Phase 2, as the clinical phase of our education, is not only about preparing us for the clinic, but for practice after graduation. This past week marked a major milestone in my path toward becoming a Chiropractor, my first standardized patient.

In my extremities examination and management class we took the practical midterm on lower extremity conditions, including hip, knee and ankle pathologies. In this scenario, designed to test our ability to work up a patient, we use a recorded room and approach with this patient, as if we are their actual intern and they have a real complaint. We then have to use their provided history and vitals to work them up and make a diagnosis based on their complaints, in addition to then following up by prescribing a reasonable treatment plan.

This examination includes inspection, palpation and percussion, instrumentation, range of motion testing, orthopedic exams, neurologic exams, lab work and imaging, as well as special tests such as gait analysis. Conditions we have to consider in our differential diagnosis could have been as simple as a fracture, sprain, or strain, to as complex as a condition like a labral or meniscus tear, or even myositis ossificans, a calcification of soft tissue in the leg following trauma. We also had to set up to perform some of our extremity adjustments.

This was not only the first exam in one of my classes without the professor present, since we are able to conduct these exams in a recorded room for a more accurate simulation, but it was also my first time being asked to make a diagnosis. As most of you may already know, we are often asked to memorize information for exams, especially board exams, but it is exponentially more important to be able to apply what we learn for our patients. While it was nerve racking, it was also exhilarating, and made me look forward to the future!

Next up, I have my head-to-toe exam in clinical evaluation and diagnosis which I know could be a potentially lifesaving exam in practice. I have never felt more confident in my abilities as a future Chiropractic Physician, and the help and wellness I’m being trained to provide.

For information about the Doctor of Chiropractic program at NUHS, click here.