December 2011

“The End Is Here”

I just finished reviewing old school notes in preparation for an in-service I will be giving for the therapists I work with, and it was very reminiscent going through the power-point slides, reading over the comments I wrote in by the slides, and remembering how important school had been for the last 3 years.  As I finish this final blog, my hope is that I have been able to convey what an amazing experience physical therapy school can be (both with the ups and downs), and that for me, going to Regis helped strengthen that experience.

For those considering applying to Regis, I guarantee that you can’t find a former student at Regis who felt going there was a terrible experience.  As I have spoken with different PTs, I have realized that all programs have their pros and cons, and I hope over the last year and a half of writing these blogs, you can get a better idea if Regis is the right place for you, because it was right for me.  I won’t re-hash things I have already mentioned, but in summary, Regis was the right fit for me because:

1)      I liked the diversity of my class:  we were from different parts of the country (primarily west and mid-west parts) with different educational and personal backgrounds

2)      I liked how personal the teachers were:  calling teachers by their first names and being able to have conversations about things other than school made it more real; plus being assigned to one of them as your faculty mentors was very helpful for me

3)      I liked the service learning and leadership opportunities: this is something very unique to Regis and it attracts people who are interested in those things

4)      Denver is a pretty cool city with lots to do:  enough said

With that in mind, I wish anyone who is reading this the best of luck with their decisions.  I still remember Spring 2008 and deciding to go to Regis.  I was extremely outside my family and my comfort zone, but it was a great experience.  Now, it’s time to start another phase of our lives.  My wife, Ashley, will be delivering a baby girl sometime in April.  We’re all excited, especially Spencer.  Work is going great; I’m learning new things every day.

I would like to thank Regis and especially Alison Campbell (from admissions) for giving me the opportunity of writing this blog. I’m telling you, as you start to take a look at Regis, you’ll soon learn that Alison is one of the greatest assets the program has; she was a big part of the reason why I gave Regis a closer look initially.  Her constant willingness to answer questions and her friendly demeanor made my transition to Regis so much smoother.  So, if you’re really serious about Regis, just let Alison know; she’s great at letting you know everything you need to.

In short, it was fun to be able to reflect and give my 5 cents about one of the greatest experiences of my life.  Best of luck to you if you so choose Regis.  Thank you.

Here's Ashley at 21 weeks. Due date: April 13th. As of now, we have "Elizabeth Joy" picked out for the name.

Ashley and I went to Tran Siberian Orchestra last night here in CO Springs. Yes, it was loud, and yes, it was awesome.

 

Here was an attempt at a self-portrait for our Christmas card. You gotta love Spencer's cowboy boots.

 

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September 2010

Well, the semester is under way and the thoughts of the comprehensive exam are now far from my mind.  However, for those curious, it went well. . . well, well enough to pass the test.  As I mentioned before, this is an exam that covers everything we have learned in the program, from anatomy to physiology to musculoskeletal to neuro-motor to statistics. . . . .  you get the idea.  It was a 4 hour test split up into two 2 hour exams.  You have to get a 77% to pass.

The famous Red Rocks. In the background, they were getting ready for a Rush concert that night. We went there to "work out," aka I hang out with Spencer while Ashley runs and jumps and does stuff on the stairs. Great place to wear out a 3 year old.

I take the time to mention this because all programs have different types of exams.  For example, I heard that in one school, they have a different exam each day for 3 or 4 days.  I’m not saying ours is better or worse; it is what it is.  I’ll bet some schools don’t even have a big comprehensive exam.  Although it was a stress at the time, it was actually nice to be able to review everything before going out on our last 2 clinical rotations.

I’ve seen a few 1^st year DPT students on their way to the Anatomy lab and I think, “Wow, a lot has happened since we were in their shoes.”  And this semester is going to fly by with our electives and getting paperwork done in preparation for graduation next spring.  Speaking of electives, I’ve been hearing great things from classmates about their different electives.  Mine, Pediatrics and Orthotics, have been great and I’ve been learning a lot.  Others, such as Geriatrics, Women’s Health, Advanced Manual Therapy, Health Care Technology, and World Health have been great as well.

