That's right, a lot has changed since my last post back in August. First off, it's cold and snowy here in Davenport so outdoor activities are now being held to a minimum, but at least Palmer has the gymnasium to be active and work out in. Secondly, and perhaps more important, is I will no longer be practicing in Pocatello, ID. It was kind of a bummer but that is the way life works out sometimes. As for what happened, we could not come to terms on certain elements of me running my own practice in his office. So with advice from those important in my life, we turned down this opportunity and looked for another.
Luckily, we did find that other opportunity. Let me tell you how it happened.
After things fell apart with Poke I started calling around other chiropractors in the Roswell ( Yes, that's ,the alien town), New Mexico area trying to get an idea if the region had good potential for starting a practice. Well I called a chiropractor out in Carlsbad, which is about 70 miles south of Roswell, and asked for his opinion and he told me he was looking for an associate and would email me an application. After several chit-chats, he flew me out to Carlsbad to see the area, his practice and whether I fit in to the future of his practice. Things worked out wonderfully. He offered us the job and he seems to be a respectable and geniune man in his practice and interactions with others. The biggest problem is he is a Denver Broncos fan while I am a big time Kansas City Chiefs fan. I'm sure it will take time, but we'll work through this roadblock (J/K). After I got back from the big city of Carlsbad...population 26,000, I discussed it with my wife and family and we felt like this was a really good opportunity. We eventually signed the contract and now we are stressing about where we are going to live, since housing seems to be really difficult to come by in those there parts.
Besides the worry of finding housing in Carlsbad, we are now stressing about getting our house packed up and ready to move across the country again . At least when we move it will be to an early, warm and sunny spring with no snow. We only have a few weeks left until graduation and then I guess it's really time to grow up and start being all doctorly...if there is such a thing.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Pokey and the AHC
The decision has been made and we are starting to pack up our house (slowly though) to move to sunny Pokey which will soon become snowy Pokey. We are excited about our decision and feel it will give us the opportunity for autonomy in owning our own practice but have a mentor and guide to help in beginning this awesome experience. We will also be moving in mid November after I finish Part IV boards to begin a preceptorship with the same doctor I will be sub leasing/independent contracting after graduation.
So I bet you're wondering what school is like at Palmer? I guess I'll finally give you an idea of what it is like in my eyes. I am currently a student intern in the Academic Health Center (AHC); this is where 8th through 10th tri students treat outpatients with the guidance of an assigned Dr leading the way. As for me, I am assigned under the esteemed Dr Candyman (this is just a nickname, now I bet your wondering where did that name come from, well we had to pick a name of intrigue to you know add a little bit of mystery and this is what the doc and other interns conjured up). I'll just call him Dr C for short. While in the AHC, we have the opportunity to see and treat many different patients and ailments. I'll tell you what we do is not what I expected in coming to chiropractic school. My original thoughts were we would be adjusting people when their neck or back hurt and come to find out it's so much more then just that. I have had the privilege to work on patients with Parkinson's, DISH, dystonia, vertigo, Multiple Sclerosis, colic and many many more conditions.
My typical week in the AHC is coming in Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday to work assigned shifts that run around 5-6 hours. We have about 4-6 interns working an assigned shift and teamwork is a key ingredient with Dr Candyman...errr Dr C. Interns in 8th tri will generally scribe and observe while the 9th tris work with patients. The 10th tri students are either precepting or assisting in mentoring 8th and 9th tri students. I have to say it's a good/logical system. To begin our days assignment, we interns show up 15 minutes before shift and discuss the days patients and what should be anticipated in their treatment. With the conclusion of our daily meeting, we begin seeing patients. We generally take turns seeing patients allowing each of us to see a broad spectrum of different conditions and gaining valuable patient interaction skills. If we have down time we'll usually head into Dr C's office and quiz each other on anatomy or discuss different patients and what we have learned from those particular experiences. After seeing the last patient of the day we have an end of shift meeting and here we discuss what we learned from that day and ask any perplexing questions (and if we can stump Dr C with any query he promised to give each intern $2,000,000......in monopoly money of course).
