Chiropractor Q&A
Hello! My name is Henry and I am a current high school student, I'm conducting an interview with any professionals in the chiropractor field for a Foundations in Health Science class project about careers! I have created a total of 13 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 13 questions to be a part of my assignment.
1. Why did you choose to be a chiropractor?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your current professional job?
4. How can I decide to earn a Ph.D. in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
9. Was there a particulate subject that you struggled with during your school years?
10. What skillsets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
11. Do you feel like all the hard work is paying off, or has paid off?
12. What are some obstacles that you faced along the way?
13. What would you like for people to know about this career?
2 answers
David’s Answer
A lot of people can benefits from regular adjustments. Chronic pain and degenerative conditions for one example. If work and stress etc. are always taking a toll on the body, some sort of regular therapy can help counteract that.
Ross’s Answer
2. 4 years of undergraduate school and 3 years of postgraduate school.
3. I have worked in the restaurant industry as a buser, waiter, and manager. I have worked as a laborer in construction. I have worked as a security guard, grocery store employee, and as a warehouse employee. I also was in the military.
4. You can’t earn a PhD in chiropractic. The only degree is a D.C. (doctor of chiropractic) which allows you the ability to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal conditions of the body. You are able to order advanced imaging such as MRI, CT, x-rays, and ultrasound, as well as order blood labs. Diploma-wise this puts you at the same level as a M.D. or a D.O., not a PhD which is a doctorate.
5. Yes, I did my undergraduate degree in kinesiology.
6. I originally went to school to be an athletic trainer. After working for a year with the university’s football team my junior into senior year, I decided it was not what I wanted to do. So after graduating I took 2 years off before deciding to be a chiropractor and go to graduate school.
7. I did not. I would strongly advise that people who are interested do though. And make sure you shadow multiple people in the profession. There is a wide range of ways to run a successful practice and it’s beneficial to see that.
8. I was in a business fraternity during my postgraduate program. The primary function was to get more practice and have older students help teach the younger students.
9. Neurology and biochemistry were the classes that most students struggled with.
10. Patient communication and advocating for patient care. I’ve gotten very good at thinking outside the box when it comes to non traditional exercises for patients to improve their ability to function.
11. Yes, it is very rewarding. That being said student loans are a very large burden and often make people take short cuts in an effort to make more money which is not always best for the patient.
12. Conflict with school and military requirements, which led me to leaving the military. COVID-19 hit 2 months before graduation for me which affected my ability to get hands on learning at the end. I also know it impacted students for the next 3 years as they lost a lot of hands on experience.
13. Not all chiropractors are the same. And just like any other profession you can have really good ones and really bad ones. Chiropractors have their place within the healthcare model and can be very helpful with a lot of musculoskeletal complaints. A good chiropractor focuses on diagnosing and treating the condition, which should not require life long, routine care. If a chiropractor is taking x-rays on every single patient, it’s not medically necessary and often is used to scare patients into large expensive care plans.
Thank you Ross
Henry