February 2010

It’s interview time once again for the upcoming DPT Class of 2013.  I had almost forgotten about interviews until a group of well-dressed individuals were led into our lab room to observe our class for 15 minutes or so.  I really like to observe people, so it was fun watching these candidates, who all looked pretty nervous (they hadn’t interviewed yet), sitting down and trying not to draw attention or wrinkle their nicely pressed suits or skirts.  There was a broad range of ages, some looking like early twenties to a few who looked to be in their late thirties, which, by the way, I think is great.

Throughout the day, three different groups came to observe, and when there was a few free minutes, I talked to some of them.  I was actually surprised to hear that some of them read this blog.  I offered to give my autograph, but they all kindly declined.  :)  However, they asked some great questions, and I thought I would devote this blog to some of their questions and how I responded.

What do you like about Regis? 

The faculty:  To me, they really seem down to earth yet are leaders in their respective specialties of PT.  On several occasions, I’ve talked with different professors about non-class related stuff, and they have given me lots of good advice. . . call me needy, but they make me feel that they care about me as both a student and an individual.

My classmates:  They are from all over the states, so there are lots of different backgrounds; however, the majority are into the outdoors and being active (let’s hope so . . . it’s kind of important in our field). 

The school:  I love the small campus feel, and I like the Jesuit mission about giving service to the community.  We are required to provide 10 hours of service each semester, and that is on our own time (meaning, school isn’t cut short so I can go and give my service; it’s usually on a weekend or evening.)  I also like free printing and free parking.  “If it’s free, it’s me.”

What don’t you like?

$$$$$$$:  Being at a private school, tuition is a lot more than other schools.  However, I guess it’s less than out-of-state tuition, and either way, graduate school is expensive.  Thank goodness for government loans (keep in mind, I didn’t say pell grant. . . . they aren’t an option during graduate school).

Microwaves!!:  There are only 3 microwaves in the building that our classes are, and we have to share it with nursing students and undergraduates, so at lunchtime, everyone is racing to be in line for the microwave.

Glass half empty or half full?  These are things, that to some, are great, but for others, aren’t so great.

Housing:  The only student housing for graduate students is about 2 miles from campus.  The majority of us pay between $400 (student housing, 1 bedroom apartment) and $1200 (renting a house) a month.

Class size:  From what I’ve heard, most programs have a class size between 30-45 students.  My class is 54 students, while the class of 2013 will have 64 students, so there are quite a few of us.

I could write a lot more about all of this stuff, but I hope this gives you a general idea of our program.  What it came down to me was how I felt during my interviews here.  I felt like life would be better balanced if I was here at Regis versus the other schools I applied at, and I have been happy here.  My family is happy here, and I’ve made a lot of new friends.  I’m not saying this program is perfect, but I am saying that I stand by the choice I made to come here.

January 15, 2010

I suppose all good things must come to an end (as the saying goes).  School starts next week.  Now, some may argue that nothing “good” is really ending; school can be great too, right?  I guess you could argue that.  Right now, I won’t, but I am really happy knowing there is nothing that I need to study for this weekend.  Last weekend of that.  So, all in all, it’s been a great break.

                However, when I say the word “break,” it’s not really a complete break.  You see, at Regis, the entire class is put into different research groups at the beginning of the 3^rd semester and you stay with that same group.  You have a professor and a topic, and the rest of your time at Regis is spent working on this project in addition to regular school work.  And even though we didn’t have school the last few weeks, several groups have been making some sort of progress with their project. 

For example, I’ve been putting in data of about 30 patients into an Excel sheet that our research group will use to assess an outcome tool we’re designing.  Our project focuses on acute care settings.  A classmate, on the other hand, will be door knocking tomorrow morning (Saturday morning, that is) to find new recruitments as part of their aerobic exercise research project.

Please don’t get the idea that I’m complaining.  This is part of graduate school.  It sometimes makes days a little more crazy than usual, but it’s great experience and it makes life a little more interesting.

While visiting family in Price, Ashley and I took Daisy and my parents' 2 dogs out for a run in the hills. Just call me the Dog Whisperer. Yeah right.

Although it was chilly, we spent most of our time outdoors, from feeding Grandpa's cows to bringing in firewood.

December 30, 2009

Here Spencer and I pose with a hippo at the Denver Zoo Christmas Light Show. Lots of fun.

