Miravone's Blog

So all that whining, sleepless nights, long study sessions, and sacrifices eventually paid off! I graduated from the Doctor of Chiropractic Program December 16, 2010! It was an amazing feeling to finally walk across that stage, get "hooded," and shake Dr. Winterstein's hand as he said, "Congratulations, Dr. Dorough."

Although having a winter graduation is not ideal, it was absolutely astonishing how filled the auditorium was! I had about 20 people that came just for me and my dad even came all the way from Alaska! No matter how much I had to go through to get to graduation, my family and friends were always there for me. They are an integral part to my success.


Over break, I had the chance to spend a lot of time with family. We hosted Christmas at our house for the first time. We cooked a lot of good food and celebrated together especially since it was Xander's first Christmas.


After getting through the holiday fun, I had to get my butt back into gear! I had fun celebrating graduation plus the holidays, however I had to think about the future - back to school AND Naturopathic boards. I started to "lightly" study over break as much as I could mentally and physically tolerate. It is definitely a battle to go back to Tri 1-Tri 6 and review everything! (Plus naturopathic boards are known to be harder than Part 1 chiropractic boards requiring a higher standard to pass.)

The first week of school went great! Getting back to being a student isn't foreign to me since I had classes even through DC clinic, but the best part is that I am ONLY an ND student so my schedule is very open. I am planning on possibly working part-time doing acupuncture or finding a position I could fill in part-time since my schedule will be changing every four months. We will see what doors open for me, but no matter what this is an exciting time!

Attending classes and having the experience I've had in the chiropractic program has been amazing nonetheless. I find myself being able to interact in class with a completely different perspective. I am excited for what is to come. Even though February 1 can wait, I know that I will be prepared enough to get through the next phase.

Oh, and to end on a very positive and exciting note: I passed Part IV chiropractic boards that I took in November in Los Angeles!

Have a great week everyone!!

Now I can see why 13 is a "taboo" number. Week 13 was tough! Out of all the "tough" I've been through (and you, my readers, know I've been through tough), man this one is up there! There are various reasons… some I could have prevented… and some I could not.

First - classes.

My patience was tested right away. I love my naturopathic classes because I always see it as a "break" from all my chiropractic classes, but this week was a big test. It was painful for me to sit still in class while attempting to focus - I had a huge "to-do" list running through my head! My brain was going non-stop because I knew it was crunch time! Then as my professors started discussing finals, it hit me… I have finals DURING graduation week! Whew! I had to work it out with my professors so that I could take all my finals the Monday of graduation week since each day (Tuesday-Wednesday) before graduation are packed with graduation events/prep.

Second - clinic.

As you may know already, I have completed that big 250 chiropractic manipulative techniques (CMTs) which many are still struggling to finish. But after I celebrated for like a minute, it hit me… whoa! I have tons of other numbers to finish! I have to finish my blood draws, 20 narratives, and my case study that I am trying to get published!

Oh, no! My goal was to get all of that done this week! A bit ambitious? Eh… yeah. I finished my most of my blood draws, ALL my narratives (woo woo), and have YET to start on case study. Plus through all that madness, I still saw a couple of patients throughout the week!

My tip: Work on a narrative a week!! That way, you would be able to enjoy the last couple of weeks before graduation!

Third - family.

So through the craziness of classes AND clinic, it hit me again… the world does not stop! I really LOVE my family - unconditionally - but with love comes heartache too. I have definitely experienced tough decisions this week… juggling my life in school plus making everyone else happy. It is a hard task to follow my already tough week… but that's life right? I know that on the 16th… my family will definitely see all my hard work follow through as I walk across the stage and shake Dr. Winterstein's hands as his colleague.

One more week of shear madness as we all race to the finish line… this is definitely a holiday to remember. Wish me luck… take care! And drive safe in the flurries and slick ice!

What's the best way to celebrate? Take a boat cruise on Lake Michigan right in the middle of the beautiful Chicago skyline! Well, what am I celebrating? I am DONE with my numbers! (All my 250 chiropractic adjustments!) OK, so I STILL have to finish my 20 narratives, BUT now I can treat my patients without stressing out every day!

Narratives are a longer version of a patient chart note that you can include with a referral letter if you have to refer a patient for any particular reason. It's a good habit to pick up while in clinic. It is too often that chiropractors (that I've met!) refuse to refer their patients either because they lack knowledge OR because they truly feel they can fix EVERYTHING. That is definitely a dangerous belief to live in when people's lives are literally at your disposal.

As a medical practitioner in any specialty, holding on to that omnipotent mindset should be considered patient negligence. I am so passionate about this because those are the people that scar our profession's reputation each and every day.

This weekend, someone asked me, "WHY ARE YOU DOING TWO PROGRAMS? YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T FIX EVERYTHING, RIGHT?" It turned into a very intriguing conversation because for one split second, I thought about that. "Do I really think that?"

