Day 2/3: Getting Motivated

So technically this is Day 2 of "studying" but Day 3 since I vowed to actually start studying. I am trying a new approach to get motivated... diagrams. Instead of reading the text books over and over (and I'm not even sure if I have all the textbooks), my sister came up with the idea to try and put everything I/we need to know on one page. OK so anyone taking this exam will know that being able to put everything on one page is probably unlikely to happen but it did spark an interesting idea. I need to revise all my anatomy so why not draw a giant upper limb and use it to prompt everything I need to cover. I'm not sure if this is going to work but the idea did get me out of my "lack of studying, feeling guilty about this" slump and into doing something a little creative. 

First we went to Target and bought some huge pieces of cardboard/postboard and some cool coloured Sharpie pens. Then I attached all the pieces of cardboard (3 in total) horizontally to one another with sticky tape so that my arm could be GIANT. I then scoured the internet for diagrammatic drawings of the upper limb. I found a good-enough-one anteriorly but I still needed a posterior one: cue Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy. I am no artist or illustrator but I just needed a basic outline of the upper limb in order to cue everything that needed to go on there. My plan is to gradually build it up, reviewing as I go, with muscles, nerves, joints and arteries and veins and then use each section to document key injuries, conditions, deformities, assessments, treatments or whatever I have space for. I think this way may make it easier to remember certain things because I will be able to visualise where they are on the page and not just try and parrot learn them. We'll see, not sure how successful this will all turn out to be. 

Thoughts? 

 

Ta Da! Creepy huh?!

Certified Hand Therapist.

So it's been a while since I last posted on this blog because I had kind of said my piece about the NBCOT. Now however, I have more to say, and this time it's about becoming a Certified Hand Therapist (eek! I am scared!). I think I have enough direct hand therapy hours to qualify to take the May exam. If not well I guess, I should delay this blog until November! Either way, I think I am going to start studying, the question is where? There is so much to learn and the only way I think I can do it all is with a little structure, sanity and support. I guess that is what this blog is all about. I want to make learning for this exam fun and interactive. Whilst trawling the internet, I didn't find any blogs directly addressing the CHT. I think this may be because a) they are too well hidden and who clicks beyond Google's initial search results anyway? b) there are only just over 5000 CHTs in the world so they are in the minority and c) studying for the CHT, working, having a life, takes a lot of time and probably time for blogging is a low priority. So I decided to start my own blog dedicated to the CHT exam which is a nice progression from taking the NBCOT a few years back. 

It's Day 1 of blogging today and Day 1 of planning my study timetable so I thought I would get off to a good start and think about my approach. Which textbooks will I use? Do I have them or have access to them? Am I going to read through everything and do questions or summarise or draw and act out scenes from Netter's (Atlas of Anatomy)? Do I need cardboard or lots of blank pieces of paper? What about a study group? Online, in person? I'm not sure yet. So far I have ordered a study guide from ASHT - the American Society of Hand Therapy but they tell me it'll still take 2 weeks and that's a lot of time I could be studying. In the meantime, I know I need to know my anatomy of the upper limb backwards, I need to know the stages of tissue healing intimately and if the study guide still hasn't arrived, I need can go through all the common and uncommon assessments or tests. Never mind diagnoses, treatment, splinting, ethics, ergonomics.. ahhhhhhh!

Anyone else out there in the same boat? I'll keep you posted.