Another Christmas has come and gone.  Like the majority of my classmates, we went home for the holidays.  The only eventful part of our 8 hour drive to Utah consisted of watching Spencer torment Daisy by putting treats by her nose then hurrying and eating them himself instead (Usually, Daisy is in the very back of the car, but this time she got to sit right next to Spencer, which also meant she was breathing down my neck from time to time to get a better view of what was ahead on the road).

                Christmas morning has become more and more exciting as Spencer is getting older.  He’s slowly getting the idea about Santa and so he was really excited to see presents magically appear in the front room.  I’m most proud of the stick horse I made for him.  The other day, while reviewing what textbooks I still need to buy for the upcoming semester, I think I should have asked Santa for some of those books.  Oh well . . . . I really did need that remote control helicopter that I’m waiting for either Spencer to eventually break or Daisy to bite while in the air.

                So, amid 4-wheeler riding, sledding, feeding Grandpa’s cows, and reading NON-textbooks (it’s such a relief), it has been a nice break so far.

Just having fun after a week full of stressful tests.

December 15, 2009

Finals are officially over.  Semester IV of DPT school is checked off.  The tests weren’t too bad; just a week of cramming and stressing.  As usual, all 4 tests were comprehensive, and, as usual, the majority of the questions asked, “What is the BEST option? “ and then you have 4 options that are all correct, but you’ve got to figure out which one is the “best.”  Those questions really give me headaches. 

This was the first semester, however, to have one of our finals done on the computer.  It was for the class Diagnostic Imaging and so I suppose it makes sense to have a computer screen to see X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans versus having them on paper.  It wasn’t bad, just different.  Enough of finals talk; it’s making me nervous again.

We had a class party a day after finals to celebrate another semester over.  We had some food, sang Christmas songs, and had a fun time.  Spencer, of course, loved the enclosed room to run around wild amongst everyone; no one seemed to mind.  It’s crazy to think we’re pretty much halfway done with our program.  We just have one more full semester of coursework this spring, and then after that, more clinicals.

A lot of classmates have already flown home; several others are sticking around a bit to hit the snowy mountains.  We’re heading home to Utah at the end of the week to spend Christmas and New Year’s with family.  It’s about a 6-8 hour drive.  Spencer loves it at our parents’ homes (Ashley and I are from the same town) because he gets spoiled rotten and gets away with pretty much anything.  We like the break as well.  Although Denver is really growing on us, it is nice to get out of the city for a few weeks.  Hopefully spring semester doesn’t come too fast.  Merry Christmas!

Here's a picture of us and a few classmates at the Golden Candlight Christmas Parade. It was COLD but fun.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Day! This was during Finals Week. What a great way to loosen the tension.

The three of us played the music (the guy without a guitar was coaxed into leading the singing) while everyone else sang during our Christmas party.

December 2009

                This week our class has two practical exams:  one in Neuro-management I and another in Musculoskeletal Management II.  They basically consist of 15-30 minutes of high stress, fear, sweat, near black-outs, cold sweat anticipation, and performing Physical Therapy “services” to a faculty member who acts like a patient while another faculty member is breathing behind your back grading you on your performance and asking you questions when they want clarification/rationale for doing something or when they think you’re full of it.  Trust me, they’re pretty good at calling out BS when it’s there.

                With that in mind, this entry is going to be short.  The last two weeks have been crazy with group assignments, quizzes, and skills checks, so the Thanksgiving break was needed.  While many classmates flew/drove home to visit family, we stayed here and had Thanksgiving dinner with classmates.  Since Spencer was the only child, he was the spotlight and therefore performed one thing after another.  The food was good and the company even better.

                Over the break, amidst studying and preparing for these practicals, we put up our Christmas decorations and tree and it dawned on me that this is our second Christmas here in Denver.  It really has become our home and I’m pretty sure this city is growing on us. 

                The next time I write an entry, these practicals will be long over with and finals we be a thing of the past.  Just one day at a time.

A quick photo as we begin to dive into our Thanksgiving dinner food.

Here we are playing some card games while Spencer wrecks havoc on those in striking distance.

Surprisingly, with all the decorations and ornaments getting unwrapped and put up, Spencer only broke 2 things. He just wanted to be a part of it all.

THE LONGEST DAY OF MY LIFE

I’ve been asked on several occasions what a typical day is as a DPT student at Regis.  I respond, “Usually, we start class between 8 and 10 AM (depending on the day); we’ll get a lunch break from noon ‘till 1, then classes/labs until 3 or 5 PM (again, depending on the day).  Keep in mind, of course, that doesn’t include any studying time.  Well, last Thursday constituted the LONGEST SCHOOL DAY OF MY LIFE.  It went as follows:

                7:00 AM:  I’m already on campus trying to finish finding research articles for a small group tutorial discussion starting in an hour.

