Jaclyn Leeper's blog

My New Favorite Breakfast Stop

Not too far down the road, Dunkin' Donuts opened up shop just a couple of weeks ago here in Spartanburg. I had heard many good things about Dunkin' Donuts from those who had them closeby before but had never really had much of a chance to enjoy what they had to offer until recently. Since I have been in school in Spartanburg, I have come to love their "munchkins." Unfortunately (for my tastebuds), but good for my figure, the only time I ever really got to eat Dunkin' Donuts was when my boyfriend and I would travel to Charlotte to watch the Bobcats play. Just outside the arena is a Dunkin' Donuts and almost every time we would leave the arena, we couldn't resist picking up some munchkins for the road as well as the next morning for breakfast. Now, with Dunkin' Donuts just down the street, I have to use my will power not to go overboard and to still simply save it as a special treat. With all the hours we are required to spend in the clinic this quarter, as well as the time I need outside of school to get other things accomplished, I don't have the time to exercise as much as I would need to if I ate these delicious donuts as often as I would like. Nonetheless, it is exciting to know they are just down the street so when that craving hits, I don't have nearly as far to drive to satisfy it. I was also excited to see that during the next two years (even though I will only be here for one more year), they are planning to open up 10 new Dunkin' Donuts in Spartanburg County!

ACR Class

It is 9:00 p.m. and I just finished eating a delicious meal prepared by my grandmother. It isn't everyday that I get to enjoy a wonderful home cooked meal, especially not with the crazy hours that I have at school this quarter. My grandparents are in town for the week and it has been a very special treat thus far (just as it always is). They have always been way too good to me, but I can't complain too much. I am not much of a cook but this quarter I have yet to prepare much of a meal, especially during the week. We are required to take at least a couple of electives during the course of our education at Sherman and I decided that this quarter I would take the x-ray elective. I plan to use x-rays in my office in the future so I figured taking the class would provide me with a little extra experience that could go a long way later on. When we learn how to take x-rays in the curriculum at Sherman, we are taught how to take x-rays of the average patient (size and capability). The class I am taking now, Applications of Clinical Radiology (ACR), teaches us how to make accommodations for the not so average patient. It is also the class that is required for any intern who wishes to participate in the XRI (X-ray Intern Program), working in the x-ray department on a weekly basis and gaining as much experience in this area as possible. I have not yet decided whether I am going to participate in this program but am leaning strongly toward doing so. Whether I do the XRI program or not, I hope that the information I gain from taking this class will be very beneficial to me not only now while working in the health center, but also in my future practice as well.

Board Scores

For the past month or so, I have been trying very hard not to think about tomorrow, April 25th. This is when those of us who took boards in March are able to officially find out how we did. The scores will be posted online early in the morning. I know that I won't be able to resist checking them even though I am terrified of what the results may be. I know it's not the end of the world no matter what they may say and nothing is going to change them now, but I think I am more nervous about checking my scores than I was about taking the test itself. It is only a matter of hours now before I know how much money I need to save up for my next round of Boards that I will have to take in September. No matter what, I will be taking Part III. Tomorrow, I will find out if I will also be retaking some or all of Part II as well as the Physiotherapy Board. It will be a big day and should be interesting. Other than that, I hear it is supposed to be another beautiful day at Sherman College! Today, the temperature reached the 80's and it was very sunny. I was also excited to see that the pool at my apartment complex is now officially open as well. Hopefully one of these days I will find some time to go lay out by the pool to relax and soak up some rays. Until then, I wish everyone who will be checking their scores tomorrow the best of luck!!! I'm sure everyone did great.

Spring Cleaning

Now that I have had some time to enjoy the beautiful weather outdoors, it is time for me to get busy inside. Today was a good start. Unfortunately it began at school. I was the lucky Intern On Call today which means that me and one other person are responsible for running errands around the school and taking care of odds and ends tasks that need to be completed throughout the day. We are also in charge of keeping the washers and dryers running in order to ensure that there are plenty of clean gowns to be used throughout the day in the Health Center. On these days, we cannot see any patients. We are strictly in charge of performing our daily duties and keeping the Health Center clean and in working order. It does however make the time spent in the Health Center go by very quickly. Most of us know that time seems to go by much quicker when you are busy and have plenty of things to keep you occupied. After doing laundry and tidying up the Health Center all day, I realized that it is about time for me to start my spring cleaning at home. I have company coming next week so I am going to be very busy the next couple of days trying to get some tidying up done at my apartment. It's not easy to do when it is so nice outside but it is something that has to be done. Hopefully I will have it done in the next few days. Then, I will have the rest of the time to have some fun in the sun!

Spring is in the Air

The weather outside has been soooo nice for the past several days. We have had a couple of rain showers here and there but they were much needed and were not nearly enough to spoil the rest of the beautiful weather we have been having. I am so excited that it is finally warm enough to go outside in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I absolutely love doing activities outdoors and have taken full advantage of the nice weather. Over the course of the past several days, I have played many different forms of golf. Toward the end of last week and then over the weekend, I went to play Frisbee Golf (aka Disc Golf aka Frolf) at a nearby park. For those of you who don't know, this game is played by throwing a frisbee at a basket with chains to help catch it. The park we went to had 18 holes and was quite the challenging course full of trees and winding paths. I also had the opportunity to play miniature golf (aka putt-putt) over the weekend as well. I haven't gotten to do that in a long time and it was lots of fun. Yesterday, I went to play golf, just plain ole' golf. I went with a couple of my classmates (the same ones I went to play mini golf with) and again, we had a great time. The weather was great. Toward the end of the round, it was a little overcast, but beautiful nonetheless. We went to the Red Fox Country Club which is about 20 minutes away. It is right on the South Carolina/North Carolina state line. On Mondays and Tuesdays they have a great deal: 2 people can play a round of 18 holes and get a golf cart for $30. We decided to take advantage of the deal and try it out. I was a little rusty which was frustrating at times but I am glad I had the chance to go and get some fresh air. It was the first time I had played golf since the ChiroGames that I competed in last September.

Celtics Basketball

One of the great things about Sherman College being located in Spartanburg is that there are lots of things to do within a reasonable distance. About a week ago, I spent a portion of my Saturday night watching the Charlotte Bobcats play the Boston Celtics (who happen to be one of the best teams in the NBA right now). It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, a few of Boston's starters didn't play but they still managed to have their way with the Bobcats. I actually expected it to be a lot closer, especially with some of the starters not playing because the other games between these two teams have been very close and come down to the last few seconds of the game. The Bobcats even managed to come out with a victory in one of the games. Nonetheless, it was still a lot of fun. The Bobcats arena is located in the heart of downtown Charlotte so there is plenty to do before and after the game. Below are a few of the pictures that I took at the game and a short video of the halftime entertainment which I found to be rather impressive. The show featured the "Piano Juggler," Dan Menendez. The video is kind of hard to see because our seats were in the upper level (great seats nonetheless), but I think there is enough there to give you the general idea of what he was doing. It was quite entertaining. There are a couple videos of him on youtube as well.