Time to settle into the weekly routine again, albeit things are
a bit different this trimester. With class and clinic rotations 5
days each week, along with work on the side during some mornings
and each weekend, time is a precious commodity.
This is what a typical clinic schedule looks like for a 9th/10th
trimester ND Intern.
Monday |
1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
Tuesday |
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
Wednesday |
Noon (Grand Rounds); 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (Clinic) |
Thursday |
1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
Friday |
7:00 a.m. - Noon |
During clinic, we sit down for "preview" each day to discuss
upcoming patient cases and strategies for best helping our patients
in a roundtable discussion. This is a "safe zone" to bounce ideas,
debate the best strategy amongst peers and under the guidance of
our clinicians. The idea is to share knowledge through discussion
in a practical manner without judgment. This approach allows us to
discuss all treatment modalities, their benefits, drawbacks and
limitations, then move forward with the best overall treatment for
our patients.
After preview, we see our patients, chart, research, develop and
bring our suggested treatment plans to our clinicians, who vet the
plans and approve or amend as required for the benefit of our
patients. We must complete all of these tasks during our shifts as
HIPPA regulations dictate that no patient records leave the
premises. We learn quickly to be accurate, concise and have all
work completed by the end of the day out of necessity.
Even though this seems like a lot of work, clinic is a fun,
nurturing environment that I look forward to every day. The smiles
on patients' faces when they begin to feel better, heal and share
is priceless! The patience, knowledge, skill and care that our
clinicians share with each intern on a daily basis set an excellent
example for all of us as future doctors.

Me with Carrie (left) and Juanita (right), both 6th trimester
ND students
The photo I'm sharing this week is of two friends and me. I was
printing something at the library the other day and ran into them
after having not seen either for about two months! This made me
realize that I was separated from the rest of campus now that I'm
in clinic and needed to visit my old friends still in their
clinical courses. Challenge accepted...