We celebrated Veteran’s Day this week, and I want to start this blog by thanking all who have served and continue to serve our country by being a member of our armed forces. National University was closed for the day and many of us took advantage of the off day by heading to the beach. A few of my colleagues and I spent the entire day at Madeira Beach. We laid in the sand, swam in the gulf, threw a Frisbee, and played volleyball with a group of veterans. The beautiful weather made for a perfect beach day and I was glad we got to enjoy it with a group of veterans.

I took advantage of the day off to decompress before another hard week of studying. I have my second Pathology exam next Friday and I need to hit the books. We are going to be tested on the different joint diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, and many other disorders of the bone, skeletal muscle, and connective tissue. Though they all present similarly, each disease has distinct characteristics that set them apart from one another. It is vital to know these differences because treatment will depend on diagnosis.

The sunset was beautiful! It was the perfect ending to our beach day.

Differential Diagnosis is the bread and butter of the curriculum here at National University. We are exposed to clinical scenarios throughout our education so we can be prepared to make the correct diagnosis in practice. It all starts with the basic sciences and no other chiropractic school has a stronger emphasis on basic sciences.

I finished my week by attending a concert in downtown St. Petersburg. My friend from home is on tour and they happened to be playing right around the corner from me. It was really special to be able to see one of my best friends playing on his first tour. The greater Tampa area is a major hub for live music, yet another thing I love about the area.

That is all for this week! Thanks for reading my blog. Be sure to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions.