A Look Back at Spring Quarter

By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student

The Spring 2020 quarter was unlike any previous quarter I have ever had, even though I have taken online classes before. This was similar to previous doctor of chiropractic (DC) program quarters in that you’re constantly wondering how three months can seem like two days and five years all at the same time. It somehow goes by so fast, but it also feels like it just started. It was stressful, which is the norm, but a different kind of stress. One that was filled with constant change and having to adjust. These changes weren’t just school-related either.  Travel was cancelled, hiking trails were closed, and most of my friends and both of my roommates went home for the entirety. 

It was a lonely few months and I’m so thankful that I had school to keep me busy! Though there were a few weeks that it was a bit too busy. Thankfully, our professors were really responsive when they heard how crazy it was for us between the busy work and school load, so many adjusted their assignments to help. One week, a professor even told us that our assignment was to watch a five-minute video and go outside and enjoy the day. I literally cried I was so thankful. Acts like that truly saved my mental health as I was able to spend more time taking care of myself and picked up gardening, baking the quarantine banana nut bread, and going on a bazillion walks about the neighborhood – even walking by the old campus to make it feel a little more normal!  Though I definitely had days where I really struggled, the activities that I picked up really helped me re-discover my passions and I’m in a better place mentally that I have been for the past year.

As I mentioned, I’ve taken online classes before and rarely got anything out of them in the past.  It was always formatted to read something and then take a quiz.  Although I don’t know if I would say that my knowledge on the material is what it would have been if we had class as normal, our professors are proficient in online lectures and making it interactive when needed.  Even better, some professors are really slow talkers so that a 45-minute lecture can be watched in under 30 minutes!  The hands-on portion was really tough, and I’m so thankful that we have a review the first week of next quarter.  I know that our professors are going to do their best to get us up to speed as quickly as possible. 

Though this quarter was extremely challenging and required everyone to shift their previous ways of thinking and doing, I’m really grateful for our professors that were with us every step of the way.

After suffering a TBI following a car accident, Leah Dash has found therapeutic relief mixing creativity and anatomy-inspired woodworking

By: Leah Dash, UWS doctor of chiropractic student

As with any college student, I’m always coming across things on Facebook that I can’t afford (thanks, advertising people). More than once have I seen something and then tried my hand at making my own version. However, these have always been small crafts like pennants, embroidery projects, etc. I have always enjoyed exploring different crafts, but it became even more important after I suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a car accident in July 2018. Doing small focused and detailed tasks is actually therapy for my brain. I am still in occupational therapy but things like this are helpful in managing my symptoms.

So, in January, when I saw a posting for a “Rustic Barnwood Atlas Vertebra” for $300, I was immediately in love. Rustic? Barnwood? That’s basically everyone’s interior design scheme right now. And anatomy? Spine related? I had to have it. However, that price tag… for what is essentially recycled wood, I couldn’t justify.

Where does anyone our age go when they need to learn a new skill (aside from chiro school)? YouTube.

I fell down the proverbial hole of YouTube. I watched every video I could find on how to cut basic wood shapes and figured I had to try to make one for myself. Finally, ready to start doing instead of watching, I went out and bought a jigsaw and started practicing. The first few were obviously terrible, but I slowly started to get the hang of it. At this point I also realized I was using the wrong tool and then purchased a used scroll saw off Facebook marketplace. I know I’d mentioned cost above and at this point it was at about $100 for both tools.

Inspired by some signs I saw on Pinterest and emboldened by my practice cuts, I decided to make a “Welcome” sign with the O replaced by an Atlas. This first attempt at lettering was pretty large, which is actually easier than making small cuts and was only a little wiggly, but let’s just call it “rustic,” ok? I then posted it on my Instagram and was surprised to receive a lot of attention from friends and local doctors. That was when I decided to sell a few to help offset the cost and make sure that I didn’t start hoarding wood vertebra.

Most of what I make is anatomy based and I definitely consider the scroll saw to be my favorite tool. However, I also do a lot of pyrography, which is a woodburning technique that uses a heated pen to burn designs into wood. Obviously working on anatomy inspired pieces not only helps to improve my general knowledge (especially in Bone Path and other radiography courses), but it helps with my visual perception issues, such as perceiving a 3D object in space. I also have some issues with convergence and accommodation leftover by my TBI that are also helped by this “exercise” of focusing on the outline of my project on the scroll saw.  

I’m also very thankful because when my fiancé lost his job at the beginning of quarantine, focusing on these projects, as well as the small amount of revenue, helped offset my anxiety and our grocery bills. I’m also very proud because he managed to get another job a week ago, despite the current economic crisis, so we’re on much firmer footing now. However, I have continued woodworking each week throughout the term and plan to continue in the future.

In my future practice, I hope to be able to display a lot of cute chiropractic things throughout the office, especially one of my Welcome signs. I also really love giving them as gifts to friends, so I hope to continue to be able to do that as well, as long as people don’t get sick of handmade gifts.

If anyone is interested in buying one of my signs or requesting a custom piece please follow my Instagram @spine.tree or you can email me [email protected]. Just please keep in mind that my student schedule is pretty crazy and these things take time.

Speaking of crazy schedules, if you have a hobby that you want to work on and feel like you don’t have time- it’s something that you just have to set time aside for. Just like the emphasis we place on physical health and the importance of movement; we need to remember that mental health is just as important.  In my case, my brain firmly puts its foot down when it needs a break from studying but there are so many other signs from your body telling you that you need to go out there and do something that makes your heart happy. Also, if anyone wants to get into woodworking/woodburning let me know! I’m happy to help anyone on their crazy sawdust journey.

