Personal Narrative: Working At Alpha Chiropractic

This morning I had my first chiropractic appointment in over a year. Last year around this time, I stopped all my physical therapy and visits to the chiropractor because after getting hit by that car, I was so done with being poked, prodded, twisted, and pulled with no sign of improvement. I just needed a break!

When I entered the workforce at 16, there weren’t many high paying jobs available for someone with absolutely no previous work experience. The only job available for me was in the fast food industry, so my first job was at TacoBell. Working at TacoBell, exposed me to my very first management style.

One of the best things that my wife and I ever did was go to massage therapy and holistic health practitioner school together. Coming out of the Marine Corps, I originally was going to CMT & HHP School so I could get a job at a spa or chiropractic office while I focused on obtaining my bachelors degree in organizational leadership. My wife also wanted a change. She was being worked to death and making very little money as a caregiver. Our thought was if we were going to do a physically demanding job and also be able to actually facilitate individual’s healing, we might as well make good money doing it. Going to school together, learning about holistic health and the power of touch, made our relationship incredibly strong. My opinion it is also what saved me and brought me out of

I told a massage therapist today that I haven’t had a lot of time for self-care because I have a three year old and a ten month old. She laughed and said on my behalf, “Self-care? WHAT’S THAT?!”

Adults aren’t the only ones suffering from back pain in Frisco, TX. It’s back-to-school season and your child’s backpack is a likely culprit for acute and chronic back pain, in addition to related injuries. Kids who carry a backpack to school are more likely to complain of pain in their backs, necks and shoulders. This is due to too-heavy backpacks that are often worn and lifted incorrectly. When a backpack is too heavy for a child to support, they will be forced to bend forward, causing pain and potential injury. Life Changing Chiropractic can help you identify common backpack problems and pick an item that will keep your child healthy and comfortable.

My second clinic rotation is internal medicine and I’ve had many encounters, both with patients and colleagues, which have made me pause and reflect. One of those encounters, in particular, will still be on my mind long after I finish typing this reflective journal. The patient at the center of it all is a lady I’ll refer to from here on as “Mrs. Flowers.” Mrs. Flowers is an 81 year old female with dementia and diabetes. She arrived on our unit with a diabetic foot infection that had progressed from a simple toe ulcer to wet gangrene. Over the last 2-3 months, gangrenous changes encompassed the distal half of her left foot. During pre-rounds, our medical team unanimously agreed that we would contact surgery for a consult. At time, it was obvious

Positive experience. One of the positive experience that happened when I was hired as an assistant to a fashion blogger. That position gave me a lot benefits such as I was able meet people who work in different career fields, hear stories about their life and work experience. That job gave me inspiration me but most of all because of meeting and interacting with different people I was able to chose which career path to follow. This working environment showed me how important networking is for our modern society and that there are other benefits in performing the work than just receiving a financial

The clinic that I am doing my clinical rotation is a small family medical office with one physician assistant and one doctor. It is located in Collier County Naples, Florida. Naples is considered as one of the richest city in Florida with a diverse ethnic group like Caucasian, African America, Asian, Latinos, Haitian, and much more. They see any patients start from 6 years old. Most of the patients who come to the clinic don’t have a medical insurance. They are self-paid. My preceptor is a professor of physician assistant at Nova University in Florida over 20 years.

As I pulled into the rehabilitation center’s parking lot Monday afternoon I couldn't wait to get inside and feel the breeze of the air conditioning as I escaped from the 95 degree blazing hot weather outside. I was very anxious because I wasn’t sure how this interview would go, let alone if it would happen. I wasn't certain the physical therapist I was going to interview would have time to fit me in. I was up the night before trying to figure out what I wanted to learn from this interview and what kind of questions I would ask. I decided to focus my questions towards the physical therapist I have been shadowing to get to know more about him and his experiences with the job. So far through out my research I have been focusing on the physical therapists and their relationships with patients. I wanted my readers learn more about the person who is caring for these patients and what goes on that patients do not see.

The person who I choose to interview was a close friend of mine named Ashely who is both a homecare aid and medical office assistant. She has been a homecare aid for around two years and just completed the program for becoming a medical office assistant.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

I have had multiple clinical practices, however, out of all the experiences during my shifts, there is one particular event that holds great meaning for me. This event happened on my fifth clinical day of this semester, which was the day I first dealt with two clients.

This week I found myself in the OR. Lakewood Ranch Medical Center specializes in orthopedics. Specifically hips and knee replacements. This day one hip and three knee revisions were on the list for the day that I was able to witness. The surgeries themselves were something to see but the meat of the day was the nurse I was assigned to. He demonstrated and educated me to the duties of the RN in the OR: Stocking the general supplies needed, assisting in bringing the specific tools and supplies needed for that surgery, documenting everything from orders to supplies to medications, prepping the patient physically- cleaning and draping the patient leaving the surgical site exposed, assisting in the cleanup and turnover of the surgical suite.

My first week went really well! I was definately both nervous and excited on the first day. I was nervous because I wasn't sure how the clinic would run and I quickly learned that it is a very fast paced clinic. My CI sees patients every 15 minutes and he is both the only PT there and the owner of the clinic. I have been learning a lot about PT treatments as well as the buisness side of the PT clinic. He has a lot of PT aides that help with exercises and setting patients up with ice and stim ect. The fast paced clinic was definately something I had to get used to. I was a little overwhelmed when we would just start with a patient and a new patient would walk in the door. However, there is a very good flow in the clinic and everyone is always

In the summer between my sophomore and junior year, I had started to feel agonizing pain in my lower back. After seeing a specialist and going over the MRI, I was diagnosed with Lumbosacral Disc Disorder with Radiculopathy. Overall, the MRI revealed lumbar degeneration and congenital abnormalities of the lumbar spine with spondylolisthesis and instability. The problem causes low back pain with left leg weakness and numbness. The congenital abnormality of my spine was there since birth which is very rare; however, I do not have the most severe case compared to other people diagnosed with the same problem.