For Labor Day, we biked up the Clear Creek Trail into Golden and got our feet wet in the river. Although the water was very cold, I met up with some classmates who were having a barbeque and preparing to go tubing down the river. A little too chilly for me.

With all this, we also have been meeting with our research groups, trying to get in gear for Research Night next spring during the week before graduation.  Actually, now that I think about it, several groups have to get ready before that because they will be presenting at a Physical Therapy conference called “Combined Sections Meeting” in New Orleans in February.

Our research groups have been together since our first summer semester.  We are put into groups with a research advisor.  Several groups work with patients (my group is the only one who’s focus is on an outcome tool); we all collect data, and then of course comes the statistics.  For those interested, here are the topics of the research groups:

1)  The effects of exercise on cardiovascular endurance in community dwelling older adults

2)  The effects of exercise on strength in community dwelling older adults

3) The effects of exercise on balance in community dwelling older adults

4)  The effects of exercise on gait parameters in community dwelling older adults

5)  The effects of exercise on psychosocial/fear avoidance measures in community dwelling older adults

6)  The effects of exercise on co-contraction at the ankle in community dwelling older adults

7)  The effects of massed practice of platform perturbations on independent sitting of infants (they are comparing a child with cerebral palsy versus a typically developing child)

8)  The creation and utilization of an acute care outcome tool to demonstrate progress through physiological changes (such as heart rate, blood pressure) and physical therapy interventions

As you can see, the first 6 projects are very similar.  They collaborated together to assess different aspects of physical function.  Each year, the faculty provides different research project topics.  Although it has been a lot of work, it has been a great learning experience.  Over and out.

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August 2010

Although our exams have been over and done for over a week and a half, the studying has not finished.  You see, come August 31^st (or whatever day we’re supposed to be back), we have a 4 hour comprehensive examination, 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon.  The test essentially covers everything we have learned in the curriculum.  That actually means that I have to go back to the first year and relearn a lot of the stuff that I thought I had learned the first time through.  I haven’t yet gotten to year 2, so hopefully that material will seem more familiar.

Here's a group of us at the National Veteran's Games that were held in Denver this year. Our entire class helped out with the different activities. It was pretty fun to watch.

Before leaving for break, it was interesting to hear how everyone was planning on studying for it.  As always, there was the broad spectrum: on one side classmates plan on studying 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, while others plan on studying a few hours a day 7 days a week.  I’m kind of in the middle there.  It will be nice to get this test over with.

Once the test is complete (and, by the way, if you don’t pass, you have the “opportunity” to take it again. . . if you don’t pass then, well, let’s not think about that), we go straight into the semester with our Business Management class and our electives.  For our class, the electives options included Lower Extremity Orthotics, World Health, Women’s Health, Geriatrics, Technology in Health Care, Lower Extremity Advanced Manual Therapy, Pediatrics, and Chronic Pain.  You rank the options and a computer program spits out what you’ll be doing.  I got Orthotics and Pediatrics.  I’m excited for that.

These peddle boats are at Berkley Park, just a mile or two from campus. It was a fun way to celebrate the morning of our 5 year anniversary. Spencer enjoyed himself steering and trying to hit the ducks.

Speaking of the Business Management class, it’s funny what you learn when you should be studying for finals.  A classmate got looking at different DPT programs and told me that a lot of schools do not have a Business Management course.  I hear it’s a great class.

Although Ashley, Spencer and I are traveling to Utah this week to visit family, I’ll be lugging my binders with me to study along the way.  Got to love it.

These sunflowers are my pride and joy. Planted from seed, these babies have grown and grown. Something to watch each day while going to and from the library to study for the comprehensive exam.

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July 2010

Finals start up next week.  This 4 week school semester has been a blitz from the get-go, having classes from 8 am to 5 pm pretty much every day (we still get Wednesday mornings off).  This semester was Differential Diagnosis, Exercise Applications, Professional Issues, and Health Care Policy.  Some were more interesting than others, but it will be nice once the exams are over with.

Although the semester was crazy, we were able to go camping up in the mountains. It's always nice to get out of the city for an evening, and both Spencer and Daisy love a campfire and tent.