Spring Term Adjusting Lab Experiences

By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student

When we were first told that our hands-on labs were going to be online, I was really skeptical. Especially since I don’t have someone in my household that I can work on. But after having a couple full weeks of online labs, it is going much better than I had anticipated. It’s still not an ideal situation, but given the circumstances, our professors did an amazing job with the transition.

With this environment, it’s easy as a student to forget to practice our skills and let the labs take a back seat. Lecture classes are taking more time than normal and they’re better suited for online learning. That and being in quarter seven, we have a number of time-consuming and exhausting courses! I keep reminding myself that I’m going into a hands-on profession and will only have a short time next quarter to catch up with my skills. So while I can’t work on an actual person – trust me, I’ve tried doing some of the set-ups on my foot and it did not work out well – I can work on my speed and body mechanics. My friend may not be able to take me dropping on them for an hour, but my yoga bolster sure can! 

Going into this quarter online, I thought that extremity adjusting would be the most difficult to practice without a partner to work on. However, on the first day of class when I asked Dr. Hatch how to best work on these skills alone, he not only provided some great advice, but he made a video on impulse drills that we can do with resistance bands and pillows! I would have never thought to grab a pillow or a band to work on as a substitute for a foot and it has really helped me feel more confident in my speed. This way, when I finally do get to work on real person, I’ll just need to work on the actual feel, not necessarily the set-up.

You may have heard of the basketball visualization study that was conducted in 1996. There were three groups, one shot free throws, another envisioned shooting free throws, and the third group did nothing. The amazing thing was that the group that never touched a basketball and only envisioned shooting free throws improved almost as much as the group that shot them all of the time. It’s an important study to show that even during this time when we can’t work on each other in a normal hands-on lab environment, we can still improve if we put the effort in and talk to our professors about how to best work on our skills.

Tips from Dr. Lester Partna and Dr. Cortny Williams

By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student

If you’re a current University of Western States (UWS) doctor of chiropractic (DC) student, don’t forget to check out the course “Navigating Your Spring Term DC Courses” that you’ve been enrolled in via webCampus! There are a ton of great tips including a “Quick Guide” created by student services. They reiterate much of the advice our professors are giving us along with other helpful tidbits!

And to help you succeed even more, here is some advice from Dr. Partna and Dr. Williams.

Q&A No. 1

Dr. Lester Partna, chiropractic sciences associate professor

How are you adapting your lecture material for online learning?

Instructors have been using a number of different formats to deliver material for their lecture courses. I started off by using recordings supplemented by optional Zoom meetings. Hopefully, this allows for the clearest presentation of the material and gives some flexibility to the students for convenient viewing times. The optional follow-up Zoom meetings provide an opportunity for discussion and questions about the material.

Do you have any recommendations for how students can succeed in your class this term?

I recommend staying up-to-date with the material and not falling behind in viewing the lectures and reading the notes. I think that attending the Zoom meetings is also helpful, even for those who don’t have pending questions.

With labs being postponed, are there any at-home, hands-on activities that students can do to help reinforce your material?

This is the most difficult question. Students could definitely work on impulse drills and other things that they learned back in their adjustive skills class. I’m hesitant to recommend that students—at least those who are third through seventh quarters—practice adjustive setups unsupervised. Without appropriate instructor supervision and feedback, I would be worried that students might develop bad habits that would have to be corrected later.

That being said, I think that it might be beneficial for sixth quarter students to look through the adjustment videos for my sixth quarter cervical class and become familiar with the names of the adjustments and what they look like. That might speed up the process of learning those adjustments when we’re back in class again. The only drawback to that idea is that we might have to abbreviate the number of adjustments that we teach due to the contracted amount of time that we will have to teach them, and any pre-class preparation might go unrewarded.

Q&A No. 2

Dr. Cortny Williams, basic sciences professor

How are you adapting your lecture material for online learning? 

I chose to give all my lecture hours as synchronous, because I believe that having structure and purpose in a day promotes wellness. I use webcast, a live recording that allows discussion forum postings during the lecture for Q&A. After the webcast, I open a Zoom session so that we can have an interactive discussion that begins with polling questions and dives into open-ended questions to explore the material.

Do you have any recommendations for how students can succeed in your class this term?

My learners need to embrace self-directed learning and be open to asking questions and providing feedback when the learning outcomes or directions for tasks are not clear. Students need to be prepared to do the work. My expectations for learning did not change with the transition online. I did alter the way we engage with the material by removing high-stakes exams and creating essay assignments instead.

With labs/team recitation being postponed, are there any at-home, hands-on activities that students can do to help reinforce your material?

I have been trained in online team-based learning and I am excited to use my new skills! My course is entirely online this term. I refer to preparation in question two to help learners reinforce the material.

And for fun, what did you do during the quarter break?

I have two daughters and I have become a third grade teacher, a sixth grade teacher, a maestro and a physical education (PE) coach! My favorite is PE time because rain or shine, we go outside and run around our neighborhood and do calisthenics in the driveway full of laughter. This is a very special time for me, because I have an opportunity to engage with my family and develop our relationships in so many new ways.  

Next time, we’ll hear from Dr. Mia Crupper and Dr. Beth Dominicis!

Spring Term CMHC Student Blog No. 3

By: Chrissy Holm, EdD-CMHC, SP specialization student

In this blog post, Chrissy Holm, EdD-CMHC, SP specialization student details three mindfulness practices that can improve your ability to lead others, as well as yourself during times of stress or discomfort.

Mindfulness is the ability to remain in the present moment without judgement and to be fully aware of where and what you are doing without overreacting or becoming overwhelmed. It’s an approach to one’s current experience with curiosity and openness that creates space between stimulus and response. An example I love to use with clients is to envision a spider in your hand. Your initial reaction may be to shake your hand to quickly release the spider, scream or smash it. This can sometimes feel similar to how we respond to stress or discomfort. Get it away! Is it gone yet? However, before slinging the spider in another direction, what if you took a breath, slowed down, stayed completely still and began to look at the spider with curiosity? How many legs does she have? How many eyes? Is she hairy? Maybe she has a name? Suddenly, the circumstances are transformed and you begin to want to lean in and find out more about this spider.

