Visit to AECC

This was a real eye opener and a great day out! I wanted to study chiropractic originally, but there wasn't a course in London. I think if I had actually gone to an open day there in the first place, I might have just moved to Bournemouth! The facilities were amazing and they are at a huge advantage being able to learn about and treat children as undergraduates, as well as having a high tech rehabilitation centre run by a physiotherapist, with some seriously state of the art equipment. Students took x rays and wrote their own reports which were marked and corrected by a specialist. This was also enviable. I have little experience of reading imaging. They are even taught how to use ultrasound for diagnostic and treatment purposes. They must save a fortune, given the amount of postgraduate courses they don't need to do!

I thought the way they had 2 hour slots for new patients and performed all dcp exams on everyone was of great benefit, although I did not agree with the lack of treatment at the first visit. All patients were provided with gowns and shorts which I thought was an excellent idea and I would like to do this in future. Their case files were extremely detailed with several standard forms in use and they were organised with dividers, which I felt made them much easier to follow. One of the forms covered consent and all patients had to sign this. I definitely plan on doing this in the future. The students do not mention consent again during the course of treatment, once this form has been signed!

I felt that the time they got to spend with senior tutors (by making appointments with them) discussing cases, diagnoses, clinical reasoning and management plans, was invaluable and something I have missed out on and could really have benefited from if we had such a system here. They had laboratories in their teaching building and I was told that their anatomy lecturer was one of the editors of Gray's Anatomy! They did not go into clinic until fourth year, but I felt this disadvantage was probably outweighed by how advantageous it was to get their dissertations out of the way in third year.

At the moment I really wish I had gone there - but I am aware that the grass is often always greener and I am just exhausted and miserable right now! I am thinking about looking into studying there though, but I imagine fee increases will put a stop to that. It not a realistic idea anyway. They really made us feel welcome and were happy to show us around. Sadly I heard that they were treated badly when they came to BSO and clinic reception were not expecting them!

Interestingly, the students I spoke to did not have any preconceptions about osteopathy and were curious to discuss similarities and differences. My own chiropractor also has this attitude and thinks of the professions as similar. I wonder why osteopaths have such negative views about chiropractors. It is all I hear in clinic from tutors and students alike. I don't understand it! 

I am going to investigate Gonstead technique - some of the moves they had were great.