Get those flashcards, boards, notebooks, and coffee…this week is all about finals! It feels like this trimester has flown by, yet it is amazing to see how much we’ve learned in these 14 weeks. This week we had our in-class Evaluation and Management of Chest and Thoracic Spine physical exam. Our professor, Dr. Freeman, partnered us up and asked the “Dr.” to complete specific portions of a physical exam on our “patient.” Such exams included taking blood pressure and cardiac auscultation, completing tactile fremitus and percussions for the pulmonary exam, and demonstrating different thoracic orthopedic tests.

Although it’s quite stressful to take an in-person oral assessment, there is an immediate sense of contentment when you realize that you know more than you think. Compared to Tri-1 where we learned how to palpate and search for landmarks on the back, I am now ending Tri-2 completely able to adjust the thoracic spine. By the end of next week, it is important to take a step back and reflect on the trimester and all we have accomplished. It’s amazing and we deserve to reward ourselves, whether it be by laying on a beach somewhere, catching up with friends and family, or finally binging that show you have been desperately waiting to watch. Self-care is important!

Speaking of self-care, I have been a patient at the clinic on campus for a while now but have recently started having acupuncture done on me to help alleviate neck aches and headaches. It has provided IMMEDIATE relief. I have to be honest. At first, I was skeptical if it would work but after the first session, my headaches were a thing of the past. I used to get headaches 3-5x a week, and now (between the manipulations and acupuncture), I haven’t really had a headache anymore. NUHS offers an acupuncture program, and after seeing my results, I’m slowly learning more about it to see if it’s a field I’d like to master as well and offer my future patients.

Anyway, I should hit the books and study for the next exams. Good luck to everyone this next week! We are almost done with this trimester!

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