Similarly, by doing this, we can change the relationship we have with our thoughts, feelings and sensations, to be more responsive and less habitual or reactive. You can train yourself to move toward challenge or stress instead of away. There are many ways to practice mindfulness and across many contexts. Mindful eating, mindfulness meditation, showing up mindfully in relationships, spending time in nature, etc. are all great ways in which you can train your brain to slow down and lean in.

I’d like to recommend three mindfulness practices that can help you become a better leader by not only managing your own stress, but assisting others as well.

            1. Daily gratitude

            2. “Zen Ten”

            3. Belly breathing

Below are specific recommendations as well as an explanation of how these practices can affect your leadership skills.

1. Daily gratitude – Write down three things you are grateful for and why. Practicing gratitude improves resiliency and increases optimism. Human beings naturally focus on the negative as a survival mechanism. It’s better to focus on the tiger (king) coming after you than the beautiful butterfly in the air if you want to live to see another day. However, when we focus on perceived threats, we narrow our scope of vision and inherently shut down our ability to be flexible and creative. However, when you lead with gratitude, this positive perspective broadens your view and affords more creativity, growth, adaptability, etc. that is necessary for the types of stressors we face today. 

2. Take a “Zen Ten”- 10-minute meditation both morning and night. Spending 10 minutes to sit still and focus on your breathing regulates emotions and slows down overactive cognitive processing. If you’re feeling anxious, frustrated, disappointed or confused, these are all “intense emotions” and can signal to your body that you are stressed. When you can release that emotional tension, and simply notice it without judgment, it diffuses and becomes less powerful and controlling of your mind and behavior. As a leader, it is important to show up open, able to take in new information as it unfolds, and make thoughtful decisions when needed. At night, a Zen Ten also helps promote restful sleep by slowing down the mind in a similar fashion. Some mindfulness meditation apps I would recommend are Calm, Headspace and Insight Timer.

3. Belly/Diaphragmatic breathing for two to three minutes – This kind of breathingquickly decreases stress by breathing down into your stomach, expanding out on your inhale and contracting your stomach in on your exhale. This method of breathing stimulates the vagus nerve to slow down your heart rate by engaging your parasympathetic nervous system. Chronic stress can decrease immunity. If you want to have the longevity necessary to lead throughout many seasons of stress, then it’s important to keep chronic stress levels low. This type of breathing down-regulates the fight-or-flight stress response and allows you to return to baseline functioning.

Again, there are many ways to practice mindfulness, and it’s important to find which exercise works best for you. Choose one, choose them all, but create a routine of a daily mindfulness practice to gain the most benefit for your brain and body. Similar to how you build muscle in the gym, it’s important to get the reps in; if you don’t use it, you lose it.

Resource: https://mindfulnessexercises.com/mindfulness-exercises-for-professionals-leadership-motivation

Tips from Dr. Bill Borman and Dr. Ron LeFebvre

By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student

The spring 2020 quarter has proven to be a different one for sure! With the Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) program being so hands-on, it’s going to be a difficult transition, but our professors are working together to try to ensure that we get the best possible education we can. I spoke with a few professors before UWS decided it would be in everyone’s best interest to extend the online learning to labs for the quarter as well –, but their answers are still really helpful during this time! Currently, they are working together in a taskforce to deliver our lab content to us online and deciding how to best assess and prepare us as clinicians. My best advice now is to be patient and work with your Associated Student Body (ASB) reps if you have any questions or ideas!

Q&A No. 1

Dr. Bill Borman, basic sciences professor

Do you have any recommendations for how students can succeed in your class this term? 

I think the key to success will be self-discipline in keeping up with content. It’s going to be very tempting for students to put off studying/learning, because they won’t have the obligation of being scheduled for class. They also won’t have the benefit of the group dynamic that comes with everyone going to class together and working or studying together. I anticipate developing the self-discipline to stick to a schedule dedicated to learning the content of each of the many courses students take in each term will be key to success.

With labs being postponed, are there any at-home, hands-on activities that students can do to help reinforce your material? 

I think the dissection lab is, by far, the best place to learn, understand and appreciate anatomical structures and their relationships. Losing the opportunity for students to continue that experience is disappointing, but prudent and necessary given the coronavirus circumstances. Given that, a viable alternative to participating in the dissection directly would be for students to observe the dissection remotely. As such, I’ve started recording myself doing the dissections students normally do for themselves. While I’m dissecting, I’m also recording the commentary I make while helping students in person – reviewing structures, describing relationships, quizzing, etc. I think these videos are going to be immensely helpful for students to observe the process and sequence of dissection, and hopefully, will be an acceptable alternative to the lost opportunity to dissect for themselves. I will also post review videos from a previous term in which I taught these courses and I already know students really appreciate those videos. 

And for fun, what did you do during the quarter break? 

Given the circumstances, we had to modify our plans for what we were going to do during the quarter break pretty substantially. Originally, my wife and I had planned on traveling to Wisconsin for 10 days to spend time with both our families. We decided it would be better and safer to stay home. I originally spent some time installing trim in the lower floor of our home (I’ve been working off/on for a number of years replacing all the interior doors and trim throughout our entire home.) Pretty quickly, though, I realized I needed to get in the lab and start dissecting/recording. It’s a pretty daunting project given the short timeline, but it’s going pretty well so far and I’m enjoying it. I think the students will really appreciate it as well.

