I started school!

I started back to school on August 24, 2009.  I'm going to El Centro College, which is part of the Dallas County Community College District.  I'm commuting downtown via DART's rail and bus system.  The college provides free bus passes to students.  I'm taking 8 credit hours, 4 hours in Anatomy & Physiology (A&P); 2 hours in a class called Basic Health Professions Skills and 2 hours in a class for Wellness & Health Promotion.  I thought eight hours was part time, but it sure seems like full time work to me.  Possibly because it's been over 25 years since I've attended college and I wasn't very studious back then either.  That is changing.  I'm working very hard.

Many of you know that because of my being off work on a medical disability, I'm getting assistance from the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), with the costs of my re-education.  They're picking up the tuition and book costs, in addition to the medical supplies needed.  I've feel very fortunate and blessed to be getting this assistance.  I couldn't be doing this otherwise.

Regarding my proposed field of study, I am considering the Radiology Technician program, although I have a preference to get into the Digital Imaging Sonography program.  Sonography pays more and I think it might be more interesting to me.  I must confess, however, that I am a little intimidated by the fact that only 10 students a year are admitted to the Sonography program, whereas, 25 students a year are placed in the Radiology program.  The Sonography program also has more prerequisites than the Radiology program.  Oh, and I should mention that they are accepting the following classes from my BBA at UTA for transfer credit: English, College Algebra, Speech, Psychology, and one class for a Humanities Elective.

The A&P class is challenging, and except for the pictures of cadavers illustrating body parts, I'm enjoying the material.  It's just A LOT of material.  There are 4 classes a week I attend for A&P, 2 lecture sessions and 2 lab sessions.  The lecture professor is good, I like the way she illustrates the material with analogies and stories, oft times amusing.  She's easy to understand and that helps a lot.  The lab instructor is also helpful and has made some useful suggestions.  In addition, we have the opportunity to attend tutored study sessions in the college Learning Center.  I am also trying to get a student study group started.  It also helps to have my brother Jim, a text or email message away to answer a question.

Let me also tell you about my A&P "study buddy", Tracy.  Tracy speaks English as a Second Language (ESL).  I admire her greatly for choosing to study in the medical field with this challenge, in addition to her working part time and caring for an elderly mother and a three year old son!  Tracy and I are helping each other.  We study together, as an example, answering the weekly lab questions that can be answered outside of lab.  This allows us to focus during lab time on the material that can only be answered in the lab.  It helps me learn the material when I get the opportunity to explain something to Tracy that she doesn't quite understand.  If I can't explain it, I know I need to learn the topic more thoroughly.  I also get to explain expressions to her, as in, what are "love handles" (used to refer to a body section) or a "tightrope walker" (used as an example of what homeostatis is).  Wish me luck!  We have our first lab quiz this coming Wed.  I'm studying and making flash cards to reinforce my understanding of all the material, which amongst other things includes the terminology for more body parts than I knew we had; every region, cavity and organ system in the body and what organs are part of it.  As I said, lots of material!

The Basic Health Professions Skills class is an internet based course, but in this case, it just means that the material is on the college's web site.  I attended my first lab this past week to learn how to check vital signs.  Taking a temperature is a no brainer, except for remembering to tell the patient "not to bite down", well duh!  I now know how to check blood pressure using a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff.  I'm a bit awkward at it, but will be practicing a lot on friends and family!  A knowledgeable student also taught me how to notice that I'm taking too long letting out air from the cuff, by noticing that I'd cut off the blood supply to her arm and her palm was turning red!  I've also learned about 8 pressure points on the body.  We have to demonstrate the ability to check the radial pulse (on the wrist) and the apical pulse, by listening to the patient's chest.  I also learned how to check respiration by watching someone breathe.  Health care providers are taught to do this without telling the patient (we pretend to be checking your pulse) in order to keep the patient from changing their breathing as a result of being watched.  Washing hands is a must, before and after touching a patient.  Failure to do either during the demonstration of the skill we've learned will result in an automatic failure of the "check off".  Fortunately, you get three tries to get it right, although I plan to study hard to get it right the first time!  Failure of any of the check offs (within the 3 tries) results in failure of the entire course.  They take their medical training very seriously around here!  Oh, and let me not forget to mention that there is a Medical Terminology book that must be studied and memorized for this class too!  I'm also trying to start a student study group for this class too.

That leaves the Health and Wellness Promotion class.  I like the instructor and I don't think the course is going to be very difficult, thank goodness!  I'm also hoping to gain some knowledge that might result in motivating me to take action to improve my own health.  I'm hoping and praying for the best!  Our course project includes choosing something we would like to change for ourselves and keeping a journal of our progress.  We also have a presentation to do on a current topic of health.  I've asked to do mine of Addiction and Addictive Behaviors.  A no brainer for me, right?

I've taken one day off, last Saturday, from studying.  That was a mistake (and a lesson learned).  I am working very hard this weekend to reach the point where I feel "ahead of the 8 ball".  And even though it's a holiday Monday, we're expected to study and complete work as if we'd been in class that day.  I'd have preferred not to take the "day off"!  My family is meeting at Mom's on Sunday.  I had hoped to take a pass on studying any that day, but I don't see that happening.  : (

Well I am off to a good start, but as always, there's room for improvement.  Hopefully, I'm getting there!

Stay tuned for more, next time.