I received my financial award letter a while ago, and it got me thinking about some classmates who have helped reduce their loan money in school.  With Ashley (my wife) working part-time, it has helped us somewhat.  Plus, my big bucks from teaching 3 guitar students helps even more J.  Therefore, I asked a few classmates to share their thoughts and experiences about the talk of money.

Many of you may be asking the question, “Are there alternative ways to help pay for graduate school aside from loans?”  My name is Kristin Stockham. I’m from the Regis University DPT Class of 2011 and I’m here to tell you the answer is “yes!” The cost of a private, graduate school education can be daunting, especially when you look at the average salary of a full time physical therapist. However, there are ways to help off-set these costs. I have participated in the work study program for 3 semesters. I am also the recipient of a scholarship offered to Regis physical therapist students during their third semester.

The opportunities for work study at Regis include helping physical therapy faculty members with their research projects. Depending on the faculty projects, there are opportunities to, for example, implement clinical tests, perform literature reviews or input data into the computer. Your first and foremost priority at Regis is being a successful physical therapist student, so the faculty are very willing to accommodate to our schedule. Some weeks I worked 8 hours; other weeks I didn’t work at all. It’s been an incredible opportunity to learn more about the area of research within the field of physical therapy as well as give my brain a rest of PT school “things!” ☺  It has also been neat to get to know the faculty outside of the classroom setting. However, I would not recommend attempting work study during your first or second semesters as a PT student. As far as scholarships are concerned I would recommend first looking into scholarships sponsored by your local communities. For instance, in my community, Soroptimist International of the Americas offers a scholarship to women seeking a higher education in the health sciences. There are many scholarships that receive literally thousands of applicants. To be completely honest, I’ve stopped applying for them because I never had any luck. However, my financial advisor told me to start looking for scholarships within my community. Not only do they then have a face to put with the name, but they also have a sense of loyalty and pride in helping a member of their community achieve a goal. Likewise, my financial advisor also told me to look for scholarships related to my ethnicity. I am the typical, white American female attending physical therapy school. However, I was surprised to see I was eligible for some scholarships based on the fact that my great grandparents were from Russia. He said it is surprising how many scholarships actually are not awarded, even in this economy, due to the fact that people do not know or do not take the time to search out and complete scholarship applications.

If you have any questions regarding scholarships or work-study at Regis please e-mail me at stock163@regis.edu.

Another classmate, Liz, gives the following about AmeriCorp scholarships:

As you have probably figured out, PT school is expensive! So it’s always nice to find some way to help offset some of the cost. One option Regis offers is that you can receive an AmeriCorp scholarship for some of your required clinical affiliation time.  AmeriCorp offers this scholarship to healthcare students who are doing their clinical experience in non-profit clinics, hospitals, or other organizations.  This scholarship ranges from approximately $1000 to $2500, depending on the length of the clinical.

I have taken advantage of this scholarship for 3 of my 4 clinicals.  The PT Department makes it really easy for students to participate in this opportunity by having the Clinical Education Secretary run the program and ensure students have all the proper paperwork in place.  All you have to do, as the student, is work the required time during your clinical rotations, get the PT you are working with to sign your timesheet, and get all the paperwork back to Regis.  

There are many non-profit clinical options at Regis and many students in my class have been able to receive this scholarship for a least one or two of their clinicals. Though there are more important factors to consider when choosing your clinical rotations, this is a nice option if you do end up somewhere with a non-profit status. 

Here’s Larissa, another classmate who worked during PT school:

When I interviewed at Regis University, I was told that it would be impossible for me to work and maintain my grades in school. If you have been told the same thing, I am here to tell you it’s not impossible. I have worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant on weekends the entire time I’ve been in this DPT program. I don’t want to miss-lead you. It was very difficult and required a lot of time management on my part to make sure I did my assignments early to get them in on time. I would say that working in a part time or full time job would be very difficult. I only worked on average of 4-5 days a month unless we were on break. There were great benefits for working while in school. I never experienced the financial restraints that my classmates dealt with. I also was able to see patients that had the conditions we recently covered in the classroom. This made the material more applicable to me and easier to learn.

