This trimester has brought much change to the clinic
environment. Most of the change is good and the rest just needs
mending.
Previously, we saw three return patients a shift, with
approximately an hour and 15 minutes for each patient. Currently,
we have two shifts, one from 8 am to noon and the second from 1
p.m. to 5 p.m. That also may be changing with the addition of
students to the clinic shifts. There has been talk of schedule
changes this whole trimester but they finally have been
implemented.
The new schedule
The new schedule allots an hour for a return patient and an hour
and a half for a "new" patient (previously two and a half hours).
The "new" patient visit lasts longer because a full exam and
history must be done. An exam includes blood pressure, pulse rate,
respiration and temperature, and it can include orthopedic and
neurological exams. A chiropractic intern joins us to ask any
additional questions and provide a western diagnosis for insurance
and charting purposes. In Illinois, acupuncturists cannot diagnose
a patient with a disease. The new patient also receives acupuncture
and herbs, if necessary. So with the new schedule, this is all done
in an hour and a half, an hour shorter than the previous time
schedule.
A positive is the student is faced with a realistic time slot
for future practice arrangements. For me personally, I think it
will be a big challenge to get a full history and exam with the
allotted time, especially with all the discussion that is involved
with the clinicians that also takes time. Another positive to the
new schedule is that it will eventually allow the intern to see
four patients a shift. This will add ease to those that are behind
on their numbers to graduate.
Another change
The other change is the individual evaluations given daily by
the clinicians. Each intern will be evaluated by his/her clinician
daily with a weekly prognosis sent by email. I appreciate this
because the intern can see their growth through their time as an
intern. It can also be a good tool for the student to ask
questions on how to improve if their comments did not meet their
expectations.
Currently, the process is in a transition because each clinic
shift receives a letter grade that reflects our number score of the
average of the evaluations. We as a student body are requesting
that this change to a pass or fail system, so as it will not affect
our grade point average. This is important to those that rely on
scholarships to help fund their schooling. It is hoped that with
time everything will fall into place.
Dr. Hyundo Kim is pictured above. He is my Monday clinician as
well a previous professor. Dr. Kim provides us with much knowledge
of differential diagnosis as well as how to create great herbal
formulas.