We’re already in week six, and among so many other things, I’m working on finishing my outreach hours. My plan was to be done with those hours some time ago, but not everything works out exactly as you plan, so this past weekend I had to deal with a weekend class and an outreach event that started at 5 a.m. on a Sunday. I went to the event, did my five outreach hours, then drove back from Batavia to NUHS for one of the board review classes.

At this point, I have to admit I am pretty tired, and these packed weekends don’t really help, but there’s not a lot that I can do…The good news is that I’m done with the first round of exams, and I even got good grades (credit to my good memory and not to the time I studied!). By next week I will be done with all my outreach hours and I will only have one more weekend class at the end of July!

This week, I’m also working on finishing audits and papers, plus some studying for the exit exam.

Clinic time is still my favorite time, and I am starting to feel more confident about personalizing herbal formulas for patients. I haven’t changed my mind about using herbal patents or raw herbs, and I still don’t see myself using them in my practice. At this moment I’m inclined to order in bulk from one of the companies that produce herbal extracts and tinctures and maybe customizing them myself for patients, but that’s something I’m still debating. I have decided on a business name, website domain, and also the focus of my practice, but for now I’m keeping them to myself, because everything is just a work in progress. I want to have a final vision and plan before saying anything more…

Lots of things to finish, and so many things to do when it comes to the business part. Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed, but most of the time I feel excitement and happiness that all this hard work it will pay off in the end.