On top of working while in PT school, I also volunteered at my church and a downtown organization that was a before and after school program for inner city youth. School itself is more than a full time job. However, if you are truly passionate about something or dedicated to having a life outside of school, it is possible. I recommend that every Regis Student get involved in this community somehow while you are here. It will help you keep life in perspective and keep you grounded during this program. Whether that’s working, volunteering, or spending your weekends hiking in the mountains, there is time to do what you enjoy doing as long as you make the time for it.

                                              ~Larissa Torres Nixon
                                               DPT Class of 2011

Here are 3 classmates, Jenna, Krystle, and Danielle, out hiking up a mountain somewhere. What a view.

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July 2010

Just a few weeks left in this clinical.  As part of the requirements, all of us are required to give an in-service to the faculty/staff at the facilities we are working at.  My presentation is supposed to be about 45 minutes on the topic of fibromyalgia and the implications for Physical Therapy. . . . Doesn’t it sound riveting?

Here Spencer poses on a warm Sunday afternoon watering my soon-to-be 7 foot sunflowers. Grown from seed, too.

Life has been crazy since my last entry.  My birthday was the 18^th of May, Ashley’s the 29^th, and Spencer’s the 4^th of June.  Lots of presents and lots of cake.  It was fun, but it’s nice to finally be off the withdrawal effects of sugar.

Spencer was really excited about me opening my presents. He himself picked out the hat on my head and the remote control truck in one of the boxes. I'm pretty sure he had himself in mind when he picked that one out.

A few months ago, I mentioned how Jeff and Katie went to Mexico for a service learning opportunity.  While eating my Lucky Charms a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that I really didn’t give them or their trip justice.  To make some sort of amends, I asked Jeff to write about his experiences in Mexico.  If I am not mistaken, the following entry is the reflection he shared with the school during their presentation about their trip.  Thanks Jeff.

This trip means many things to different people. Even with our presentation today, the growth and connections we have made pales in comparison to anything we can tell you – or show you. However, I think we have shown you a little of why we went, whom we met and how we changed and, perhaps, how we want to continue changing.

Good ole' Jeff

I think a lot of us have heard that the destination in a journey isn’t as important as the journey itself. This is because the questions we ask ourselves in an attempt to understand why we are on it, whom we will take and meet, and how we will travel it defines the experience and, on a personal level, defines who we are. So let’s start asking these questions:

Why?  Why Mexico and why Nueva Rosita- what did we hope to achieve?

To bridge the gap between cultural communities.

Continue a long standing relationship with the people of Nueva Rosita.

To become more actively involved as people within a global community.

These reasons represent a long standing relationship that we have become part of through our involvement with this program. It also emphasizes that the act of developing social awareness and immersing ourselves in service is just one component of why this trip was so powerful .  The other, I have come to believe, is that the reason we decided to go on this trip wasn’t to just provide a service and to create bonds – it was to expose and embrace common bonds. Through this we were enabled to pursue different, deeper aspects of relationships and come to understand the true nature of what a global family is. This trip to Mexico is about creating relationships and jointly working towards empowering one another and planting the seeds that drive change.

That’s what I think at least – but as I told all of you, that to truly understand what this trip means is to ask a much deeper question from each of us. It’s not the trip that means so much – it’s the people we met and connected with. So, what do the people of Nueva Rosita mean to us?

One of the most outstanding experiences I had in Mexico was the morning we left. I might stretch the truth to say that none of us could have ever thought that we could have ever developed a deep relationship with anyone in Nueva Rosita in a week’s time – especially considering some of student’s limited Spanish speaking skills – myself included.  However, what I saw and felt shocked me.

