Keeping a Level Head

In four weeks my class and I will be taking the first set of national boards. All of the information we are supposed to have soaked up during the last 2 years has to be ready for recall in subjects like pathology, microbiology, biochemistry, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, general physiology and general anatomy. Much of this information is being built upon this quarter and will be easily put to use during the exams. The difficult part is going to be reviewing the details of each area and balancing the current course load at school.

I go through freak out fits in regards to this massive balancing act, as does the majority of my class. Some are poised and nothing bugs them or at least that is what we see. I think most everyone is trying to figure out how they are going to jump through this hoop and keep things in check. I for one have some major anxiety which goes away when I go on a run at threshold pace or drink beer. Unfortunately, beer makes the anxiety worse the next day so I have reluctantly been holding back with an occasional indulgence.

Next quarter we are in 7th quarter. This means we enter the clinic phase of the education and we are officially junior interns! The time passes so quick at school and each week seems like a blink of an eye. The information piles up so high, so quick that when you start digging through it to get it embedded in your brain the effort becomes a 2-3 hour event. Exhaustion sets in and motivation declines leaving it to be done another day. Unfortunately, every day that is missed reviewing, puts you that much further behind. All you can do is try your best.

On another note, the school has launched a masters degree program in exercise science which starts next quarter. The students entering this program will basically be taking 3-5 extra credits per term and mostly at night. In my mind, adding more work onto an already insanely busy program is a recipe for disaster. Personally speaking, I am already struggling to master the current information and at times feel I cannot get it down well enough to be competent. When I think of volunteering for more classwork, I feel as if the only response would be to gag. I guess if someone wants to go for it then I am supportive.

I was strongly considering going into the masters program but my gut says it isn't really what I want. After talking with the program director, I know it is not for me. The program is set up so that you get clinic hours working with high school and college athletes during competition. Essentially, you are trained to be a doctor on the sidelines of sports like basketball, football, baseball and soccer. It makes sense to design a program like this because the students are guaranteed to work with injured athletes and prepare them for competition. However, there isn't much emphasis on endurance sports like marathon running, cycling, mountain biking, nordic skiing and triathlons. When I asked the director if we'd be able to work with endurance athletes he pretty much said no. He told me, injuries are injuries and the only difference between endurance athletes and speed athletes is that they use different energy systems. Interesting. I completely disagree, on many levels.

Instead of doing the masters degree, I have decided to get sports medicine training from different sources that emphasize on endurance athletes. The National Academy of Sports Medicine is a great resource for this type of training. In fact, they have a few masters degrees in the subject of performance enhancement that can be done primarily online. Another program out of Arizona from an Osteopathic medical school has a similar program to NASM's which can be done online as well. Granted, you wouldn't be able to get hands on training like the Western States masters. When I think about how I am going to market myself in the outpatient clinic in the near future, I see myself setting up shop at running events, nordic skiing events, cycling events and triathlons. Under the supervision of a DC, of course. So, essentially, I will most likely get the training I want without the hassle of taking more classes.

The rigor and demand for excellence in our current program makes me think my training at Western States is top notch. It has it's issues but I don't think the bad outweighs the good. We are slowly becoming musculoskeletal and preventive health experts. I trust the program and believe I will eventually become a competent doctor.

All for now