Q&A No. 2

Dr. Ron LeFebvre, clinical education professor

Do you have any recommendations for how students can succeed in your class this term?

It is critical for students to structure their time. The daily course schedule usually does a lot of that for them. Now, however, many of the lectures are asynchronous and can be done at any time leaving the potential for time management chaos. Suddenly, all of the normal time guardrails have fallen down leaving an open range where I fear many will lose themselves. Students should create a tight schedule for watching videotaped lectures and accomplishing other training tasks as if they were back in school. They should also link with study buddies and meet via FaceTime/Zoom also on a regular schedule. This all is going to require the next level up of self-discipline.

With labs being postponed, are there any at-home, hands-on activities that students can do to help reinforce your material?

I’ll leave that advice to lab instructors—but obviously, if they don’t live alone, there may be people that they can safely practice some procedures on and if they can, they should.

And for fun, what did you do during the quarter break? 

Note that in class, Dr. LeFebvre told Q7 students that he has been hard at work over the break going through his courses and making them best suited for the new online format. He has also been going on numerous walks with his dog and enjoying time at home!

In future posts, we’ll hear from Dr. Cortny Williams, Dr. Mia Crupper, Dr. Beth Dominicis and Dr. Lester Partna! 

Mental Health Services During COVID-19

By: Chrissy Holm, EdD-CMHC, SP specialization student  

Now that it’s been a few weeks into quarantine, the dust has theoretically settled. Well, at least a little. As I’m currently in my clinical internship year for the UWS clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) program, I can thankfully report that my internship site, Care Counseling in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has finished transitioning over to all telehealth psychotherapy sessions. Now that we are all in our new routine of working from home, I’d like to carve out some time for gratitude and recognition for our wonderful university.

As an online student, I have become quite familiar with Zoom. Not only has this portion of my program been extremely convenient, it also prepared me very well for COVID-19. In September 2019, I took on the task of researching best practices for telehealth, and creating as well as delivering a telehealth training program for 35+ clinicians at my internship site. Not only was I able to teach an important skill to my colleagues, but I felt proud to be an ambassador of UWS in this way. 

Flash forward to March 2020 with new COVID-19 precautions, stay-at-home orders, etc., that required most professionals to shift quickly to working remotely. Many therapists scrambled to secure HIPAA compliant telehealth platforms, figure out how to work technology, and adjust to connecting with clients in new ways through a device. However, not only had my site been utilizing telehealth smoothly for months, but we had the bandwidth to also create a COVID-19 telehealth resource library that we shared with thousands of providers in our community.

I say all of this to highlight how fortunate I feel to have been able to leverage online learning and help many people adjust successfully to these unprecedented times. I think that online learning requires students to be particularly driven, independent and resourceful. COVID-19 has required similar qualities to “thrive” in this new environment. I felt uniquely prepared to take on this challenge thanks to my amazing professors and peers in the UWS CMHC and sport and performance psychology programs. Now more than ever, we are reminded about the importance of collaboration and flexibility. Each and every one of us have something unique to contribute and sometimes it takes a bit of courage to step forward and give a helping hand. During this time of uncertainty, it will take new ideas, fresh initiatives and an element of bravery to come through on the other end stronger than ever. I encourage everyone to think of how they might be able to connect with someone outside of their comfort zone and see where it leads.

Activity Ideas to Pass Time During Quarantine

By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student

With everything closed and not being able to spend time with friends in person, I’ve heard a few people talk about how bored they are. I can’t say that I have this whole quarantine thing figured out, but I can say that I have not been bored once. Sure, there are days where I’m unmotivated to do much and end up watching hours of old Boston Legal episodes or movies – haven’t tried Tiger King yet, but my Instagram is covered in memes about it – but for the most part, I have a ton of activities to do every day.

My tip for staving off boredom without becoming one with your couch is to switch up your activities. I start off my day by making a real breakfast. I love to cook, it takes time, it’s delicious and it makes me happy. After, I’ll spend a few hours reading, putting a puzzle together while listening to podcasts, crafting, calling friends and family, and going for walks. I try not to do something until I’m tired of it because then it makes my enjoyable activities unenjoyable. The trick is to find something that you enjoy doing and to switch it up every couple of hours.

I have a friend who loves to paint, but hasn’t been able to since starting the doctor of chiropractic program due to lack of time. Same with a friend who used to play the guitar and another who used to read books for fun and not just to learn about physiology and neuroanatomy. We have so much time now to go back to activities that we love to do but always had excuses to put it off – mainly because we don’t have the time or energy. Well, that’s no excuse now! 

I’ve busted out all my old coloring books, my stamping craft supplies, and I joined Kindle Unlimited so I can read all of the Harry Potter books and the Wayward Pines trilogy. I’ve also called and video chatted with friends I haven’t spoken to in months. They’re all stuck at home too and it’s great to reconnect with them. I love podcasts, but it’s usually difficult to find time to listen to all the ones on my list. Now, I listen to them while crafting and going on walks. If you’re looking for some to take your mind off of COVID-19, but still want it to be relevant to chiropractic or sports medicine, I recommend “Stronger by Science.”  There are two guys discussing current research and even talk about confidence intervals and metabolic enzymes so you get a bit of Dr. LeFebvre and Dr. Williams.

There are also a ton of online resources to keep you entertained. As I mentioned in my last post, the National Parks have some virtual tours and many other places have set up the same thing! You can go to France to see the remains of the Louvre’s moat and an Egyptian collection here, see the arms and armor exhibit in Manhattan’s Met Gallery here, and tons of whale vertebrae at DC’s Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History here. If you want more ideas, Smithsonian Mag lists and links 10 different museums around the world with virtual tours here.

