With two weeks to go in Trimester 8 and only finals left, I am starting to feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. In two weeks, I will be done with classes for the DC program at NUHS. It is bittersweet to think how the end is near. In just two more trimesters, I will be graduating from NUHS. The only thing left for me to do in this program is finish my clinical internship. It has been a great learning experience thus far.

Since I am in Clinical Internship 1, I have had to learn the ropes. My clinician and the students in Clinical Internship 2 have been helping me along these past 13 weeks and I really have come a long way since week one. I had a monumental day last week. I had a patient who had back pain for over two years. The patient was a weightlifter and always experienced the pain during workouts. After one treatment, the patient was out of pain for the first time in over two years. It was humbling to be able to help someone, and the shock on the patient’s face when the pain was gone is something I will never forget. It was a much-needed reminder of why I chose to become a chiropractor and why I am proud I chose National.

Even though I am nearing the end of the program, there is still a lot of work to be done. These next two weeks are going to consist of reports, finals, and national board exams. It is easy to get stressed out thinking about all the tasks ahead, but my sister reminded me just the other day to just take them on one at a time. My friends who came through this program before me always told me to find balance between life and school. I have tried throughout the program to live that way though it is not always easy.

Trimester 8 posed a new challenge by adding clinic into the mix. Balancing class, clinic, board review, and a social life has been more difficult than just class alone. It wasn’t easy, but I got through it. The classes in Trimester 8 are on the boards so that has been a huge help because I am studying for both at the same time. Besides that, I have been trying to take on one thing at a time, which has really helped when things seem insurmountable. Rome wasn’t built in a day and the last two weeks need to be handled the same way.

I am going to miss classes and walking into our building where the NUHS banner hangs from the balcony. Next trimester I will be in Clinical Internship 2, which means I will be in the NUHS Whole Health Center in Pinellas Park for 5 days a week. I am looking forward to starting this new chapter in my schooling and hope to continue to improve my patients’ health.