Just Shoot Me

If you haven’t already guessed by my lack of communication, the results of my finals were more than disappointing. After waiting for what seemed like eternity for the grades to be posted, I was sent emails from faculty saying how devastated and sorry they were that I had not passed the Procedures II final practical.

There are two ways a student can automatically fail a practical: through a “critical safety” error or a complete “failure to treat.” Mine was the latter due to placement of electrodes for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) with iontophoresis.  Iontophoresis is a form of e-stim that uses a charged current to drive topical medication deep into the body for pain relief. Gathering from all I learned in the program about CTS (a compression of the median nerve at the wrist) including one or two diagnostic tests, I placed the electrode right on the wrist (the site of pain noted on my randomly picked case study), on the dorsal surface or backside of the wrist. I wasn’t absolutely sure of my placement because of the lack of curriculum on treating CTS specifically in procedures I, II, or any class for that matter. I thought he might take points off if he preferred one side or the other but figured since the whole premise behind the modality was its ability to penetrate deeply that I would be ok.

After weeks, prayers, phone calls and meetings with faculty, including the program director, I began to lose my willpower to fight and just face his decision, no matter how much I disagreed. On a side note: I later found out that the reason it took so long to post everyone’s grades was because the director could not believe the news and scheduled an all faculty meeting to discuss my situation. On one hand it’s flattering but on the other, it made me feel like their minds were already made up by the time I could throw my word in. I’m now about five months behind the class that I will be leaving. We were the best group they had had in a while, you could just tell. I’m of course trying to focus on the positives and all that jazz but it’s just frustrating. I’m much more prepared than others who are slipping through the cracks because of luck of the draw. I have too much invested to quit at this point and a plan on retaking the class in January. I have lost a lot of respect for Dr. Chan and the program.

I never have and never will understand how you can test a student on something you never taught them. I wasn’t born knowing how to treat CTS. I haven’t been a PT for 20 years. Do your job, teach me what I will be tested on, and more importantly what will prepare me for the real world. This is the point where I want to say inappropriate and personal things so I’ll stop. I’m done. Moving on.

I don’t even want to continue this blog post with anything else so I’ll end this one and start another;  a fresh start.