Photo (L-R) Dr. Bryce Conrad, Interns, Peta Gormly & Jonathan Draysey Dr. Rodney Beckwith, Dr. Angus Steventon.
If you have been in to our clinic, in the last few weeks, you may have seen a few bright individuals gadding around in Macquarie University shirts. That’s because we have been hosting students from the Macquarie University Chiropractic program, to assist them in gaining radiology and radiography experience.
In the 5th and final year of study at Macquarie University, Chiropractic students become interns. That means they are let loose on real patients, under supervision. While a lot of time is spent coming up with differential diagnoses (lists of possible diseases or conditions that patients may have), devising care plans, performing orthopaedic, neurological and functional examinations and performing adjustments and other sorts of treatments, the interns also need to complete their training radiography (taking x-rays) and radiology (reading x-rays). Some of the interns have been visiting our clinic (40 of them, to be precise) to spend time in our x-ray room, with our Medical Imaging Technologists, getting extra hands-on experience. The program is currently a pilot program, but has been a huge success.
Dr Angus and Dr Bryce have both really enjoyed being part of the intern program, and were both invited, this year, to visit Macquarie University to assist with examining students in their final “viva” examination. If you aren’t sure what a “viva” is, it’s an examination in which students are presented with a written case, and then spend the next hour answering questions, looking at physical, laboratory and imaging findings, devising a working diagnosis, presenting their ideas for treatment, and answering any curly questions that the two examiners sitting in the room might throw at them. Dr Angus was having less than fond memories of when he was on the receiving end of this terrifying experience.
The interns are nearly finished their final exams, after a grueling five years (or more) of education. They will be registered and looking for jobs, in January 2016. If you are in for an adjustment and come across an intern, make them feel welcome and wish them luck!
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