People can construe many thoughts when you tell them that you are dually enrolled in TWO DOCTORATE PROGRAMS. "Does she just want alphabet soup behind her name?" "Is she just going to be good at everything and not AMAZING at one particular thing?" Oh, I've gotten all those and more.

I basically explained to that person that my passion molded while I was in the chiropractic program. I gradually started to see holes in what or how I could treat (at least how I wanted to treat and WHAT I wanted to treat), and I looked for other options while finishing this current program. My situation was a natural progression of how I became engulfed in loving both programs equally. My clinic experience has allowed me to fall deeply in love with physical medicine and it's power and affect on people…just as much as I love what naturopathic medicine can do for more "internal" disorders.

Now ask yourself those questions. What are your intentions? Motives? If they are not for the right reasons, you are going to spend A LOT of money on a couple extra letters behind your name.

Every time I think about the negative dollar signs I owe, I feel at peace with my decision and do not regret it whatsoever. I know that God has intended this for me, so that means He will pull me through financially. Now will you have that same peace? Food for thought!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Eat lots and sleep lots!

Have you ever studied from 11am to 4am in the morning? I have! I know most college students have had the chance to experience a "true" all-nighter, but this is the closest I've been to a pure study marathon. My husband went out of town this weekend, and I had a couple friends from school come over and participate in a grueling study marathon for Part IV boards this coming weekend. (In the picture, Jackie and I are studying using my teddy bear to demonstrate orthopedic tests! Ha ha)


I have to be honest and say… I am scared! Like I've already talked about before, Part IV boards are a clinical/practical exam that lasts two whole days. The first day is all radiology. Basically you walk into a room, look at an X-Ray or MRI, and diagnose or pick the findings. The following day consists of demonstrating orthopedic tests, chiropractic manipulations, and physical exams along with answering diagnoses and treatment/management.

It should be pretty straight forward considering we have received such an amazing education here, right? Um no. Our education has been great HOWEVER the things the board may choose to test you on may be things: 1) orthopedic tests/physical exam methods that we will NEVER USE; 2) clinically, it does not translate to how I treat patients because a lot of the treatment comes from an "old school" of thought since all chiropractic schools are so different; and 3) biggest of all, I will not read my own X-rays!

So what do I do? Pray! Enjoy the palm trees and 80-degree weather (Did I mention I'm taking them in my hometown of Whittier, California?) and Breathe! I am looking forward to my trip with my good friend from school especially since I will get to see my family plus our husbands will be joining us as well! But I look forward to this time next week when I am reflecting on my experience and crossing my fingers that I have passed!

And I have that amazingly cute picture of my nephew that I'm putting on my graduation announcements, that Yes…. his aunt is going to be a doctor. So that little face and big eyes makes all this work worth it.

Well, it seems surreal but 9th trimester is coming to a close. I can't believe it has already been four months and that it will only be FOUR more months until I can add "Dr." to my name!

The last four months have definitely been a time of learning for me. I have learned that I still NEED to focus on my classes more now than when I had 30 credits! I still have some finals to finish up and this "senioritis" has really gotten to me. I have learned that my weakness is the rehab aspect of treating a patient but after being on Dr. Solecki's shift, I truly feel I can visualize that aspect for a patient more so than before.

I have learned how to interact with my colleagues in a more supportive way, and have definitely gotten that same support back. Coming into the program from undergraduate, I feel that it's in our nature to be competitive. However, this program is not about survival of the fittest (Well, it shouldn't be!). There is always something you can learn from someone else. We are missing a couple interns, but in the picture, you can see both 9th & 10th tri Solecki interns!

I have learned that I love and definitely will use homeopathy in my practice. It is such an amazing medicine that although not well understood, works! Evidence based medicine is very important and research is imperative in practice, however there are certain therapies that are not heavily supported by research but still shows great effectiveness. Always keep the patient in mind, and the more you individualize care, the more results you will see. Not all therapies work for EVERY patient. That is something else I also took from 9th Tri.

A highlight from being on Dr. Solecki's shift is our mandatory abstract that we have to write. An abstract is very similar to a case study of a patient that you've been working with. It has to be under 500 words and cover the history from the beginning all the way to the conclusion of the treatment. A select few of us including myself wrote abstracts that Dr. Solecki picked to possibly get published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine! How exciting! After finals, I will start working on the article so that I can start the process of getting it published if accepted by the JCM! Plus we might get the opportunity to be a part of the annual Sports Medicine Symposium!

Overall, 9th Tri has been a huge learning experience and I am looking forward to what my LAST chiropractic trimester has to offer! I will be taking acupuncture and adding about three ND classes. I also have Part IV boards in November and I will be racing to finish my numbers! I am so excited. The best is yet to come!

Have a great week and good luck for those starting the program in September!! See ya then!