We met that morning at the Chapel. The sun had just barely risen over the horizon and there was a cool breeze. I had been awake since 3am in part because I was anxious and in part because all of the roosters in the ejido seemed to congregate outside of my window and I shared a room with two very boisterous sleepers. Perhaps it was because I was delirious from lack of sleep, but my mind was sharp and dulled at the same time. I was intensely focused, but every-time I tried to grab at a thought or feeling it seemed to escape me. As we sat there waiting for the pharmacy students to arrive, each of us stood next to our respective family – and while we stood there I couldn’t tell if we stood close for protection against the cold or because we were seeking a deeper comfort. When someone spoke, it was discrete and muffled, almost secretive. Some part of me thought that the somber mood was appropriate because it reflected our pending departure. In each of us, the quiet magnified the raging thoughts and feelings that dominated our minds and hearts. I saw it in the down-cast eyes and the shuffling feet – a nervous energy grounded in an unwillingness to accept what we couldn’t. When it came time to leave, we did so with heavy hearts. We dwindled into the vans and left – faces were plastered to the windows and with tears in their eyes. If there was any experience that shattered my own expectations for this trip – that was it. I was left – lost and overwhelmed.

I have participated in immersion programs in the past because I wanted to be part of something good, something greater than myself. What I have consistently battled with is a fear that there is possibility that what I do would make no difference or that the differences I do make are inconsequential. So, I think – in the end – I needed a tangible experience to establish my individual role in a global community and to find an answer as to how I can continue my service personally while finding a deeper connection with those I serve. I found it on this trip – and a lot more.

I think that the ‘why’s we ask ourselves’ are grounded in attempt to qualify our choices – to give them meaning. For me, the ‘why’ was because I wanted to be a leader and I wanted to be able to set a standard. I wanted to promote social justice and live my life in dedication to others. I wanted to be able to live in accordance with my own values. These are still my own goals and I think they were emphasized during this trip. However, I can’t help to go back to the day of our departure – and I came to recognize that it wasn’t my goals that were important – my own ‘why’s’ weren’t important. If this trip was about ‘bridging the gap’ of culture, stereotype and established beliefs –  this couldn’t have been done without stepping outside of myself and perceiving the world through someone else’s eyes and dreams, opening myself to someone else’s life. This is what this trip has offered me, all of us – perspective.

I have read that those we serve and those we serve with change us – and by enacting change in the lives of others we can find the potential to change ourselves. I think this is true, but I would add that the act of changing others requires a foundational connection. Why we decided to go on this trip, the goals and expectations we set, our experiences were all based on a connection to an ejido that has been a part of this community for many years. Through our participation in this journey we haven’t just continued a tradition we have become a part of THEIR community as well. Through it all, I think the best way we can share our experiences, to express ‘why’ this trip was so important, and what it all means is to understand our pursuit of deep, thoughtful relationships that stand the test of cultural differences, distance, language, and stereotype – in other words, to understand why it was so important to us, is to understand our own perspective of what a family and interconnection is; and one of the greatest lessons I have learned, is that there are others out there who will embrace us with open arms – as a family.

As my final thought: In an effort to continue this journey in our lives – we will continue to question, we will continue to challenge ourselves and we will push others to do the same, while never forgetting our family in Mexico and recognizing our role as members of a greater global community.

Here’s a blurb from Katie and her experiences in Mexico:

“Every year Regis spends Spring Break sending a few students to Mexico for a service learning immersion trip.  I have been lucky and have been able to go 2 years in a row.  The group is usually a mix of Physical Therapy, Nursing, Pharmacy, and undergraduate students that work on a long time project of the small ranching community’s Community Center and making home visits to families in the community trying to address any appropriate medical needs.  As health care students we put on Health fairs for the kids and adults in the community and visit health care facilities in the larger nearby city. As a first year I loved getting to know a few 2nd year students, seeing what they knew that I had yet to learn.  As a 2nd year student, home care visits were clinical opportunities to evaluate and treat patients with faculty members giving one on one feedback.  I loved that in Mexico I was able to get to know my classmates and professors in a different way and on a more personal level.  My lack of Spanish vocabulary was a huge anxiety factor for me…I was anxious going, but I learned early in the trip and more the 2nd year around that you can communicate quite a bit with body language, a pocket dictionary, and a pathetic attempt at pronunciation.  I found my Spanish skills only got me to the level of a three year old.  I loved the people in Mexico so much.  I learned to try new things, and laugh at my progress.  I came to love the family I lived with.  I felt so connected even in a strange place and was able to grow professionally, socially, emotionally and spiritually.  My experiences in Mexico were some of my favorite moments at Regis.”

