anyways…

“I am a student nurse. I am invincible. I am tired.” My mantra during school. I thoroughly enjoy the experience. It’s what I pay for. I go home after school. I read the 200 pages they assign (yeah, right). I get very little sleep. Somewhere in there, I love my kids, be myself, find fun things to do, work around the house, provide time for my wife to get “out-of-the-home-without-kids” time, and I go get my back manipulated under chiropractic care. I sleep and go back for the nursing school to beat me up some more…the cycle starts over. It’s a love-hate relationship. Here are 2 of my beefs:

1. Keep the scoring of exams OBJECTIVE. A recent exam had a student in a quandary. She did not fill in the bubbles on the bubble sheet for the entire last page of the question sheet. She did, however, circle the answers on the question sheet. I understand that the questions were answered correctly on the question sheet. The faculty came up with a decision that the student’s bubble sheet would be the gold standard - regardless of the exactness with which she answered the questions on the question sheet. Their rationale? “Well if she was a nurse, would she follow the Dr’s order correctly? The test directions were clear…answer the questions on the bubble sheet.” That rationale grated the wrong way with me. I am certainly very understanding on qualifying an exam. I encourage maintaining test integrity. But the student KNEW the answer. The test was not measuring the students ability to follow directions. The test was measuring her ability to display knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis of course content in the window of the nursing process of assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation. They give us a “test blueprint” to tell us exactly how they’re assessing us. I cry foul! It doesn’t affect me, but I think that test evaluation should not measure subjective data like which sheet to answer on. That is evaluated in clinical rotations. I like the nursing school - this is just the one thing that I’ve seen has been a bit skewed.
2. The second thing…a professor of ours said in a PowerPoint presentation the following, “no benefit was noted [in treating scoliosis] with exercises, chiropractic management, postural training and electrical stimulation. I asked my chiropractor what he thought of that statement. His findings don’t match her statement. I am frustrated with some statements made - even in the education setting! My family physician stated that chiropractic manipulation will not help my extruded disk fragment and herniated L4-L5 disk (and will likely be detrimental to my condition). Grrrr…manipulation of my back has only served to my improvement!

What can I do to change problem #1 and perception #2?

By the way…My chiropractor is awesome! I have been living with a fair amount of increasing pain over the last five + years. Chiropractic has improved my life and I plan to continue with the treatment.