Sherman PRIDE

Where has the time gone?.....

Well lately things have been pretty crazy in my life! Between finishing 7th quarter, studying and taking part I boards (yes there is four parts plus state exams), planning my wedding, and starting 8th quarter, I feel like the last three months have just flown by. It is weird to think that I am finally half way done with my schooling here at Sherman College! It is super exciting yet extremely challenging. Even though I am just about done with the basic sciences, I now begin a new chapter and start my transition into the health center. Thus far it seems as it is not any harder just different in the fact now I change from learning the information into actually applying the information. One can think of it as somewhat of a detective trying to figure out what the problem is and how to go about fixing it. This quarter (8th quarter) I start pre-clinic which is pretty much you learning about what you need to do and what you need not to do while being on the floor. It is exciting and scary at the same time to think that I am finally to that point that next quarter I will be getting pinned!

I am not sure where the year and a half that I been at Sherman went? It honestly was here and the next day I woke up and I am starting 8th quarter. The one thing I realized with my time here at Sherman is that Sherman does not JUST teach you about Chiropractic and how to be the best Chiropractor possible, but it makes you learn how to juggle everything you need to and making sure you put what is most IMPORTANT first. 

Never Stop Learning...

While in school we learn so much good information, how do you have time to do everything? And if you are not going to do everything, how do you choose what to use? That is one thing I have to say about Sherman, is that they teach you everything that they know in order to give you all the “tools” you may ever need.

One class in particular is on my mind, and that is Ortho-Neuro. In this class we learn all sorts of different tests in order to help us figure out what exactly what is going on with the particular patient. I do have to say at first it is daunting, knowing all the information we have to learn and be able to apply for our practicals (with a time limit!!). The best part about the class is not only do we get the opportunity to learn about why we are doing each specific test, we also get the time to practice in class and allow the teacher to let you know if you are doing something wrong. Which if you ask me, knowing information and being able to properly test someone is two completely different things. You may be a master at the information, but if you cannot perform the test you are going to get false information and may lead you down the wrong path.

 I was a bit scared about having so many classes this quarter that you have to do practicals, yet after spending some time in the class and getting time to practice it got me more excited being this is what I am going to be doing for the rest of my life!

 

Which Quarter is the Hardest?! ....

We all knew that coming to chiropractic school was not going to be a walk in the park. It was going to be hard, but what a lot of people did not realize is that the first quarter you need to get in, pull up the sleeves, and get ready to work. But the question that always arises is what quarter is the HARDEST?! I still remember my first quarter here when everyone of the upper quarter students were going out of their way to be nice, giving you bits of information that would help you along your way. Let me tell you, when you are new at something and an “experienced” person is giving you words of advice you are going to take it and hold onto it dearly. Yet, how much of what they are saying is true?

It seems that whatever quarter they were in at the time that was the hardest quarter! While others tell you that all the odd quarters are hard. But also, some seem to believe that all the even quarters are hard. Yet, if you talk to students just about getting into the clinic they believe that they finally seen the “light”! The funny thing is once you talk to someone who is actually in the clinic it is the complete opposite.

 Everyone is going to have a quarter which they believe is the hardest for their own reason (whether it is the content of the material, or other issues that occur in everyday life). Therefore, after 5 quarters here I finally understand which of the quarters is the HARDEST. They all have a challenging aspect to them being you are going to be a doctor. Yet, if you know that coming in you will accept the challenge and realize that it is a process that is put forth to only make you better and to allow you to become the best chiropractor possible in order to serve your community.

What a Helping Hand Can Do

What is it about people that allow them to go out of their way to help others? Is it something that is inborn that causes them to be nice? Was it the way they were raised or more so genetics or better yet the environment in which they live?

 When someone goes out of their way to be nice it tends to make others feel good that they have someone to rely on. That is honestly what I love about Sherman College! There are so many people who will do whatever it takes in order to help you succeed. Do not get me wrong, I understand that a lot of schools are like that and want to see their students succeed, but the question that arises to what degree? If you ask me, it seems that EVERYONE at Sherman goes above and beyond what a typical student would expect when entering a school especially a doctorate school.

 What is it about Sherman that makes everyone want to go the extra mile? Is it because we all understand that we are enrolling in a school to eventually become a Doctor of Chiropractic? That everyone has the same goal, to graduate and be the best in order to help people. And if helping people is the overall end goal, why would someone NOT want to help or give a lending hand. A simple gesture can really be the difference to someone and just may be the factor that changes their life. That is just one advantage of attending Sherman College of Chiropractic!

You Are What You Eat...

Have you ever heard the saying, “You are what you eat”? What exactly does that mean? Better yet what should you eat? Being a Chiropractic student, you learn that there are three things that cause a subluxation, thoughts, toxins, and traumas. Therefore, what we put into our body can actually harm us and our overall being.

What is the perfect/right diet? You hear so many different things about what is good for you and what is bad for you, and what you body can and cannot handle. How do you combine it into one overall big picture of what you should and should not eat? Also, is it good to completely eliminate bad things from your diet or is everything in moderation a better way?

With so many different trends in today’s society what is the “right” or “best” one? Should people be concerned with what they are putting into their body? What is considered “healthy eating habits"? ….What do you think??

Time is Flying By...

