Final(ly)

Ahhhh...nothing like a good 6 hours of test taking to really make a girl feel like she cannot wait to go back to school tomorrow and start a whole new subject!!  I am just relieved that I survived the day and I managed to come out fairly unscathed.  We started the day with a two hour written final (100 multiple choice questions) that I felt went pretty well.  It was not easy and by the 80th question or so, it seemed as though I was just being asked the same thing over and over again in different ways, but it was a nice way to start out the day and feel like I had a pretty good grasp on things going into it.

The second portion of the test was the oral portion where we were individually taken back into the lab with one instructor and given two scenarios - each of which we had to give prosthetic causes and amputee causes for why the patient's socket fit poorly and then take the socket in front of us and align it to the correct position.  I was most worried about this part and it did turn out to be the hardest part for me, but I feel as though that was mainly because we were not really given great instructions on how to perform in this area.  Despite doing things right (such as measuring outset or making sure things were level), I did not mention aloud that I was going through my mental checklist and this was apparently something we were supposed to be doing.  Out of the 18 students in my class, I believe only 3 or 4 actually did this so I do not think it was communicated well to us when we were given our expectations of what they were looking for in the oral exam.  Overall, I did manage to stumble my way through the 20 minutes.  I am actually just glad to know what to expect for next time...the first time is always the most difficult.

The final portion of the test was a lab practical where we had 26 different stations set up - different feet, sockets, liners, prosthetic components, bones and anatomy - and we had to go around to each station and name whatever was at the station.  Most questions had multiple parts...after naming the object you then had to state an indication for that particular foot or why a person would choose that type of socket suspension.  I felt really good about this part, I was able to answer everything and I think I will end up probably doing the best on this part out of the three.

All in all, it is just nice to be done.  I know I could have done better on the oral part, but I think my performance in the written exam and on the practical exam will make up for it and it will all even out.  I keep having to remind myself that graduate school is not about getting straight As, it is about learning as much as possible while I am here.  It does not make a bit of difference what my grades are when I leave here...I still have to go through residency and pass my boards - no one is going to care if I made an A or a B in Below the Knee Prosthetics...besides me of course :)