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June 2010

Week 4 of Clinicals start this week.  4 more weeks to go.  It’s still going great.  I’m doing more and more with patients.  I’ve talked with a few classmates this last week, one is in acute care, another in a skilled nursing facility, and another on the rehab floor of the hospital, and it is fun to hear of the different experiences we’re having.  I’ll tell you this much, it is so nice not being in the classroom.  We have a few assignments here and there right now, but it’s great being able to not have to study in the evening.  Now if only I was getting paid for this clinical experience (and not the other way around), it would be perfect.  🙂

This is along the Clear Creek Trail up by old Golden. We biked up here on Ashley's birthday last week, played at the park, watched local kayakers play in the water, and ate at a deli right along the river. It's a really fun place.

Since my situation (being married with a soon to be 3 year old. . . although he’s already behaving like one) is somewhat different than many in PT school, I asked a classmate and friend to share her thoughts and feelings about the “night life” of Denver, specifically that of the music world here in Denver.

Daisy, of course, came along. This is on our way home. She had gotten a little tired from all the running so I let her hop up as we coasted down some of the hills.

Hi guys! My name is Jen. Cody asked me to tell you a little about the Denver nightlife and music scene because he has heard me talk so fondly of it during class these past few months. I am surely not an expert on the greatest spots around town and not a party animal but I do love music, all kinds, and I love to dance and have a good time.

This past spring semester, I discovered a few pieces of Denver’s local music scene and have fallen in love with the charming venues, eclectic people and creative music.

I grew up and went to school in Miami, Florida and coming from a city renowned for its nightlife, I actually cherish the social scene in Denver much more than I did in Miami. The people are happy, fun and genuine. The locations around town are warm, welcoming and diverse.

A few of my favorite music venues are Hi-Dive, Larimer Lounge and Meadowlark. All three of these places are bars and relatively small. This creates a warm and intimate feel for hanging out and enjoying whatever performers take the stage that night. Each place has simple touches that make the space special. I love the Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling at Larimer Lounge, the intriguing artwork hanging from the walls at Meadowlark above its beautifully lit bar and the divey darkness of hi-dive.

I have each of the websites for these places bookmarked and I check them almost daily to see who will be playing the upcoming shows. There is usually someone performing every night of the week and shows usually range in price from $5-$10 if not free.

www.hi-dive.com

www.larimerlounge.com

www.meadowlarkbar.com

An excellent resource for all the happenings around town, including all concerts, shows, events, restaurants, review and a ton more goods is www.westward.com.

PT school is an intense time and energy commitment but life surely is about balance. So get out there! And if you ever need a buddy to go to a show with, you know where to find me.

Here is the place that Jen mentioned. I occasionally sit by her in class and she tells me about the different places she has gone during the weekends, and when class gets really boring, she'll show me some pictures on her laptop of the different venues she's gone to. She's great at balancing school and everything else (sometimes it seems like there are only 2 categories right now), and she's an amazing student. Thanks Jen.

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April 2010

While giving a tour a few weeks ago to a group of prospective students from Idaho, I was asked a great question:  Since Regis University is more expensive when compared to an in-state tuition school I’m looking at, what makes it so great?  Or in other words, as a future graduate from Regis, will l be more marketable in the work force? 

I talked to a few professors about this topic, and their immediate response was, “Absolutely you’ll be more marketable.”  For the sake of time, I’ll summarize (in good ole’ bullet-points) their general responses.  (As you read these, don’t think I’m saying other schools don’t have aspects of these things.  These are just great things of Regis that are worth considering.)