If you want something more school related, go to Dynamed and see what current research is being done, look for scholarships, and brush up on your anatomy and palpation skills. Start compiling information for your next board exam, whenever that may be.

If you don’t want to be bored, there are plenty of options to keep you active and your brain engaged.  Reconnect with old friends and hobbies, look up fun recipes to try – going to the grocery store is now a very time-consuming endeavor! Enjoy your socially distant time before the world restarts and you can go back to saying you don’t have time to do your favorite hobbies.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas to make the best of this time. The next blog will be a Q&A from our favorite professors on what to expect from them this quarter. Going remote is going to be different and they’re giving us some helpful tips on how to best succeed!

How to Remain Active While Remaining Socially Distant

By: Caitlin Jones, Q7 UWS doctor of chiropractic and sports medicine student

I don’t know about you, but two weeks into social distancing and I’m going stir crazy. Both of my roommates drove home for break and quarantine, and since my family lives across the country, I decided to stay in Portland. By myself. Being a full-time chiropractic and sports medicine master’s student, I’m looking at this as a welcome break to do the small things that have been on my list for months. I also try to maintain some normality in my days. I take a shower every day, even though my hair doesn’t get washed nearly as often as it used to! And to keep my sanity and my health, I’ve tried some ways to remain active while keeping socially distant. Hopefully these ideas will help you too!

Without gym access, I signed up for a free daily newsletter that has a new body weight workout that I commit to doing. My pushups are starting to get really good after only a week! If you’re interested, there are plenty of free and paid options out there, but I subscribed to Brute Force Training since I was looking at getting some home equipment when I realized that the gym would not be available for at least a month. I try to do the workouts in my yard as often as I can. Even in the front yard so I can wave at people as they walk around the neighborhood while maintaining social distance but getting some much needed human interaction.

There are also great yoga sessions, Barre classes, Zumba, HIIT training and more available for free on YouTube. I subscribed to Black Swan Yoga for $8 a month because I really liked the consistency of the instructors, the different skill levels, meditation practices, and it fit into my small budget. If you are a gym, sport or group fitness class enthusiast, look up that activity – you can definitely find a way to practice your skills at home.

Another great way to stay active and get outside is to go on hikes. Despite the large number of trail closures, there are still plenty open. Just be sure to be safe. On my last hike in Mt Hood National Forest, there was a sign stating that rescue teams are not readily available. So I made sure to let someone know what hike I was taking and an expected time for me to return. It’s also recommended that you only go hiking with people in your household and try to maintain a six-foot distance from others. Some hikes make that impossible. When I went to Angel’s Rest a week ago it wasn’t that busy when I got there, but as I was coming down, there were a tremendous number of people on the trail. I couldn’t make it 10 steps without passing someone. So if you go to a trail and the parking lot is full, you should consider going on another hike. I make sure to go early in the morning and even on days that aren’t the best weather. It gets me outside while still being able to remain socially distant. When I went to Mt Hood, I was the only person on the trail for my entire hike. Granted, there was four feet of snow, but the trail was marked with footprints and it was an amazing experience to be alone in nature.

There are a number of trails closed, so I use the All Trails app to give me ideas of where to go and it marks which ones are currently closed. You can also look up individual parks and forests such as Mount Hood to see what options they have available. It is recommended that you stay local, so if you had grand plans to go to Zion National Park in Utah as I did a couple of weeks ago, think again. That park is closed now, but it is also a 16-hour drive – so not quite local. Personally, I’m staying within an hour drive. And to satisfy my desire to go to National Parks, they have started virtual tours that you can check out here.

If you aren’t a hiker, or don’t feel comfortable hiking by yourself, take a walk or bike around your neighborhood! Once I got bored of walking around mine, I drove down to the river and walked along it for an hour. I downloaded a book on tape and lots of podcasts to listen to on my walks so I’m being active while still learning and keeping up to date with current events. The podcast I listened to today was great because it was all about how to make the most of your home workouts. If you’re interested in giving it a listen, it’s the Mind Pump podcast episode number 1257: The Best At-Home Exercises for Your Entire Body.

Even though we should be practicing social distancing, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get outside and remain active. UWS is a really fit and active community. It’s great for mental health and I hope that you are able to get outside.

I’ll be writing a few blog posts about how to keep your sanity through this, so stay tuned for the next one on at-home activities!

We connected with UWS DC students Caitlin Jones and Leandra Ramsay, attendees of the 2020 American Chiropractic Association’s ENGAGE conference held in Washington, D.C., to recap some highlights of their trip!

Caitlin Jones, 6th quarter DC student

Being from Washington, D.C., and working for a youth advocacy program before coming to UWS, I immediately jumped at the chance to join the UWS Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) to go advocate on Capitol Hill for chiropractic physicians. Every year, SACA joins the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) in Washington, D.C., for the ENGAGE conference (formerly NCLC) to advocate, attend seminars, meet practicing chiropractic physicians, as well as mingle with students from the other schools across the country.  

This year, 32 students from UWS made the trek and it was amazing! I took a red eye flight with a few people so that we could get some sights in before the conference started Wednesday night. We nerded out at the Natural History Museum looking at dinosaur vertebrae, saw the monuments and grabbed an amazing breakfast at Ted’s Bulletin with homemade pop tarts. After a long day of sightseeing, we got some rest, because Thursday was our long, exciting day on the Hill.

A big part of ENGAGE is to go to meetings with senators, representatives and their staff. In the past, ACA has discussed a few bills at their meetings, but this year we focused only on H.R. 3654, which allows Medicare patients to see chiropractic physicians for more than just spinal manipulation. We were seeking representatives to co-sponsor the bill and vote for it to pass when it came time. If passed, chiropractic physicians would be able to provide the level of treatment needed to Medicare patients. In addition to spinal manipulation, chiropractic physicians would be able to manipulate extremities, provide a physical exam, order diagnostic imaging and use the conservative care treatments that we have been taught and are experts in.

