One Step Closer

Slowly, but surely, I’m finally starting to complete all my pre-matriculation requirements. I somehow managed to make it to my doctor’s appointment yesterday, and I knocked out the physical exam and immunization requirements for my school. Luckily, I participate in a health surveillance program with my job, so I was already up-to-date with my immunizations. The only thing I needed was a Mantoux Tuberculin skin test, but I get that every year anyway because it is required to volunteer in a hospital. I also needed to get titers to make sure that I have been properly immunized, but that only required my blood getting drawn into a tube. So far I have a clean bill of health, and I go back tomorrow to get my titer results and have my arm read for the Tb test. Hopefully all my titers will be positive because I really don’t feel like going through the vaccination process again.

On another note, I got some really great advice from my physician on what I would need for classes. He said when it comes to ordering supplies, keep it as cheap as possible. He even showed me where I could find stethoscopes and otoscopes for sale on Amazon and Ebay. He had nothing but good things to say about DO’s, and said that he works with them all the time and there are no differences between an MD or DO. He did make it a point to mention that DO’s are extremely valuable to him in the sports medicine aspect of his job because of the OMT though. I think he even said that he knew a DO in a neurosurgery program, so I thought that was pretty cool. My physician is an MD, so I always find it interesting how all the attending physicians I come across see MD and DO physicians as equals, but on student forums I find people torn between the two paths. I’m just glad that I followed my gut and I can’t wait until the day comes when I get my first patient.