I see this sunrise every morning as I'm getting ready to go to school. Unfortunately, since the days are getting shorter, we're sometimes still in class or studying when the sun is setting over the mountains.

                8:00 AM – 10:45 AM:  Lots of blurry moments of discussing a “patient scenario” who had a stroke at a picnic and we’re going through the process of treating him.  Someone brought donuts.  That definitely helped.

                11:15 AM:  A group of us got Little Caesar’s Pizza since we had to make up a lab (from a snow day) in 15 minutes and we didn’t want to worry about heating up food on campus.

                11:30 AM – 4 PM:  Musculoskeletal Management II Lab . . . aka I’m getting joints I didn’t know about poked, prodded, and mobilized again and again and again.  I can bend over a lot further now.

                4 PM – 6:30 PM:  Diagnostic Imaging Lab, this one involving electrical currents to nerves.  Probably not the best lab to have when everyone is on their last wind; welcome to PT school. . . that’s where we thrive. 

Actually, who knows where this lab came from (meaning, why at the end of such a long day?), but I suppose it had to be fit in somewhere. . . . so why not now?

                7 PM:  Finally home (I wasn’t sure how I got there), ate dinner, helped bathe Spencer and get him ready for bed, and get ready for the next day.  Oh yeah, I’d better study a little.

There you have it.  That was a Thursday.  It was tough, and it just got even more exciting with a test the following Monday, a quiz on Tuesday, a skills check on Wednesday, and a journal due on Friday.  Thankfully another paper that was due on Friday as well was postponed until the following Monday. What helped, though, was a bunch of us on the Monday of the exam decided to celebrate the 120^th Anniversary of Montana joining the Union by wearing flannel to school, since, come on, there are 5 or 6 classmates from that beautiful state.  You’ve just got to show support sometimes.  It helped break up the monotony, to say the least, and it made for a great photo and memory.  Why Montana and flannel?  Who knows.

Who doesn't celebrate the 120th Anniversary of Montana joining the Union? What a fun bunch of future Physical Therapists.

Here's a picture of some classmates during the Halloween costume contest. Just imagine 30 of us like that.

Actually you don't have to imagine...here we are!

 

PT Management and Halloween : November 2009

This semester we’ve really dived into the “PT Management” courses. . . . which means lots and lots of labs. Some, of course, are more interesting than others. For example, this photo gives you an idea of one of the more exciting times of a neuro-management lab this past week. Here, a classmate was put into a harness and hung over a treadmill to practice “body weight support treadmill training.” And there’s even research to validate the effectiveness of it!

 

Nothing is as fun as experimenting with classmates on the different interventions and equipment we learn about in class.

Although I couldn’t locate a picture yet for this blog, just try and imagine a large group of students all dressed up as mimes. That was our class theme for a school costume contest on Friday, October 30th. The majority of our class participated, and it was a lot of fun. We even got 3rd place at the group contest, losing, unfortunately, to the DPT class of 2012 as a “Where’s Waldo?” theme and another group dressed as cereal box themes.

Halloween was lots of fun with Spencer tromping around the neighborhood in the lion costume that his grandma had made. That’s right, nothing store bought. And he caught on very fast to the concept of Halloween: run to the door; pound on the door; receive candy. Next house. From the photo, you can even see that Daisy dressed up as a bumble bee to take part in the spirit of the season.

 

We all pose after coming home from a night out getting sugar. To Daisy's delight, she even got a bone from one of the houses we knocked on.

Spencer had quite the growl to go with his costume.

 

 

October 2009

Well, we’re back into the classroom, and that includes long hours of lectures, labs, article reading, and all the planning involved with when this assignment is due or when that quiz will be held. I’ll spare you the details, but for those interested, year 2 (which we’ve just started) involves A LOT more article reading than year 1. And I’m not referring to articles from mainstream magazines; these are all from academic sources, which mean some are more interesting than others. The positive thing is that I’m starting to actually understand these articles. But that’s a whole different topic there.

In the midst of the above battles, our program is unique in that we have EVERY (all caps for emphasis) Wednesday morning off. Other programs may have a different schedule, but I love having that morning to catch up on homework, study, and if I’m being truly honest, put homework aside for a bit and do other stuff.