It seems as if not only the quarters fly by but so do the weeks and days. It is hard to believe that it is already the 7^th week of my 5^th quarter. It is such a relief to have my midterms out of the way, yet scary to think that in a short 4 weeks I will be studying for finals. With all the craziness of tests, projects, homework, and assignments it is always good to know and realize that I am not the only person who is going through this. Everyone else at this school is also experiencing the crazy weeks that are put before us.

 

Is it beneficial to have this many classes at once, or would our time be better spent focusing on one or two classes at a time? Does studying for nine classes at once get us more prepared to take boards or just drive us insane for those weeks of constant studying? But wait….we are all going to become Doctors at the successful completion of Chiropractic school and passing all our boards. Therefore, when you applied to Sherman you had to know it was not going to be a walk in the park, that there was going to be some crazy times where you wanted to pull your hair out. BUT you need to remember when times get tough that in the end of all of this you are going to be able to help people that may not have gotten help if it was not for you. Therefore, sometimes you need to put your head down and barrel through it because there is A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!

 

What's Your Reason?...

Why does someone decide to become a chiropractor? What causes someone to want to commit at least three and a half years of schooling and over 150 thousand dollars in debt to go to Chiropractic school? Does everyone go for the same reason, or is there many reasons that get people enter school.

Working in admissions has enabled me to communicate with future students and the one questions that always crosses my mind is why are you interested in becoming a chiropractor? Some give a very general answer, that they want to help people. And even though that is a very general answer it seems to be a very common answer to future, current, and students that already graduated. Why not go a school to learn something that is going to be able to help so many people?

Yet, is that the only reason that people would want to go to school?? Surprisingly not….another big reason is that they or someone close to them where helped by a chiropractor. And they figured they should repay the favor to someone else. But then the question comes back to are they there because they want to help someone or because they were encouraged by their chiropractor….or BOTH?!

Finally, a reason that I recently heard was because of the money… Sadly enough that is a reason someone would want to become a chiropractor. At that moment I had to sit back and ask myself, how many people who are enrolled or already graduated came for that reason? If that is their reason (and everyone has a right to their own reasons) are they going to make it through school and get out of it the same thing as someone who came for a different reason? Better yet are they even going to make it through school? So the question still arises…what is your reason to why you wanted to become a chiropractor??

Tempers are RAISING.....

Students here at Sherman tend to have all different opinions when coming back from a long break. Some wished it was a bit longer, while others cannot wait to be back to get another quarter behind them. Yet, it seemed most people had the same thought before even arriving on the first day, and that was the new printer in the computer lab.

For the longest time here at Sherman, you did not have to pay to print. Which compared to other colleges was actually really good. Yet, after raising costs and people not staying near the 10 pages per day "limit", the school decided that they are going to now make the students pay for printing. From day one of the quarter to now one continuously hears chattering about this. The bad part is this is not the only thing so many students are upset about. Many of the students are complaining about the fact that not only do they now have to pay for printing (on top of the college tuition/housing/books/etc) but the minimum amount that you can purchase on a card is $20.00 dollars. That amount, to many of the students is a lot of money when they are living check to check.

So the question that fills the air at Sherman is why now? Was it because of the last couple quarters, where over printing was done? A professor that had 30 pages of notes a day that had to be printed? Or is it just a change that has been coming? Well....I guess instead of focusing on the bad, lets look to the good. Now at Sherman College we have one fancy looking printer/copier in the computer lab!

 

The Three Legged Stool

For anyone who does not know what the three legged stool is I will quickly explain it. In our education here at Sherman, we are taught to look at Chiropractic with the mind set of three factors being extremely important in the practice of Chiropractic. The three components include science, art, and philosophy. Yet, which one is the most important? Something similar to this came up in one of my classes and got me thinking. Do you need all three or can one be left out?

In my personal opinion, I believe that you need all three. Without one you are missing a crucial characteristic of Chiropractic. You need to have science in order to justify what you are doing and understand that what you do works (it helps when you have the science to back it up). You also need to have a philosophy in order to know that not only do you need to adjust someone but why you are adjusting in a certain place (focus and drive on subluxation). Finally, one needs to have an art in order to be different. So to me it makes sense that all three are extremely important, and you cannot have one without the other. Yet, if someone did not have the same education as Sherman what do they believe? Can Chiropractic as a profession continue to survive without all three of these actively present? WHAT DO YOU THINK??

 

Let the Quarter Begin :)

Well the break is over and now it is time to get back to the books. It is always so exciting to start a new quarter! Whether it is a change in pace or just a new journey, it seems like the quarters flew by. It is hard to believe I have been in the south for a year and going into my 5th quarter. That means I am only 9 quarters away from being a chiropractor. Ohhh wait...I guess I forgot to mention the fact of boards (have to pass them if I want to be a chiropractor.) It is kinda scary to think that I will be taking part I boards in March. It seems so far away, yet everyone keeps saying it is going to be here before ya know it. The sad part is they are right.

Here at Sherman there is always someone you know and coming back to hear stories of break is probably one of the best things. Yet, being Sherman is a small school it is great to see all the new faces. I try to at least meet 5 new people. I personally believe that it makes the transition easier when you have someone going through the same thing you are and can relate to them.

So, here is to a wonderful quarter for all. Let's all put our best foot forward and try to get everything possible out of this learning experience in order to become the best that each and everyone of us is capable of.