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 120th 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!
Regis University Doctor of Physical Therapy Blog 