After advocacy day, there were a number of amazing seminars to go to. I attended one on low back pain and it reaffirmed everything that Dr. LeFebvre teaches in Spinal Disorders. There was also a great talk on sports injuries that focused on treating the whole patient and how to analyze athletic injuries. The last seminar I went to was one of my favorites as it was talking about how to get patients motivated to do their rehab through gamification. There were some really great topics and presentations, it was difficult to choose which to go to!

It was a privilege to be able to go to D.C. to advocate on the Hill, meet with chiropractic physicians and students from across the country and get to know my classmates more outside of campus. It was an amazing opportunity and it inspired me to run for SACA’s Legislative Rep so that I can be more involved in ENGAGE 2021. I’m honored that my peers were as motivated as I was an we have a new SACA executive board with an amazing vision for our school and ENGAGE 2021!

Leandra Ramsay, 6th quarter DC student and Canadian native

This was my second time attending the ACA conference in Washington, D.C. Last year was so much fun I couldn’t wait to go again! Since I wasn’t a rookie this year, lobbying was a lot more fun and exciting because I knew what to expect. Being a Canadian student, many people didn’t understand why I wanted to go to ENGAGE in the first place and quite honestly neither did I the first year I attended. I mainly went because D.C. was always a place that I had wanted to see. What started as a tourism mission ended with new friends, new experiences and an eagerness to eventually lobby back in Canada to help improve the chiropractic profession back home.

The first day we were in D.C., Caitlin (Jones) showed off her extensive knowledge of the city and made sure we didn’t go hungry. After taking a red-eye flight from Portland, breakfast and coffee were top priorities. After eating, we walked down toward all the attractions stopping to view the White House and meandering through the Museum of Natural History. Day two was a big day. Everyone dressed to impress for their meetings on the Hill. In small groups, we met with representatives from both the House of Representatives and Senate to talk about Bill H.R. 3654 in hopes to improve Medicare benefits so that chiropractors have a wider range of billable treatment options. The day ended with an amazing dinner a Filomena’s, a wonderful Italian restaurant with homemade pasta and cheesecake. Dinner was provided by Dr. Brimhall and gave us students a chance to interact with some of the school’s staff and faculty in a professional but laid-back setting. If I’m being honest, this is the main reason I came back to D.C. for a second time – believe me, it’s worth the trip.

The rest of the conference featured multiple seminars on various educational topics to choose from and an expo with more freebies than I could fit in my carry-on.

My experience at ENGAGE was one I will never forget. From seeing the amazing architecture and history that the Capital has to offer to making a difference on the Hill for the future of our profession, the Washington trip is something all students should be able to experience. I have learned so much about the political influence in health care and how patients often suffer due to decisions that are made from higher up. I hope to build on this experience when I return home to Canada and get more involved with my provincial and national associations so that I can help improve health care benefits for my future patients. If we all could learn to be activists for our patients, I believe it would make us better doctors.

For the Good of the Patient

Doctor of chiropractic students gain valuable professional experience through the robust clinical internship program at University of Western States.

At University of Western States (UWS), real-world experience is crucial for students—not only to put into practice what they learn in the classroom, but also to use their knowledge to benefit the community around them.

For doctor of chiropractic (DC) students, much of their out-of-classroom learning begins during clinical rotations in their eighth quarter—after they have completed two-thirds of their degree and have developed a variety of clinical skills and competencies.

All students begin these internships by providing care to patients in the Campus Health Center (CHC), caring for UWS and community members under the supervision and guidance of their attending physician. They practice performing physical exams, delivering adjustments and utilizing physical therapy modalities.

“At this stage, students are still spending most of their time in the classroom and commit to a small amount of time at the CHC—just six hours per week in the eighth quarter,” says Stanley Ewald, DC, MPH, associate dean of the clinical internship program.

Moving into the Community

As interns demonstrate additional clinical proficiencies, they become eligible for clinical rotations at other locations in their 10th quarter. In this stage, students work for 25 hours per week off campus with specialty populations at locations such as drug and alcohol treatment centers and homeless shelters.

Clinical rotation sites include everything from local health care affiliates like DePaul Treatment Center and Compassion Connect, to area hospitals like Oregon Health and Sciences University’s (OHSU) Comprehensive Pain Center, to out-of-state medical centers managed by Veterans Affairs all over the country—as close as Tacoma, Washington, and as far as Cincinnati, Ohio.

“Through sites like Portland Rescue Mission, which provides food, shelter and other care services to men, women and children affected by homelessness, addiction and abuse, residents have access to free treatment—sometimes for the first time in their lives,” says Dr. Ewald.

Darcy Ogloza, UWS DC student, had an internship at Outside In, a social services clinic focusing on helping homeless youth and other marginalized people.

“I was on site twice a week working with lower income and homeless patients,” says Ogloza. “Many of the patients are also asylum seekers and don’t speak English, so a big part of my assistance at Outside In was being able to communicate with them in Spanish.”

After Ogloza graduates, he intends to stay in Portland to work with a practitioner who has a sports background as he likes the rehabilitation aspect of chiropractic care.

“It’s important to provide patients with proper rehab techniques that they can do at home on their own,” says Ogloza. “That’s a more powerful form of healing for so many, since there’s only so much I or any other doctor can do in a 30-minute visit.”

Far-Reaching Value

The clinical rotations provide additional worth and importance to the DC program—not just for students, but for the university and the community as well.

“From an institutional perspective, UWS is able to remain an important collaborator in our community, working with others such as primary medical physicians, massage therapists, acupuncturists and more to provide holistic care,” says Joseph E. Pfeifer, DC, UWS chief clinical excellence officer.

