Jaclyn Leeper (grad March 09)

It's Crunch Time

I have to admit that studying for National Boards has not been on the top of my list of things that need to be done. Two weekends ago, I spent from 8-6 Thursday through Sunday sitting in a Board Review which I am very glad that I decided to take. The National Boards are officially two weeks away and it is time for me to put in some additional hours. Last weekend, I went with my boyfriend Greg to Jacksonville, Florida to visit his parents who live there now as well as his grandparents who were in town visiting from Boston. It was really nice to get away for the weekend especially after having a weekend full of studying previously. I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with his family as well as enjoying the beautiful weather they were having. Although we didn't quite make it to the beach, we spent several hours sitting out by the pool and dining on the water. It was very refreshing and I had a great time! Now, it's time to hit the books hard. This quarter has flown by and it is hard to believe that National Boards are just around the corner. We received our schedule in the mail just a few days ago and found out that our tests will be taken on Friday and Saturday. Luckily, that gives us a couple days to unwind and gear up to start studying for finals which we will have the following week. Then, it's time for our Spring Break and my first quarter in the outpatient clinic will be over. Wow! This quarter has kept me very busy but it has been lots of fun. Now that I am in the clinic, I am really beginning to get a better taste for what chiropractic is all about. It is so much fun to be out of the classroom and in the health center. But for now, I have to really focus on studying for boards. Wish me luck!

Entrance and Exit Exams

It's that time again. Tomorrow, all of the people getting ready to enter their first quarter as an intern in the Health Clinic as well as those getting ready to begin their final quarter as an intern will be tested on many of the skills necessary to be a competent and successful chiropractor. On the surface, taking exams is typically not a very exciting subject. It tends to be stressful for all who are involved. This case, however, is different. It was only a couple of quarters ago when my classmates and I were taking our entrance exams. It is an experience that is both scary and exciting all at the same time. We were all very nervous before taking them, but quickly realized that it wasn't as bad as we had imagined. We were simply being tested on things we had been learning all along such as x-ray setups, physical exam procedures, palpation of the spine, set-ups for adjustments, and things of this nature. If you really think about it, these are all things that we have done over and over again. It is intimidating at first, but it really isn't as bad as it may seem. Once it is over, you are well on your way to the next step of your career, whether it be seeing your first patients in the Health Clinic at Sherman College or planning what you will do when you graduate. As for me, I am somewhere in the middle of these two phases. I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone taking exams tomorrow the best of luck! I know everyone will do great!

Downtown Greenville and the Zoo

As I had mentioned in one of my previous blogs, my grandparents were in town and spent an entire week with me the week before last.  It was a very busy week with it being time for our midterms.  In addition, I spent a great deal of time in the clinic working with my grandparents.  Despite having so many things to do with school, I had a great time and am really glad that they had the opportunity to come visit.  On Saturday, after coming to the health clinic early that morning, we had the rest of the day to enjoy and spend some quality time together.  It was sunny and warm with some wind but overall the weather was great so we decided to try to find something to do outdoors.  We decided to head to Greenville.  First, we went to the zoo, which acutally turned out to be really fun.  It was fairly crowded with it being such a nice day outside, but we had a good time nonetheless.  The Greenville Zoo recently added an African exhibit which includes some giraffes and lions.  It turned out great.  The orangutan exhibit was entertaining as usual, too.  Below are some of the pictures that we took at the zoo.

After we had seen all there was to see at the zoo, we headed to downtown Greenville to see the park on the Reedy River and the suspension bridge that they have overlooking the waterfall in the middle of the park.  My grandparents loved it.  It is such a nice place to be able to walk around, exercise, or simply sit and read.  Finally, after walking around the park for a little while, we went a couple blocks down the road and had a delicious meal at Sticky Fingers.  It was a fun filled day and a great way to end their visit.  They left early on Sunday morning and made it back to Kentucky  just in time for the ice storm that started on Monday and caused problems in the area just about all last week.  I had a great time with my grandparents in town and look forward to them getting to come back again when it gets a little warmer.

Skylyn

This quarter we have a class about pediatrics and geriatrics.  For this class, we had the opportunity to visit Skylyn Place which is an assisted living home here in Spartanburg.  Much of our class worked on decorations for their Mardi Gras party that was held on Tuesday, February 5th.  The rest of us attended the party and did what we could to help with the entertainment and service of food and beverages.  We were amazed when we walked in to see how packed the room was.  It was barely big enough for everyone in attendance.  Below are a few pictures that I got from the party as well as a video of some of the other volunteers along with one of the residents dancing.  Watching this man dance was the highlight of my evening.  It was great.  He seemed to be having a wonderful time and that made the whole experience well worthwhile. 

If you want to read a little more about the Mardi Gras Party at the Skylyn assisted living apartments head to Greg's blog.

Here are some of the pictures that Greg and I had taken at the party.