's duty to wipe down all tables, refill headrest paper, and turn off all the computers. Who would have thought that as chiropractic students we would be learning the duties of a maid? I understand these are duties that need to be maintained in the clinic, but after a full day of school running around and cleaning up after everyone is not something most students want to be doing. It is a shame that the school can't just hire someone for these everyday duties. So, this is just a small glimpse into what we must go through to earn our D.C. degrees.