Negatives

During my tours, people are constantly asking me, "what is the down-side of going here?" I guess this is because I seem so positive. People want to test my sincerity, I suppose. Well, I've compiled a list of negatives about Palmer for all the nay-sayers... but I have to warn you, I am full of optimism and wistfulness... Here we go!

Newer isn't always better
We boast one of the newest chiropractic college campuses in the country. As far as architecture and space functionality, being new is fantastic. In other respects, however, it is more challenging. A new school means new curriculum, new professors, and lots of challenges. In my time at school the curriculum and various policies have changed more times than I can count. This can be confusing and, at times, frustrating. However, most of these changes benefit the students in the long run. Occasionally, it is not soon enough to benefit me specifically, but remember, anything that benefits the students of tomorrow eventually benefits the profession as a whole.

Chiropractic is full of questions
This is both a positive and a negative. Because our profession was founded only a little over 100 years ago, we are still children on the healthcare continuum. This leads to all sorts of questioning, arguing, and debating about where our profession should be heading in the coming years. While debate is the spark of innovation, it can also be disconcerting for a student about to graduate and embark on his/her own journey. As a student it is important to remember that once you go out into the world, your decisions are your own. This is as true clinically as it is philosophically and in business. Luckily, to combat this potential problem, we have a diverse group of faculty who have a wide range of opinions on the development of our profession. From these, any student should be able to create a personal practice paradigm.

Paperwork, Paperwork, and more Paperwork...
Entering Palmer College means signing your name 1000+ times before even entering the clinic. It also means learning an entire system of record keeping that--in all likelihood--will not even be close to the records you will keep in your practice. I recently saw my first student patient in the clinic and I was overwhelmed with the tedious nature of the forms/files/folders I had to complete. The overwhelm sets in when one realizes that he/she has not been properly informed on how to complete all this paperwork... He/she may have even seen all these forms before, but knowing exactly how one's overseeing doctor wants them done is another topic. This can be frustrating, since our clinical skills are highly developed by the time we enter our last year... I would like to believe that our record keeping skills are just as well-developed... but they are not. (You can see, I'm rather impassioned about this...) Anyway... it is very frustrating to feel like I am swimming in papers... but I also know that no matter how detailed the notes I will be required to take after graduation, there is no way they will be as detailed as this. Therefore, I'm learning the worst-case scenario to be better prepared for the real world. That's something I can feel good about. :)

I think that's it.
Knowing that these are the worst thing about my education, I feel pretty good. There is nothing that I cannot overcome or make an excuse for, so I know I made the right decision. If any of you have any questions, please feel free to email me any time. I love getting emails from my readers!

In Health,
Christabella
ccherub@gmail.com