“For patients, we help to improve value and quality of life by using multimodal ways to deal with a variety of health conditions. In the age of the opioid epidemic, this is especially important for the underserved populations to allow them access to healthier, safer and more effective means of managing pain.”

Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, for example, became interested in partnering with the university’s clinical internship program to help them address a growing population of patients with mental illness—often severe—to try to minimize drug use for pain management.

From an educational standpoint, hands-on and varied experience through clinical rotations helps UWS focus on what is best for DC students. They can build their competencies, first in the controlled environment of the CHC with relatively uncomplicated issues, and progressing to a higher number of patients with more complex challenges, such as mental health concerns, homelessness and other comorbidities.

“Students need real experience with real patients,” says Dr. Ewald. “At the beginning, they get training on each other and other healthy students with little more physical issues than tight muscles. The internships expose them to patients with different and more realistic problems, from malnourishment in the under-insured to liver disease from alcohol abuse.”

Preparing for the Future

By the time DC students reach their 12th and final quarter, they are ready for their preceptorship, in which they cease taking classes and work at an external chiropractic practice, providing strong support for their attending physician. Preceptorships may be located in the Portland area, in another state, or even internationally.

“The preceptorship program gives students the chance to gain remote clinical experience in another facility as long as it meets certain requirements,” says Dr. Pfeifer. “Our students come from a variety of geographical locations, and some want to return to their hometowns to work with local chiropractors or begin preparations to set up their own practices.”

The preceptorship is another opportunity for students to explore another area of interest, such as pediatrics, geriatrics, sports medicine or the underserved. One example is the Returning Veterans Project, a nonprofit started by woman whose son served in Iraq. Through this service, doctors of all kinds sign up and open their schedule to take a certain number of veterans as patients who are treated for free.

“Our goal is to get every intern out into the community,” says Dr. Ewald. “We want them to experience what it’s like to give care to all people, especially those that need us the most. If every doctor out there did their small part to help the less fortunate and underserved, we could make a big difference in this world.”

Doctor of chiropractic students brings pain relief and healing to Oregon’s migrant workers

It’s early on a warm and cloudy morning in July as half a dozen University of Western States students begin unpacking portable adjustment tables under a series of white tents. They practice their Spanish as the workers arrive to start their eight-hour day harvesting strawberries, summer squash and beans.

This is the home and place of work for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Hillsboro, Oregon, and these doctor of chiropractic (DC) students – along with several UWS faculty and other health care professionals – are here to provide free chiropractic care and medical services. Organized by Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center’s Migrant Camp Outreach Program, this is one in a series of experiential learning opportunities that UWS students are passionate about participating in.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Every summer, the Virginia Garcia Outreach Team provides medical treatment and health education to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Washington County, Oregon. This year, UWS student and faculty volunteers were invited along with nurses, health educators and other providers to deliver care.

“Our chiropractic students want as much hands-on experience as they can get,” says Christin Bankhead, executive manager of clinical internship. “By offering them a variety of placements, they’re able to expand their skillsets by attending to the health care needs of an increasingly diverse patient community. When the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center invited us to provide care to migrant and seasonal farmworkers this summer, we were eager to involve our students.”

Providing on-site care for the farmworkers allowed senior chiropractic (DC) students the opportunity to address physical issues that they may not have addressed in the classroom or in campus clinics.

“In the beginning of an internship, students mostly gain experience by working on fellow students, either in class or on a rotation at the campus health center,” explains Dr. Craig Kawaoka, clinical educator at UWS and one of the attending physicians at the migrant and seasonal worker health care events over the summer. “Here, they have the opportunity to treat workers who use their bodies in strenuous ways for long shifts. Their musculoskeletal systems encounter different types of stress that must be addressed for long-term health.”

Many of the patients treated by volunteers said they were unfamiliar with chiropractic care.

“One of the biggest things for me was helping people understand how we could make them feel better,” says Gretchen ‘Chenny’ Gonzalez Ramos, UWS DC student. “The health care events were well attended, with lines of people who all wanted to be seen. We really got to work with our hearts. It took some of the mystery out of chiropractic for them.”

Gonzalez Ramos also enjoyed meeting all of the different medical professionals and attending physicians during the program.

“In addition to the UWS team, there were doctors, dentists, nurses, optometrists and more—I liked that it was about all of the systems and areas of the body and how they’re interconnected. When we saw something that wasn’t part of our practice or specialty, we could refer them to another professional the next table down and vice versa.”

Darcy Ogloza, UWS DC student, was eager to provide the farmworkers some immediate relief from pain, and to offer them advice on proper body biomechanics to help prevent injuries in the future.

“I jumped at the chance to participate,” says Ogloza, who is fluent in Spanish. “These people’s bodies take a beating, working in compromised positions for long stretches of time. It was fascinating to see that even the simplest adjustments or showing them proper lifting technique could make a huge difference in how they felt.”

Ogloza is also in the Master of Science in Sports Medicine program. He originally wanted to work with a sports team when he started working in chiropractic, but now he has his eye on opening a multidisciplinary practice for families that also incorporates massage therapy, acupuncture and naturopathy.

“Every person is different and I want to be able to help people improve their whole body system,” says Ogloza. “This event gave me the opportunity to help effect change by alleviating severe back pain and by giving patients exercises and stretches to help manage their pain in the future. The whole process was extremely gratifying.”

Care Beyond Measure

This collaboration with Virginia Garcia is natural for UWS. The Virginia Garcia mission places a special emphasis on serving those who experience barriers to receiving health care, which aligns with the university motto, “For the good of the patient.”

