Every trimester, for what has been the equivalent of eight terms (as a Flex Track student, this is my 12th term at NUHS), Week 3 seems to arrive at a surprising speed. I cannot explain why this seems to be the case, as time advances the way it always does- second-by-second, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day-by-day–and yet, “before you know it,” two weeks of the Trimester have already passed.

What this means for many of us is that Early Assessments are on the horizon. Before the implementation of NUHS’ hybrid learning format (online lectures, exams administered via Proctorio, and in-person labs and Clinic), Early Assessments would be in person, mostly on Scantron forms, and predominantly during weeks 4 through 6, as instructors worked with students to try and offer a balanced testing schedule (thereby, attempting to avoid overloading students with too many exams on the same day(s) and/or week(s)).

Well, gone are the days of the Scantron- for now anyway- but Early Assessments are still on the horizon. In preparation for these first round of exams, along with studying hard and reviewing Cygnet announcements, I’m sure many of us have been reviewing syllabi to keep sight of exam dates and times. We may also have reminders set on calendars of laptops and cell phones, Google and other cloud-based calendars, and we might also be using other forms of e-planning. Some old schoolers (like me) still write down what is due for the week.

Whatever method will offer you the most success for Early Assessments and any other planning you might have to do, the Nike tag line always applies: Just do it. Like most medical students who along with studying, have a myriad of other responsibilities, if tasks are not captured in some form with reminder(s), they may get missed…as an aside, that brings to mind a conclusion regarding a medical note/record…if it’s not documented, it did not happen. Therefore, make a practice of documenting and also remind yourself, so that nothing gets missed.

So, in this Week 3, remember that yep, it is Week 3 (reiterated for those who “can’t believe it…already?”) and plan for success in the way that will deliver it best!

Share the tool(s) that you find beneficial in meeting all your various obligations while in the Chiropractic Degree Program.