Editor’s Note: Welcome to our new chiropractic student (Illinois) blogger, Sarah Montesa!

Well hello, there is a whole lot of “new” going on right now, and me writing this blog is one of those things. So, thank you for reading, and I hope that you will continue to follow me on this new undertaking.

The beginning of a new year tends to inspire a desire for change and self-improvement. This is a great time to reflect and set intentions for the coming months. I feel like resolutions inherently leave open the possibility of failure, and that doesn’t benefit anyone. This is why I like laying down a more open-ended plan so that I have something to measure my progress against. This year I am choosing to focus on learning, honing skills, and being mentally present. We just completed our first week back after a long break, and between starting a new phase, attending a seminar, and gearing up for board exams, I am definitely working toward those goals.

In the second phase of classes, we begin assembling all of the foundational basic science information that we have been focused on for the last four trimesters into more practical applications. Just in the first week, we have repeatedly had that knowledge put to the test. Seeing how much we have learned and retained has been, um…enlightening. It feels great when you experience that, “wow, I actually know this” moment.  With the successes, there are also those opportunities for growth in which you realize that maybe you did not learn that as well as you could have the first time around. I am excited to see where I will be academically by the end of this term. 

National Students at the end of the cosmetic acupuncture seminar this past weekend

This past weekend I got to attend a seminar for cosmetic acupuncture. NUHS’s post-graduate department brings in a lot of great speakers and courses for continuing education, and this one was no different. Our instructor, Inna Melnikov, a National graduate, put on a terrific seminar that allowed us to obtain a certification as cosmetic acupuncturists, a distinction which is necessary if you would like your malpractice insurance to cover you for performing these kinds of techniques. While I got so many hands-on practice opportunities this weekend, I would have to say that my biggest takeaway from this weekend was the reminder to always work with the intention to heal. That intention, on its own, can make or break the treatment that you perform. This really tied into my new year’s goal of being more present, and as I prepare to see my own patients in the school clinic, I hope it will help me to avoid distraction and focus on making them healthier human beings.

Next week I am hoping to have some great news to report back to you all about taking my board exams. I can’t believe how quickly they crept up on me! This will be a great hurdle to have made it past as I keep moving toward the finish line. I think I am ready — in just five more days I will know if I was right. Till then, this is me signing off!