• As a Regis DPT student, you have many opportunities throughout the curriculum to observe many specialties.
  • Since most faculty members are well respected specialists, you get lots of exposure to their expertise during lectures, labs, and even one on one discussions.
    • Examples:  Wound care, Cardiovascular PT, Indwelling EMG/NCV, orthotics, LOTS of manual therapy (especially with the spine and shoulder), LOTS of neuro-management, LOTS of pediatrics
• Last semester of coursework includes specialties
  • Although we’re not there yet, past classes have included women’s health, advanced manual therapy, pediatrics, Spanish, world health, geriatrics (you get to take two of  the offered classes)
• This is important because it may give you an idea of what you want to specialize in earlier; plus it is great as a foundational tool when you start working.
• During our last semester of coursework, we have a business management course in which we are taught how to be more marketable and to magnify our strengths in the clinic and to a potential employer
• The world of therapy knows about Regis, the Jesuit tradition, and many of the faculty
  • People know that Regis has a mission about service learning and encouraging us to be a well-rounded professional, not just a great clinician.
  • Because of the Jesuit Tradition, there are opportunities to go abroad and provide health service
    • Locations such as Mexico, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua
• Don’t want to go abroad?  There are countless opportunities just on campus to provide service and leadership
  • DPT Student Government positions, Student Ambassadors, or help with different projects going on around campus or through the APTA
  • You get exposure to research
    • During semester 3, you get assigned into a group of classmates (6-8) with a specific focus of therapy and a faculty advisor to help you along the way.
    • You’ll have subjects to test, statistics to run 😦 , and discussions to write.

 At the end of the day, there are a lot of things money just can’t buy.  I am enjoying the experiences here at Regis and am satisfied with the program.  It’s far from perfect, of course, but I am happy here.  They try to help prepare us to be great practitioners. 

As I mentioned during this entry about "student ambassadors," here's a picture of the ambassadors from my class (excluding Kari. . sorry, I couldn't find you after class). We primarily give tours to prospective students. It's not too bad being the only guy with a bunch of pretty ladies. Lucky me. . . right? Or better yet, how about lucky them 🙂 You decide.

Colorado weather is crazy. Although today was close to 70 degrees, this picture demonstrates that spring snow is a reality. Spencer and I had fun building a snow fort.

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March 2010

Spring break for me was spent here in Denver with Ashley, Spencer and Daisy.  From playing at parks to going on runs, we had a great time.  A lot of my class headed home for the break or up into the mountains for some skiing/snowboarding, whereas two particular classmates, Katie and Jeff, had a somewhat different experience.

Jeff and Katie (both classmates), who went on the Mexico trip last year, were group leaders this year and mentored students from the class of 2012. Among the many things they did included some house visits for Physical Therapy and two health fairs during the week.

They, along with a few professors and students from other classes, travelled down to a small town in Mexico for a service learning project.  They conducted two health clinics and made house visits to do physical therapy and exercise teaching to residents of the community.  Although they came to school today (they arrived back yesterday morning) looking pretty tired, I know they both really enjoyed the experience. 

As I’ve said in the past (or in case I haven’t, I’ll say it now), Regis University has a lot of opportunities for providing service; it is a big emphasis of our program, and you can even do it during spring break.   

Here's a picture of some classmates enjoying the beautiful mountains of Denver. A lot of my classmates enjoy snowboarding/skiing on the weekends or whenever there is a break.

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March 2010

It is a little too quiet in my apartment right now.  Since Ashley’s mom had a TKA (total knee arthroplasty) last month, she and Spencer boarded a train last Sunday for Utah to go and help out for a week and a half.  (We thought Spencer might like the train, and he sure did.  However, after the 12 hour ride, he was ready to get off.)  Needless to say, it has been very quiet at home and all Daisy does is mope around the apartment and come stare at me until I take her out for a walk.

However, the one good thing about having the house to myself right now is all the studying I have been able to do for the 2 quizzes, test, and skills check, all in the same week, by the way.  To give you an idea of how “performance” is graded here, most quizzes are taken at the beginning of class that relate to a particular article reading for that day (one time, for example, it was over 5 different articles).  They aren’t worth too much of our overall grade, but they do add up.  My favorite quizzes are the ones by Dr. Mike Keirns because he usually throws in a bonus question about recent sports scores, particularly those of Gonzaga basketball. 

