Finishing up a Doctrine of Chiropractic Degree is no small feat. I think the age-old adage “blood, sweat and tears” could not be more fitting for the years spent in chiropractic school. I remember entering into my last year excited to be working on patients in the clinic but at the same time, I had this gnawing feeling in my belly knowing that all too soon it would be time to start looking for a job. Depending on how many State/Country boards you pass, where you live, what you can do (dictated by your country/state), the possibilities are endless. Buy a practice, start a practice, become an associate, etc. can lead a new graduate down into the rabbit hole of confusion and chaos. To help avoid the panic of making money following graduation, here are four reasons why if you're living or plan on practicing in the UK, you need to belong to the United Chiropractic Association or the British Chiropractic Association.
In order to know which direction of how you want to practice (which techniques to use), you need to attend seminars. I know, I know…you study all the time, you haven’t read for fun in years, and you're already sitting in class for a zillion hours a week, but you never know what you may like unless you try it. My alma mater offered a wide variety of adjusting techniques from full spine, Activator, SOT, Palmer package, and some old school ones too like Toggle Recoil. I would not have received extra instruction on becoming fully Activator Advanced, having flexion distraction knowledge, or knowledge of getting into a trap muscle with Active Release Stretching if I hadn’t gone to seminars. The great thing about the UCA or BCA is that they offer a variety of seminars, and it appears that students get a discount. Trust me from experience, take advantage of the student discount.
Now this is a great idea! Doing an internship was given as an option in our last semester of school. The problem was most of us had to already know a doctor in the field and that doctor had to be willing to open their doors to us. ChiroBuddy is more like a database of already practicing docs who are willing to let students come into their practices and shadow. Students get the benefit of watching a doctor in action with patients, building relationships with the doctor, and potentially getting a foot in the door for an employment position in the future.
After shadowing docs in the field, the next step is to get involved in the PRT. There are quite a few things that a chiropractor coming right out school might not be aware of or are ready for yet. I remember my first couple of years in practice were very difficult. Not only for the reason that I needed to build my patient base, but also because you never know who is going walk through the door and what they may require. In school, there is always the ability to fall back on a clinic doctor or professor but in real life, the buck stops with you. I think having a program that allows a recent grad who has all their board certificates the ability to work in a post graduate setting would be immensely helpful. It’s almost like a halfway house for those just being released from prison. Sound silly? Trust me, after chiropractic school, it’s going to take a new grad at least one year to feel like a human again.
The United Chiropractic Association or British Chiropractic Association has a plethora of job listings, some of which even include pay, benefits, what the clinic is like, and which techniques are being used. If going down the associate doctor path isn’t your style, they have a list of practices for sale or lease. It’s a wealth of information just like Chiro Recruit.
Kassandra Schultz D.C.
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