So this in a simple way is how my internship generally goes in the AHC. I would also like to clarify that this is how Dr C runs things for his interns. There are several other Drs in the AHC that have their own set of interns and own system in running things.
I hope to have more detailed experiences of Palmer, clinic and odds and ends of family life in Davenport, beautiful Iowa in the summer so keep a reading in the future.
So I bet you're wondering what school is like at Palmer? I guess I'll finally give you an idea of what it is like in my eyes. I am currently a student intern in the Academic Health Center (AHC); this is where 8th through 10th tri students treat outpatients with the guidance of an assigned Dr leading the way. As for me, I am assigned under the esteemed Dr Candyman (this is just a nickname, now I bet your wondering where did that name come from, well we had to pick a name of intrigue to you know add a little bit of mystery and this is what the doc and other interns conjured up). I'll just call him Dr C for short. While in the AHC, we have the opportunity to see and treat many different patients and ailments. I'll tell you what we do is not what I expected in coming to chiropractic school. My original thoughts were we would be adjusting people when their neck or back hurt and come to find out it's so much more then just that. I have had the privilege to work on patients with Parkinson's, DISH, dystonia, vertigo, Multiple Sclerosis, colic and many many more conditions.
My typical week in the AHC is coming in Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday to work assigned shifts that run around 5-6 hours. We have about 4-6 interns working an assigned shift and teamwork is a key ingredient with Dr Candyman...errr Dr C. Interns in 8th tri will generally scribe and observe while the 9th tris work with patients. The 10th tri students are either precepting or assisting in mentoring 8th and 9th tri students. I have to say it's a good/logical system. To begin our days assignment, we interns show up 15 minutes before shift and discuss the days patients and what should be anticipated in their treatment. With the conclusion of our daily meeting, we begin seeing patients. We generally take turns seeing patients allowing each of us to see a broad spectrum of different conditions and gaining valuable patient interaction skills. If we have down time we'll usually head into Dr C's office and quiz each other on anatomy or discuss different patients and what we have learned from those particular experiences. After seeing the last patient of the day we have an end of shift meeting and here we discuss what we learned from that day and ask any perplexing questions (and if we can stump Dr C with any query he promised to give each intern $2,000,000......in monopoly money of course).
So this in a simple way is how my internship generally goes in the AHC. I would also like to clarify that this is how Dr C runs things for his interns. There are several other Drs in the AHC that have their own set of interns and own system in running things.
I hope to have more detailed experiences of Palmer, clinic and odds and ends of family life in Davenport, beautiful Iowa in the summer so keep a reading in the future.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Rocky Mountain High
I hope you like John Denver (of course everyone does) cause I think about him and that wonderful song when going out west.
Well we have been back from our trip for a few weeks and quite enjoyed it. We first set out across the frozen and windy dirtlands of Wyoming and suffered miserably in our summer clothes. Throughout this desolate drive were thinking is this what Idaho will be like. Fortunately, it was warmer and not as windy. As we drove into Pocatello, or as the natives like to call it Pokey, we thought it was beautiful and we were trying to imagine ourselves living there. We organized our things and then we were off to visit the doc that I would be independent contracting with. We took a tour of his office and chatted with him for a couple hours at a park down the street, due to two little boys I know terrorizing the office. His clinic was and still is, I believe, beautiful. We got to learn about the community from his perspective, what IC-ing with him would entail and discuss possibly precepting for my 10th tri. It was a good chat and my wife and I walked away feeling comfortable with this opportunity. He is also successful in his practice and I truly believe in the saying "success breeds success." My family and I then drove around Pokey a bit trying to familiarize ourselves with the area and had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. (Thank you to whomever that they would build such a fine establishment that my family could frequent) The next day, I shadowed the doc and got to meet his employees, get a feel for how he practices and get a better understanding of the paperwork aspects of running a clinic.
