Hello all. This past week was an exciting one down here at the
Florida campus. National's president, Dr. James Winterstein, was
here for the first trimester students' white coat ceremony. While
Dr. Winterstein was down here in St. Pete, we were lucky enough to
have him squeeze in some time for a lecture on our role as
chiropractors in a primary care setting.
"Learn as broad as you can, and practice as specific as you'd
like." -- Dr. James Winterstein
As physicians we have a responsibility to our patients to get
them well by managing their health. The key word in the previous
sentence is "manage." Dr. Winterstein explained to us, that
managing our patient's health is our primary concern, and can be
done in a variety of ways. A rut that we chiropractors often fall
into, and really all physicians fall into, is the need to treat the
patient's pain, rather than the patient as a whole.
Dr. Winterstein shared a story with us about a patient he had
treated in the past. This patient came to his office with some back
pain looking for any relief she could find. While performing the
examination on the patient, Dr. Winterstein noticed the patient had
a persistent cough. By the end of the session, Dr. Winterstein
convinced the patient to have a chest X-ray before leaving. The
patient was reluctant because her medical doctor had just diagnosed
her with bronchitis, but what the MD had failed to find was the
bronchogenic carcinoma growing in her lung. In this story, managing
the patient required a vigilant eye, some assertiveness, and an
oncologic referral.
Dr. Winterstein demonstrating an adjustment on Dr.
Stiefel.
Dr. Winterstein reminded us that this was not an isolated
incident, and patients like this walk into doctors' offices every
day; whether they are managed correctly, is up to the doctor. At
the end of Dr. Winterstein's talk with us, he surprised everyone by
having our very own Dr. Joe Stiefel lay down on the adjustment
table for a quick manipulation lesson. For anyone reading this who
has never seen Dr. Winterstein adjust, or doesn't think he has it
in him, do yourself a favor and follow him around until you see him
throw down a manipulation--the man is incredible.
As exciting as last week was, if you guys are like me, you are
starting to feel the pre-finals decline in enthusiasm for classes.
This feeling hits me around the same time each trimester, and it
takes everything I have to keep the energy up to finish the
trimester strong. My solution for getting out of the funk is to
take a few days break from studying and relax. I know I'm always
preaching to keep on top of your classes, and continue to study,
but this past weekend I needed a break.
Cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning
A couple of buds and I went to the Tampa Bay Lightning game last
week to slap some glass, and then ordered the boxing match this
weekend, and here I am Monday morning ready to tackle the rest of
this trimester. There's only a month left in the tri until a nice
three-week break. Try not to burn yourself out before finals, but
do your best to stay motivated. I hope everyone has a killer
week.
Catch ya on the flip,
Dex