The following pictures, which were taken last Wednesday and this Wednesday, show a few things that I find myself doing on those mornings off. The pictures also demonstrate the crazy weather patterns of Denver that I’m becoming familiar to.

A great Wednesday morning for a hike in the mountains to see the leaves change colors.

A week later from photo 1, really foggy outside, Spencer all bundled up to go in his jogging stroller for a morning run.

First snow fall of the season.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, Service Learning is a big component of our program. Each semester, we’re given different opportunities to go into the community and provide at least 10 hours of service, usually health-related. Here are some pictures of our project. About 12 of us went to a local high school and created a health fair for students to participate in during “report card night.” Students would go around to the stations and learn about different aspects of their health. Our booth, for example, focused on “Health Literacy,” specifically blood pressure, vision, and heart rate. Go Service Learning.

My group's platform poster about "Health Literacy."

The members of my class who were at the fair, posing for a photo at the end of the night.

October 2009

4 Reasons Daisy Loves Denver, CO

4. Denver has great trails to bike on, most (if not all) dog friendly. This latest picture is of the “Green Belt” that leads west towards Golden (west-side of Denver) to a farmer’s market, river, and park.

A quick stop at the Farmer's Market while riding on the "Green Belt."

3. People don’t care that Daisy goes swimming in the river. . . As a matter of fact, there were a lot of dogs out swimming with her.

Although the water was cold, it felt great on our feet. Daisy had been swimming and reluctantly came back to the shore for a picture.

2. At Regis’ Fun Run (put on by the PT department) last weekend, many dogs ran with their owners. On a side note, Daisy was the first dog to cross the finish line. Although she received no official recognition, her owner demanded they give her some sort of prize. So, she received a $1 gift certificate to Wendy’s.

1. Being the last day our pool was open in our apartment complex, the management invited all dogs in the complex to go swimming in the pool. They even brought doggie ice cream snacks & chew toys for the dogs. What a great day.

Daisy loved swimming in our complex pool; this was one of many superman-like jumps.

As you can see, the last 3 weeks has been spent outdoors as much as possible, and it has been very nice weather for it. Although I have had to study here and there in the evenings during this first clinical rotation, the break from hardcore schoolwork has been very nice. It has been a great experience being out on clinicals and applying what I’ve learned so far . . . and realizing how much I don’t know. Luckily, we still have about 2 years to go.

I’m looking forward to getting back with my classmates and getting on with the coursework. Here we go on another rollercoaster ride. I think this time around, however, the majority of us are actually buckled in, or so we think.

September 2009

Since writing my last post, my classmates and I have been at our clinical rotations; my schedule is Monday through Friday, 7 ‘till 4, just like a full-time job, except this is the kind of job where you don’t get paid. . . Now that I think about it, I got to pay tuition to be doing this, but I’m having a great time. I’ve been my Clinical Instructor’s shadow the last 3 weeks, and I still have 3 weeks to go. Although I’m in a hospital on the acute floor, there are classmates in outpatient clinics, pediatrics, rural; a little bit of everything.

Some of the highlights so far at my site are as follows:

1. I got to observe an open brain surgery. Now when I say observe, I was literally breathing down the neck of the neurosurgeon taking out the tumor. I also got to talk with the patient and the speech therapist as it was going on.
2. I spent a morning in the NICU (the premature baby unit) and saw a whole different side of therapy. It was a really neat experience.
3. I’ve started doing evaluations with new patients and am beginning to participate more and more with the intervention part. The stuff we’ve learned in school so far is starting to make more sense. Who would’ve known. . . I really am going to school to be a Physical Therapist. Go figure.

Needless to say, it has been a great experience so far, and it’s only halfway over. Then, back to schoolwork and classrooms. . .

On a lighter and non-PT related note, Ashley and I finally finished our latest project at home: Spencer’s playhouse upgrade. When we moved to Denver last year, we had to get a new dryer and I cut out holes in the cardboard box and Ashley decorated it for Spencer. As he’s gotten older and stronger, the box just couldn’t withstand the beating it received. So, we got some plywood, screws, wallpaper, and as you can see, we didn’t do too bad. Spencer loves it, and that’s the most important part. He usually gets served his breakfast in there, and at night, he hides in there and says he wants to sleep in his little cabin. He’s getting big. I sometimes can’t believe we’ve been out here a year now. Two years left of school.

Last picture of Spencer's old cardboard hut.

Posing before the "new and improved" cabin is put together.

The beautiful cabin, complete witha door and window drapes. Now he just needs a doorbell.