We then said good bye to sunny Idaho and made our way to sunny Utah were we spent time with family, be busy running all over the place....and yep I did find the time to go spy on some chiros in Spanish Fork and Springville, Utah. The spying was kind of lackluster although I did watch one office very carefully for an hour and saw 12 or so people come and go within an hour. Exciting is what you call it. I also shadowed a doc in Payson and really enjoyed it. He showed me a lot of tricks of his craft and gave some advice on patient interaction. I also went around town and took some pictures of some different properties and got in contact with some commercial real estate agents and let me tell you, Walmart area property is dang expensive. I know, keep on laughing. I should have figured that out long before making a call.
After spending less then a week in sunny Utah we made our way down to forever sunny Arizona. My wife had two of her sisters getting married so we didn't have a lot of time to focus on chiropractic until the end of our stay. I also went on a 3 day/2 night backpacking trip with my brother-in-laws. It was a heck of a lot of fun except the 30 stitches my brother got from the bear attack....I kid, I kid. So, after all the fun, my wife and I went to a little town of 3,500 people called St Johns and visited with the only chiropractor in town about buying his practice. My wife is from another small town called Eagar about a half hour south and we have kicked around the idea of moving back to the area. Well it was a nice visit chatting with the chiro and seeing what kind of potential the area has and what kind of opportunities would be there for my family and I.
So we finally left forever sunny Arizona and went to rainy Texas and stayed in cow smelly Amarillo for the night. We ate at this little restaurant called Coyote Bluff that was featured on one of the best shows in the whole wide world "Man vs Food." Upon first seeing this place my wife and 6 year old boy were saying they would not eat there, it looking like a little hole in the wall place. So we ended up eating there after much begging and pleading from me. I ended up getting the burger featured on the TV show called the 'Burger from Hell' it was big and cheesy with a full cup of jalepenos and boy was it good. The best part of this restaurant was how tiny it was (about 800 sq feet). Let's just say it had a lot of character. I know this doesn't have to do anything with chiropractic but hey it was a lot of fun.
Hope you enjoyed todays blog and hopefully next time I'll let you know were my wife and I decide to take our family adventures after school.
Well we have been back from our trip for a few weeks and quite enjoyed it. We first set out across the frozen and windy dirtlands of Wyoming and suffered miserably in our summer clothes. Throughout this desolate drive were thinking is this what Idaho will be like. Fortunately, it was warmer and not as windy. As we drove into Pocatello, or as the natives like to call it Pokey, we thought it was beautiful and we were trying to imagine ourselves living there. We organized our things and then we were off to visit the doc that I would be independent contracting with. We took a tour of his office and chatted with him for a couple hours at a park down the street, due to two little boys I know terrorizing the office. His clinic was and still is, I believe, beautiful. We got to learn about the community from his perspective, what IC-ing with him would entail and discuss possibly precepting for my 10th tri. It was a good chat and my wife and I walked away feeling comfortable with this opportunity. He is also successful in his practice and I truly believe in the saying "success breeds success." My family and I then drove around Pokey a bit trying to familiarize ourselves with the area and had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. (Thank you to whomever that they would build such a fine establishment that my family could frequent) The next day, I shadowed the doc and got to meet his employees, get a feel for how he practices and get a better understanding of the paperwork aspects of running a clinic.
We then said good bye to sunny Idaho and made our way to sunny Utah were we spent time with family, be busy running all over the place....and yep I did find the time to go spy on some chiros in Spanish Fork and Springville, Utah. The spying was kind of lackluster although I did watch one office very carefully for an hour and saw 12 or so people come and go within an hour. Exciting is what you call it. I also shadowed a doc in Payson and really enjoyed it. He showed me a lot of tricks of his craft and gave some advice on patient interaction. I also went around town and took some pictures of some different properties and got in contact with some commercial real estate agents and let me tell you, Walmart area property is dang expensive. I know, keep on laughing. I should have figured that out long before making a call.