“Many of the problems I encountered during these events stemmed from years of hard labor and a profound lack of medical care,” says Luke Cobb, UWS DC student, who had a unique interest in the program because his parents also worked harvesting vegetables in the Pacific Northwest when he was young. “By the time we got to work on someone, their problems were more pronounced than they would be in someone who receives regular care, such as an athlete. Without treatment, these issues can—and do—turn into chronic pain for a lot of people.”

Cobb also appreciated the community outreach aspect of the program—serving underrepresented populations is an enhancement to his education at UWS and he was pleased to be able to make a difference for the workers and their families.

“After I volunteered at the first event and saw that Virginia Garcia was accepting donations to distribute. I brought clothes, kids toys and supplies to the second event I attended,” says Cobb. “I was happy to be able to make an additional positive impact in their lives, however small.”

Dr. Kawaoka, or Dr. K as he’s affectionately known, echoes Cobb’s sentiment.

“At UWS, we encourage students to expose themselves to as many patients and treatment options as they can. If you can learn one new thing or refer one patient to get the help they need, then you’ve won,” he says. “There are people in the world who are really hurting, and we can help them. We’re creating doctors who can teach patients how to take care of themselves and get them out of the chronic pain paradigm – and that’s the biggest win of all.”

Every year, the best chiropractic physicians from across the United States come together in Washington D.C. at the National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC). The conference is hosted by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) with the intent of professional collaboration and promotion within the chiropractic field. One day is dedicated specifically at the conference to lobbying for increased chiropractic scope of practice and increased access to chiropractic care for patients. The ACA understands that students are the future of the chiropractic profession and invites students from colleges across the country, that are involved in the student arm of the ACA called SACA (Student American Chiropractic Association) to come and be involved at NCLC.

At UWS, we have a very active SACA chapter. Each year, the executive board works hard to empower students to attend the conference and have their voices heard in regards to laws that will one day affect them as chiropractor physicians. NCLC and participation in SACA give students the opportunity to become involved before they graduate and develop into the future leaders of the chiropractic profession.

“When I was approached about going to D.C. to talk to senators and state representatives as only a second quarter student, I thought ‘no way!,’” said Christeen Perkins, UWS SACA chapter president and SACA national communications committee vice chair. “I wondered why anyone would care what I had to say about things like scope of practice and patient care. After all, I’m not yet a chiropractic physician and at the time, I had barely even had begun the journey to graduation. Luckily, my good friend Taylor Kerschner, fellow UWS student and SACA national vice legislative chair, looked at me and said ‘if you go, I’ll go,’ and we have both been participating in SACA at the chapter and national-level ever since.”

Students that attend NCLC have the ability to network with chiropractic physicians and fellow students from all across the country and gain further insight into their future careers.

“As the current UWS SACA chapter president and national communications committee vice chair, it is an honor to be involved in SACA and continue advocating for my future patients and future career,” said Perkins. “I am looking forward to NCLC 2019 being my third year in attendance and seeing what kind of progress we are able to make this year.”

The 2019 NCLC will be held January 16-19, 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Top Five Reasons to Become More Involved in SACA

1) Networking with evidence-based chiropractic physicians

2) Lobbying for the progression of the chiropractic profession

3) Connecting with chiropractic students from across the country

4) Building leadership skills

5) Learning about different specialties

University of Western States (UWS) doctor of chiropractic students Shenee’ Lawson and Tim Williams were sponsored to represent the UWS Student American Black Chiropractic Association (SABCA) chapter at the 37th Annual American Black Chiropractic Association Conference (ABCA) in St. Louis, Missouri.  The newly formed UWS SABCA chapter is recognized as the first SABCA chapter of the Pacific Northwest region.

Bobby Westbrooks, DC, founded the ABCA organization more than 30 years ago with efforts to recruit, encourage and support Black persons to study chiropractic. His mission was to promote the research and development of the science, philosophy and art of chiropractic, and to improve the standards in the profession by advancing the technical and professional knowledge. The ABCA seeks to donate time and services to neighborhood health clinics and perform community education.

In a talk by Dr. Xavier Tibler, founding partner of Evoke Chiropractic in Overland, Missouri, Lawson and Williams received insight on the transformation from a student to chiropractic physician. Dr. Tibler attended chiropractic school while he was enlisted in the military. When he was deployed, he had to leave school and his family to serve his country in Afghanistan. While overseas, Dr. Tibler realized that what chiropractic physicians do is what the country needs. A question was raised asking, “Who are we and who do we represent?”

Statistics show that:

• African Americans ages 18-49 are two times likely to die from heart disease.
• African Americans ages 35-64 are 50 percent more likely to have a high blood pressure.
• The leading causes of death in the African American population are heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and homicide.

“It is our responsibility as African American doctors of chiropractic to transform our people to understand the innate; the innate is something inborn such as love,” said Dr. Tibler. “When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied. As chiropractic physicians, we have all this potential right now to change our community and the way they think.”

In addition to hearing inspiring talks from those excelling in the field, the students enjoyed the networking and career building opportunities and most enjoyed the outreach program opportunity SABCA interns held with Dr. Jennifer McClearly. Every year, SABCA puts on a fundraiser and outreach opportunity to a non-profit organization where the National ABCA Conference is held. This year, the conference attendees connected with the YMCA in St. Louis, Missouri to encourage and teach young individuals about the field of chiropractic.

After this workshop, the students had a broader enlightenment on what chiropractic brings to the community and some were even motivated to become a chiropractic physician one day. A young girl at the event said she was inspired by seeing so many black doctors and did not know so many existed.

The UWS SABCA students enjoyed meeting their SABCA peers in other regions, legendary black chiropractic physicians that have seen and made history, and look forward to bringing home their innovative and leadership skills.

The 38th Annual National American Black Chiropractic Association that will be held in Daytona Beach, Florida at Palmer University next year.