First Exam Week
The first exams of PT school are over. Our first anatomy exam was Monday, followed on Thursday by exercise physiology. By the time it was over, the four-day week felt more like a month. (Thankfully we had Friday off for the 4th of July. Otherwise, I don't know what people would have done). The anatomy exam met my expectations. I have heard so many horror stories about the first gross anatomy practical - how rushed you feel, blanking on questions, origins, insertions, etc.
As overwhelming as it was, surface anatomy was equally stressful but in a very different way. I felt like I was acting in front of an audience, trying to speak the "lingo" of physical therapy that I am so far from mastering. I know I should say "lie prone," but still the first thing that comes to my mind is "lie on your stomach." I felt the same awkwardness while trying to explain supination. More often than not I found myself demonstrating the movement. I guess it's an acceptable alternative; however, I am looking forward to when "prone" and "supination" come out naturally.
After the exam, we all took a much-needed break at a local bar. It was a lot of fun to get to talk to my classmates about something other than anatomy. The worst part was knowing we had another exam a few days later. Exercise physiology caught a lot of us off guard. I guess we had been putting so much weight on anatomy that we kind of forgot about everything else, which was unfortunate because the exam is worth 60 percent of our grades. I think it's our first lesson in time management and being able to keep the bigger picture in mind even when certain areas become overwhelming.
Despite what feels like a constant work rate, I am already behind with anatomy. I was hoping for a long, relaxing weekend for the 4th of July, but it's not in the cards. We have another exam this week and then our second anatomy exam shortly after that. We're officially in the thick of things... scary to think it might not change for two years.