After spending less then a week in sunny Utah we made our way down to forever sunny Arizona. My wife had two of her sisters getting married so we didn't have a lot of time to focus on chiropractic until the end of our stay. I also went on a 3 day/2 night backpacking trip with my brother-in-laws. It was a heck of a lot of fun except the 30 stitches my brother got from the bear attack....I kid, I kid. So, after all the fun, my wife and I went to a little town of 3,500 people called St Johns and visited with the only chiropractor in town about buying his practice. My wife is from another small town called Eagar about a half hour south and we have kicked around the idea of moving back to the area. Well it was a nice visit chatting with the chiro and seeing what kind of potential the area has and what kind of opportunities would be there for my family and I.
So we finally left forever sunny Arizona and went to rainy Texas and stayed in cow smelly Amarillo for the night. We ate at this little restaurant called Coyote Bluff that was featured on one of the best shows in the whole wide world "Man vs Food." Upon first seeing this place my wife and 6 year old boy were saying they would not eat there, it looking like a little hole in the wall place. So we ended up eating there after much begging and pleading from me. I ended up getting the burger featured on the TV show called the 'Burger from Hell' it was big and cheesy with a full cup of jalepenos and boy was it good. The best part of this restaurant was how tiny it was (about 800 sq feet). Let's just say it had a lot of character. I know this doesn't have to do anything with chiropractic but hey it was a lot of fun.
Hope you enjoyed todays blog and hopefully next time I'll let you know were my wife and I decide to take our family adventures after school.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
It has begun. My blogging of course.
Thought I should finally give this blogging stuff a try and see where it takes me. Now let's see I'm sure people reading this blog want to hear about Palmer so I guess that's what I should do.
....but first I'm sure you're wondering why I would call this blog "Soon Enough." Well there's a lot of things to look forward to in our schooling and profession, and I have to keep telling myself it will get here 'soon enough.' Whether it be being scared out of my gord that there's an exam in a couple hours and I completely forgot about it or I'll be graduating in 8 months and that is awesome, yet intimidating that I now have to apply what I have learned during my brief four years here to provide for my family. So 'Soon Enough'....it's a beautiful thing.
Why did I chose chiropractic? "Good question," as somebody I know in Palmer clinics would adequately say. My original intent was to go into law enforcement or the military. I had prepared for years and been employed in jobs that would make me a more viable candidate for a good police department. However, it was not to be, I had a health condition that made it impossible to follow that path. As soon as I found out that that was no longer an option I started considering other options and as you can see I chose chiropractic. It seemed like an opportunity where I could still serve others, not be sitting at a desk all day and acheive the freedom that I want for my family and I.
Why did I chose Palmer? Why another succinct question. Let me say first that my old man went to Logan (he's deceased so he really didn't have any influence in my decision) as well as my uncle. I ended up looking into Parker, Logan and Palmer. I went and visited Palmer and quite enjoyed the kindness of the people here in the Quad Cities and Palmer. I also liked that Palmer is well respected in the chiropractic profession and recognized by many. I found the anatomies enthralling and the opportunities through the club system a good way to see what hands on chiropractic is about. However, the primary reason I chose Palmer was it just felt right. I truly felt this was the place I could and should take my family to live for the next four years.
I have really enjoyed my time here and I know that my wife and now three kids have enjoyed it also. It has been a lot of hard work but well worth it. My wife has been awesome being a 'Palmer widow' and dealing with me being at school late at night, every weekend and studying for who knows what exam. I feel like I am know starting to reminisce.....got to come back now......
So I just finished finals for 8th tri and will know be heading into the odious 9th tri. Just kidding, 9th tri's not odious. I hear it's pretty good and you learn a lot in the clinic but that's why I am writing this blog to let you know that 'hey' I am learning something relevent in my career path.
