I start the second year of my osteopathy degree at Oxford Brookes University on Saturday and thought I'd spend 5 minutes reflecting on the first year and preparing for Year 2.



Overall, I think the experience has been a very positive one, stressful at times, exciting at others but always interesting and thought provoking. The subject itself is immense and working alongside some of the tutors, particularly in clinic has really opened my eyes to what can be achieved and what level of knowledge can be gained. Very inspirational indeed.



My overriding memory of the first year though is the amount of time and effort it has taken to get through the year and pass all the exams. I've been lucky in that probably 60-70% of the content has been revision from my studies at the Midlands School of Massage here in Nottingham but even that has been hard work sustaining and growing upon what was already 'in there'.



I'm expecting the second year to be an extension of Year 1 but also anticipating the level to elevate as we get deeper into certain subjects. The nervous system, anatomy of the head and in particular the dreaded cranial nerves all appear this year so I anticipate that this will be a generally harder year with more expectation in clinic and tougher coursework (not to mention exams...). That said, I've been exposed to some very complex ideas already and can't be afraid to go even deeper.



Fingers crossed that this time next year I'll be writing a very similar blog post, looking forward to Year 3. But let's not jump too far ahead...!