Exams are right around the corner, but I have maintained balance between school, technique, and extracurricular activities. The clinical sciences phase of school is mostly made up of Evaluation and Management classes (E&M for short). The upcoming week I have an exam in E&M of the Cardiovascular System. As a future chiropractic physician, Electrocardiogram (ECG) readings will be within my scope of practice, therefore I need to be able to read and diagnose ECGs.

My pathologies professor last trimester stressed how sports physicals should incorporate an ECG reading to prevent any athlete with an undiagnosed heart arrhythmia from exacerbating their condition. I’ve seen multiple news stories on TV about student athletes dying of myocardial infarctions due to undiagnosed enlarged hearts. Those deaths could have been avoided had they had an ECG during their sports physical. As someone who wants to work with athletes and will most likely perform sports physicals, reading ECGs is very important to my future patients. Below are a few examples of irregular heartbeats one may come across when reading an ECG.

In addition to studying for classes I have been trying to improve my adjustive procedures and palpation skills. To ensure I stay sharp, I attended both open lab and motion palpation club this past week. I helped the lower trimester students with some of the fundamentals in Motion Palpation Club.

I then worked on manipulation in open lab and even treated a fellow student who was experiencing neck pain. It was a real case and a real chance to test my ability. With the doctor watching and coaching me, I treated the patient with soft tissue, long axis distraction, and manipulation. The patient said it was great, but the overseeing doctor still had some constructive criticism. I am happy to hear what I can do to improve my technique because I want to be the best I can be and here at NUHS-Florida we get a lot of one-on-one interaction with experts in the field. It is one of the many reasons I came to NUHS-Florida.

Over the weekend I treated my girlfriend to a day in downtown St. Pete. We stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant for a couple burritos. Then we went to the Dali Museum and experienced the Disney and Dali exhibit. The museum brought in original sketches from Disney movies and cartoons. It was amazing to see the concept sketches for Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Fantasia! In addition to the Disney and Dali exhibit, we saw many of his classical paintings as well as what he considered “anti-art.” The abstract paintings were incredibly detailed; many of them had multiple pictures within the paintings. It was incredible and inspiring. As a student, I received a student discount on admission, which was fantastic for someone on a budget. We finished our visit in the garden by hanging our wristbands on the Dali wish tree.

After visiting the Dali Museum, we attended the Rowdies game, which was just around the corner. I met up with a couple friends and we watched the most thrilling game yet! We made sure to be very rowdy for our team. We jumped around, sang, chanted, and danced as we supported the Rowdies. The Rowdies won by a score of 2-1 after scoring late in the second half. It was a thrilling way to end the week.

Thank you for reading my blog, if you have any questions please email me at [email protected]