Being a graduate student requires resiliency. I am going to be honest, I did not do well on one of my exams this past week but instead of hanging my head, I am going to work twice as hard on the next exam. The Doctor of Chiropractic Program is very difficult; we have a lot of exams to prepare for and they require a lot of attention outside the classroom. Unfortunately, I studied more for one class than another and that is exactly how my grades turned out.

I have another two exams coming up in E&M of the Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Systems as well as neurological systems. Due to the increasing workload in the classroom, I have cut back my hours at work from six days a week to two days a week. I want to clarify that the program is difficult but not impossible. To get through the difficult times, I remind myself: If it’s easy, it’s not worth it; and if it’s worth it, it won’t be easy.

Last week the students ahead of us in sixth trimester had their marketing class presentations. They had to give their presentation as if they were at a health fair. Their goals were to sell us (the students acting as the general public) on why we should go see them and how their chiropractic practice could help us as prospective patients. I took it as an opportunity to play devil’s advocate and play on some of the general misconceptions the public may have about chiropractic physicians. The 6thtrimester students were very well prepared for the questions and each of their presentations was excellent.

One thing that stood out to me was how everyone had their own unique ideas. Some wanted to focus on rehab, others nutrition, and one student wanted to focus specifically on women’s health issues. It really depicted what we are all about here at NUHS–we have a wide variety.

Chiropractic is unique in healthcare because the majority of doctors are self-employed private practice owners. At National, we prepare for that as early as second trimester with an introduction to business. We then have business marketing in 6thtrimester. It’s a very important aspect of being a successful chiropractor because many of us aspire to own our own practice. It is especially helpful for someone like myself who has a background in biology and exercise science. I came into this program with no previous business or marketing classes, which makes these classes that much more important to someone like myself.

That is all for this week, if you have any questions please email me at [email protected]