With regards to tests, most classes have a mid-term, sometimes two, and then a Final Comprehensive Test.  All are scantron-type, ranging from 50-75 questions.  An interesting aspect about tests here at Regis is when I come to a really, really difficult or poorly written question, I always cross my fingers and hope that the majority of my class misses it too. . . that way, the professors are usually nice about throwing those out.  Not always, though.  (They use some statistical tool to determine if it is thrown out or not; although they’ve explained it a dozen times, I still don’t understand it.)

This last week’s skills check was in Musculoskeletal Management III (MM3, as we refer to it).  How it works is you’re given a list of all the skills that have been covered over the last set of labs (for example, this one was over the neck, upper back, and jaw); you’re assigned a classmate as your “patient” a few days before the skills check; then, you’re assigned a time to go into the lab with a faculty and perform 5-7 skills on your classmate/patient.  Although in the past they were fairly simple and straight forward, now we are asked the reasons for performing a skill, parameters associated with it, and scenarios associated with a condition/skill.  Your faculty grader is usually helpful at prompting you when you draw a blank or are heading in the wrong direction, so it’s not too stressful.  If I remember right, over the past year and a half, I have only had the same partner once.

Here's one of our Musculoskeletal Management labs. Today's topic: the Temperomandibular Joint. . . aka the jaw.

 As I look back at the last two weeks, I’m definitely looking forward to a week of Spring Break next week. . . . . . but then I remember there’s an MM3 exam the Monday we get back.  So, I have two choices:  procrastinate that extra week, or use it to study.  I guess we’ll see.

To support the last weekend of the Winter Olympics, several of us sported the American colors. I would like to draw the reader's attentoin to my sweet eagle belt-buckle. Now that's patriotism.

Although these last few weeks have been crazy, a few of us went to IHOP Day for some free pancakes.

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February 2010

About a year ago, near the end of the 2^nd semester, I had a conversation with a then-2^nd year student who was just about to complete the semester that I’m in right now.  I was telling him how busy school was, and how tough it was, and how it was hard to keep everything organized.  The only thing I really remember him telling me was that the semester he was completing (meaning the one I am in right now) was even tougher.  Of course, that’s always nice to hear. . . but I guess I have to admit that he seems to be right.

The biggest challenge for me right now is keeping everything organized, specifically all the groups I have for different projects for different classes, the articles I need to read or make sure to read in case of a pop quiz that day, and trying to make sure I have all the notes printed off before class so I can at least follow along (and that of course, is based on whether the printers decide to work properly that day).

This is now our third semester of "tutorial groups" where we are given a case and discuss how we might proceed. We all come prepared with current evidence and information on different aspects of the case. Each group has been different so it's fun having different dynamics and personalities amongst the group. The best part, however, is the morning treats involved with it.

With that as a prelude, the truth be told (let’s hope so, who wants to read lies?), I am enjoying this semester.  Out of our five classes are three management courses, and if I may add, the LAST management courses before we graduate:  Musculoskeletal, Neuro, and MAP (I know for sure the last letter for this one stands for physiology, but I still forget what the other letters are).  To give you an idea of what that’s like, last week alone we learned about burns, neck pain, and cerebral palsy.

This particular musculoskeletal management lab was about torticollis in children. An affiliate faculty was nice enough to bring her baby so we could have a "live" subject. Since several of our faculty are pediatric specialists, our curriculum is full with pediatric lectures and labs, and because of that, an ongoing joke amongst the students is that Regis is a Pediatric PT School.

For a skills check in Neuromanagement, we have to videotape ourselves teaching a variety of basic skills to a patient with a Spinal Cord Injury. After we're satisfied with the performance (which has actually taken a lot longer than I expected to film), they are posted on Youtube for a professor to grade them.

 On another note, next week is an APTA meeting in San Diego called “Combined Sections Meeting” and so we won’t have school.  School is cancelled every time an APTA National meeting takes place.  About a dozen of classmates are going, but I decided not to go since I went last year to the meeting in Las Vegas.  Although it’ll be a nice break on Wednesday through Friday, we will come back on Monday to a test in our Neuro course.  Man oh man; I never thought I would enjoy breaks just for the sake of having more time to study.  What’s happening to me?

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Spencer was served a Mickey Mouse shaped pancake in bed. Only problem was that he refused to cut poor Mickey.

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