Chiro-school year one... almost done

It is here.  The final stretch.  Year one is coming to an end and 11 finals are looming.  Yikes!  It is time to get serious about what I don't understand and take steps to etch the material into my long term memory.  The process of getting prepared like this takes a lot of study time and a ton of caffeine (and EtOH at night).  I think the week will fly by and we'll look back and giggle about the nervous tension created by note packets.  Since when did note packets become so scary?

Thinking back to all the academic obstacles created by our first year professors, there is an element of pride that I feel for getting through it all.  Our class is getting to know each other better and we are forming a mutual respect for one another.  Minus those who cheat, of course.  

We are the next generation of chiropractors destined to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors.   Many of us are finding that the public has a negative view of our profession due to a group of religious fanatics known as straight chiropractors.  Their efforts have kept our profession, the ethical side that is, from obtaining a place in modern medicine or placement within the traditional university setting.  I personally want people to respect me as a health care provider.  It is a vigorous path to gain licensure as a DC and due to the past and present folks who lack the ability to practice with ethical, scientifically based ideologies, we future DC's will have to redefine the profession to EVERYONE we come into contact with.  What an awful burden.  Our advice will be questioned by our patients and potential patients because they are skeptical in our training and personal belief systems.  We will fight our pseudo-scientific counterparts during our careers and there will be times when we will want to bail out of the mess.  I often question whether to stay in this and fight.   

Since I started chiropractic school I have been asked for health advice.  Mainly musculoskeletal advice.  I explain things the best I can and suggest they see a chiropractor if I think their problem could be alleviated.  Too often I learn that the person decides not to go because they are afraid of what they are getting into.   Why is there such mistrust in this profession?  We all know the answer to that.  

More than likely I will continue forward in this program and become a chiropractor.  I tell myself it is worth it by looking at what I personally believe people need in their life.  We will have a lot to offer to our patients and clients surpassing many in the health care market.  At times, I wonder if the profession of counseling or psychology has had similar societal woes.  The stigma of going into the "shrink" to get mental health prevents many people from entering this area of health care.  

As a profession, we need to look at what health means, what it consists of.  Perhaps we need to form a different profession altogether.  Branch away from the ACA and ICA and create something that is monitored enough to build trust in society.  Our country needs prevention more than anything else (as far as health goes).  How do we future DC's overcome the negative public perception of chiropractic and also keep the name "chiropractor"?  Should we open chiropractic clinics or should we open gyms with chiropractic displayed as "conservative primary care or conservative orthopedic care"or "non-surgical musculoskeletal orthopedic care".  It is up to us to market our practices based on what we can do as specialists.  Sort of like orthopedic surgeons do (i.e., The Orthopedic Surgery Center of Idaho).  Why not display something like, "The Center for Non-Surgical Musculoskeletal Care". Chiropractic has A LOT of baggage and in my opinion, I feel we should think otherwise as to whether we use the name in the future.  

We are medical students.  How do we gain respect from the public and our medical counterparts in this competitive health care market?  Respect is gained through hard work and ethical values, of which, I believe many students possess in our class.  When we get out and we find that the public doesn't seem to trust us, we will be tempted to buy into the role that people expect us to play, which is straight chiropractic.  It is sort of like a person who has had alcohol problems in the past and is expected to get drunk every time they drink.  Instead of having "a" beer, they consume beer until they get drunk because that is expected of them.  People know they do this, so they use it as an excuse to be a drunk - they have fulfilled a role and it gives them an identity.  Chiropractors have the same problem.  We will be sent out into the world to fulfill a role created by ourselves.  We will be expected to be a certain way when we finish our education at WSCC.  The question then becomes, does the public view chiropractic as we do or as WSCC has been advocating?  Food for thought.

Thanks again for taking the time to read another essay.  

Have a good day