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Part III: Journey Coming to an End
Well you have finally put all the diagnosis and knowledge that you have learnt over the past 2 years of heavy studies together and you are now ready for the final test…the CLINIC. This is where is all comes together and you take all the practicing in all the courses and put it to real use with real life situations.
First of all you start out in student clinic. This is where you learn to treat your fellow students before you go to the Main clinic and see the general public. The student clinic is one hairy experience, as nobody really has a feel of what is going on because everything is so new and you are trying to get a handle on everything to do the best job that you can. On top of that, you need to bring in your own patients to help get your requirements faster. This is the first taste of what being in a real clinic is all about. Scheduling patients, getting referrals, learning to deal with no-shows for appointments…it is all part of the game. It is truly one big life experience and you learn to deal with nervousness and anxiousness but at the same time your confidence in yourself grows immensely. The greatest memory of student clinic I had was to treat and adjust a fellow student from the 4th month of her first pregnancy to the end. It was such an eye-opening experience and when she had her child she brought her in for her first spinal check-up…at 2 days old! She wanted to make sure that her child had the best start to its life, and the spine and the nervous system is a huge part of that.
So once you get enough credits in student clinic you "graduate" to the Main clinic. This is where you get to see the general public and get even closer to the real life situations of running your own practice. You need to recruit in patients that are not students and for most people they have no idea where to begin. It is a little slow at first for most but it does pick up and you make it through. It is quite a feeling when you see a person go up to the counter and pay for the services you provided…it makes you realize once and for all you are in the big leagues. Over and over again you are met with new experiences that are exhilarating, but at the same time very intimidating. If it were not for the staff doctors a lot of the time to help you work through things I do not know how you would get through. But when you look back on how far you come in that last year and half it is a true transformation. From a bumbling, innocent student to a confident, experienced chiropractor you truly go through a roller coaster of experiences and emotions but it is all worth it, and something I will never forget.
Asides from the clinical part of the last year and a half you have the schooling part. The classes definitely slow down in intensity and there are fewer to take. This is because the school wants you to concentrate more on the clinical experience, and really you have already learnt everything clinical you need to know before you start in to clinic. The courses you do take are more in the area of business, clinical case correlations, and legalities of practicing.
But rest assured, unfortunately, that there are more tests to take, and they are the Board Exams. Most places that you want to practice, whether that is Canada, USA, Australia, Europe, have rules and regulations that you must meet to be able to practice there. It is always changing as chiropractic advances, so it something to stay on top of. But one thing for sure is that there are board exams to take. It is a standardized test to make sure you meet the qualifications and skills for them to let you practice in their country, province, or state. It is generally a very stressful time, as all of your future is riding on the exams. It is a tough pill to swallow if you make it all the way through school and cannot practice anywhere to make a living and start your life. But rest assured there is a lot of help to get through these exams. Whether it is study groups with friends or organized reviews there are a lot of ways to prepare for the exams. The main thing to remember is that if you worked hard when you were first learning the material, and not just drifting through, then the information comes back relatively quickly.
One last thing about the last year of schooling is that you have to start planning for what you will be doing once you graduate. This is a fun thing to do because you can check out a lot of different options and opportunities. That is one of the greatest things about chiropractic is that it gives you a lot of opportunities to practice anywhere and anyway that you like. If you want to travel and see the world you can do that. Or if you want to go back to your hometown and start up a practice that is a possibility as well. Or if you don't have the funds or enough experience yet to start your own practice you can look for an associateship with a chiropractor already out in the field. The options are numerous but one big thing to do is do your homework and learn everything you can about where your going, who your practicing with, and anything else that comes to mind because it will stop any big surprises down the road.
Well that is all of the major points of the final year and a half of chiropractic college. As you can see there are many things to do, and wrap up, before you graduate and start your life as a doctor, but it is definitely possible. When you get to walk across the stage it will be a feeling you will never forget. But one last recommendation that I would like to say is to enjoy it. The fun is not in the destination but in the journey. It is easy to get wrapped up in everything and get to stressed out, but take time to step back and see everything around you. It will go quick, as anything good in your life does, but it is something that you will always cherish. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at DrJenkins@spineguys.com.
Yours in health,
Dr. K.B. Jenkins
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