Holy Moly has this semester flown by?! I’ve been soooo busy and I have a lot to share with this post 🙂 I have officially reached the halfway point to completing my DPT! I finished a whirlwind 6 finals in four days and have travelled three states in less than three weeks!
Here’s what I’ve been up to since the end of the summer and finishing my first clinical:
- I started my fourth semester of didactic work (only 2 more left!). Our course load included Musculoskeletal of the Hip/Knee/Ankle/Foot, Neuromuscular, Therapeutic Exercise, Evidence Based Practice, and Therapeutic Adaptations.
- I completed my first full patient evaluation and plan of care. For our musculoskeletal course, we were required to complete a comprehensive project evaluating a patient of our choice with a lower extremity dysfunction. This semester focused on the hip, knee, and ankle, so it was our job to find a friend/family member who suffers from a lower extremity dysfunction and evaluate them! My group evaluated a first year student’s knee problem. We gave her a home exercise program and she is starting to feel better!
- I got a job! I now work for the testing center on campus proctoring all of the education exams for education majors to become teachers. It’s an awesome gig because i can do my homework while everyone is testing!
- I started my second clinical rotation in Charlotte, NC. I am living just outside of the city in a beautiful area called Southend for the next month and commuting just over the border to Fort Mill, SC, interning in an outpatient clinic. I am one week in and love it so far! My CI and the rest of the staff are great and are helping me make the transition into a southerner for a month 🙂
In my two weeks between finals and clinical, Andy and I travelled all over the place! We started off in Chicago to do Christmas with my Dad’s side of the family. We had a beautiful brunch with Santa at the Morton Arboretum with the whole family and we got to watch Liam play soccer. After that, we went to Kristen and Eric’s for homemade wood-fired pizzas and presents! Andy had never been to Chicago, so we did a whole day in the city and had a great time-it was unseasonably warm so we got a lot in!! We started at Willis Tower and were the first people up into the SkyDeck. Then we met Kristen, Eric, and Harlow at Christkindl Market for some mulled wine and shopping. We hopped over to Macy’s to look at the windows and the Christmas tree in the Walnut Room that soars up about 7 floors! Then we headed over to Millennium Park to see The Bean (aka Cloud’s Gate) and got some Garrett’s Popcorn. Finally, we did some more walking around to see the Miracle Mile and Trump Tower, and got an early dinner at Giordano’s (yummmmm). We ended our day looking around in Eataly-best place ever!
Liam (3), Jack (2), Harlow (9 months) with Santa at the Morton Arboretum
After we came home from Chicago, Andy surprised me with a night out for dinner to the Capital Grill (what a guy!!) and the following evening his family took us to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra in concert. We did Christmas Eve with his family, and then went to Warren, PA for Christmas celebrations with my Mom’s side of the family the day after Christmas. It was such an awesome holiday week!! After a few days of R&R, we were back on the road to Charlotte for NYE! Andy helped me to get all settled in and we spent New Years Eve in Boone, NC at a beautiful cabin with my friends Callie and Tim and Tim’s friends from college. It was a great night with an awesome view of the Appalachian Mountains! Andy and I did some exploring around Charlotte on New Year’s Day and he had to fly back to Pittsburgh the next morning when I started work 😦
Ready to take on the new year with this guy by my side 🙂
The view from the cabin we stayed in-breathtaking!
In a few weeks I’ll give some updates on my rotation! I am excited to explore this new city and learn new skills to become the best clinician I can be.
Keep on Dreaming,
Liz
Dreaming dpt 