Well my family and I are leaving for our family vacation tomorrow and I guess the professional in me is saying this is also a business/find a job/location to set up shop/buy a practice/observe other chiropractors in their natural habitat trip. So we'll see how it goes. Our first stop is in the beautiful, yet very mysterious mountains of Pocatello, Idaho. Yep, it's mysterious alright after all my wife and I have never been there. We're looking at an opportunity with a chiropractor there in town. So wish us luck and I'll let you know how it goes in the oncoming days.....
P.S....there's more....Oh yes there is more.....I plan to spy on different chiropractic locations in the Provo, Utah area to see how their business is doing and see if they are competitive in their particular market. I also will investigate commercial properties and their viability for opening up a shop. I hope my sleuthing abilities intrigue you and sound like an exciting adventure cause right now I'm just hoping I can be patient enough to do this.
....but first I'm sure you're wondering why I would call this blog "Soon Enough." Well there's a lot of things to look forward to in our schooling and profession, and I have to keep telling myself it will get here 'soon enough.' Whether it be being scared out of my gord that there's an exam in a couple hours and I completely forgot about it or I'll be graduating in 8 months and that is awesome, yet intimidating that I now have to apply what I have learned during my brief four years here to provide for my family. So 'Soon Enough'....it's a beautiful thing.
Why did I chose chiropractic? "Good question," as somebody I know in Palmer clinics would adequately say. My original intent was to go into law enforcement or the military. I had prepared for years and been employed in jobs that would make me a more viable candidate for a good police department. However, it was not to be, I had a health condition that made it impossible to follow that path. As soon as I found out that that was no longer an option I started considering other options and as you can see I chose chiropractic. It seemed like an opportunity where I could still serve others, not be sitting at a desk all day and acheive the freedom that I want for my family and I.
Why did I chose Palmer? Why another succinct question. Let me say first that my old man went to Logan (he's deceased so he really didn't have any influence in my decision) as well as my uncle. I ended up looking into Parker, Logan and Palmer. I went and visited Palmer and quite enjoyed the kindness of the people here in the Quad Cities and Palmer. I also liked that Palmer is well respected in the chiropractic profession and recognized by many. I found the anatomies enthralling and the opportunities through the club system a good way to see what hands on chiropractic is about. However, the primary reason I chose Palmer was it just felt right. I truly felt this was the place I could and should take my family to live for the next four years.
I have really enjoyed my time here and I know that my wife and now three kids have enjoyed it also. It has been a lot of hard work but well worth it. My wife has been awesome being a 'Palmer widow' and dealing with me being at school late at night, every weekend and studying for who knows what exam. I feel like I am know starting to reminisce.....got to come back now......
So I just finished finals for 8th tri and will know be heading into the odious 9th tri. Just kidding, 9th tri's not odious. I hear it's pretty good and you learn a lot in the clinic but that's why I am writing this blog to let you know that 'hey' I am learning something relevent in my career path.
Well my family and I are leaving for our family vacation tomorrow and I guess the professional in me is saying this is also a business/find a job/location to set up shop/buy a practice/observe other chiropractors in their natural habitat trip. So we'll see how it goes. Our first stop is in the beautiful, yet very mysterious mountains of Pocatello, Idaho. Yep, it's mysterious alright after all my wife and I have never been there. We're looking at an opportunity with a chiropractor there in town. So wish us luck and I'll let you know how it goes in the oncoming days.....
P.S....there's more....Oh yes there is more.....I plan to spy on different chiropractic locations in the Provo, Utah area to see how their business is doing and see if they are competitive in their particular market. I also will investigate commercial properties and their viability for opening up a shop. I hope my sleuthing abilities intrigue you and sound like an exciting adventure cause right now I'm just hoping I can be patient enough to do this.
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