I believe what you are going to read in the next few minutes is the most important information you will read during your entire chiropractic career. Your future depends on understanding the information I am about to give you. First, let me say I am not trying to get you to attend a seminar, to join an organization or to buy a book or set of tapes. The reason I am sharing this information with you is because I have watched chiropractic evolve over my 30 years in practice, I have taught for 15 years, I have traveled in the past 18 months to 10 different chiropractic colleges to speak to the students, and I have met literally hundreds of new practitioners. Having done these things, I am left with a real concern for new and future practitioners. No one in the history of the chiropractic profession has been asked to give up six to eight years of their life and to incur a six-figure debt with such doubtful prospects of making a decent living in practice. Listen to my words carefully. Unless some drastic changes take place, I believe nine out of ten of you will never make it in practice. I do not care what techniques you are learning, how smart you are, or how much you love people and chiropractic. If one of your ten chiropractic friends is more charismatic, more dynamic, or more outgoing than you (the type that could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo), you are going to fail in practice. If you are thinking that those should not be the prerequisites to success, you are right. Unfortunately, in the present state of the profession, those seem to be the criteria for success.
Here is the problem. The present model of chiropractic cannot support the number of chiropractors presently in the field, let alone the thousands graduating every year. In 1967, there were only about 12,000 practicing chiropractors so do not expect to see too many chiropractors retiring in the near future. Many of them cannot afford to retire. That leaves even less room for you! This was not so apparent a problem during the “insurance boom” because chiropractors did not need to see large numbers of people. As per-visit fees came down only recently because individuals could not afford to pay what insurance companies pay, the number of patients needed to maintain the same income went up. Unfortunately, there are not enough patients for all the chiropractors. This is the profession’s dark little secret that nobody talks about.
How did we get to this point? For the past 25 years, a few chiropractic colleges have graduated students with the idea that chiropractic was the answer to the cause of all disease and that every person with any disease should go to a chiropractor and only a chiropractor. Not only is that a false assumption but at the same time we have been projecting that idea to students, we have been convincing the public that chiropractic is only for a few musculoskeletal conditions that are seen only in a small percentage of the population. Chiropractic has reached critical mass. The public thinks chiropractic is for bad backs and stiff necks and there are significantly more chiropractors than the number of people with bad backs and stiff necks necessitates. I am not going to bore you with the numbers. Numbers can be embellished to justify almost anything. Trust me on this. As proof, I offer these facts. 1) Those schools that have traditionally viewed chiropractic as a musculoskeletal therapy still have relatively small enrollments. (One is even trying to become a “medical” school to join with another profession that is also overcrowded). 2) States are making stricter requirements and more tests for licensure and greater percentages of graduates are being failed in State Boards Exams. 3) Only one new school has opened in the last ten years and two schools have closed during that same period. A group of chiropractors have been trying to start a school in the most populated section of the country for the last five years and have met with virtually no success and no support from the field. Why? Because many people in the profession realize we do not need more chiropractors. 4) The percentages of student loan defaults and delinquencies among chiropractors is embarrassingly high. Of course, so is the number of graduates who fail in the first five years of practice.
Who does not have the answers? Practice management consultants most certainly do not have the answers. They are in a panic and they change their programs as often as they change their Armani suits. The portion of the profession that views chiropractic as the cause of all disease does not have the answer. Even B.J. said we only needed one chiropractor for every 5,000 people (The Glory of Going On, p32). Do the numbers for yourself if you like but I can tell you we are already there. It is worth noting that B.J. was much more optimistic about the need for chiropractors than most. The fact is, the public has missed the big idea of chiropractic and I am not sure that we can turn them around in the next ten or twenty years. As a student or new practitioner, you do not have that much time to spare. If you are going to draw the numbers you need to survive, you will need many more people thinking chiropractically right now! Forget the hype about people turning to alternative care and being more health conscious. It means nothing to you. Even if they are more health conscious, people simply do not associate chiropractic with health. They associate chiropractic with bad backs. What should concern you is the number of chiropractors out there who are hurting, who are making less and less each year, who are either getting out of practice or into every multi-level marketing scheme imaginable. If you want to practice chiropractic and sell Amway, you may do okay. But you can probably do just as well working at a convenience store and selling Amway if you start six years sooner and save the cost of your education.
What is the answer? For the profession as a whole, there is no answer unless and until the public has an entirely different perspective of what chiropractic is. It could take years to undo the damage that the present generation has done in advertising, explaining, and marketing chiropractic as a treatment for musculoskeletal problems. For each individual chiropractor there is an answer. Go out into the community and promote chiropractic as unique and different and educate your community. Teach them that chiropractic is not a treatment for bad backs and stiff necks but rather a means of improving the expression of life within them and their family. This is the answer. You must educate them so that they understand that chiropractic is not an alternative or substitute for medicine. If you do not understand this unique objective of chiropractic and how it is for every man, woman, and child regardless of age or condition of health, if you do not understand how to communicate that fact to the public, then you need to find someone who can help you. Unfortunately, for many of you this is not taught in chiropractic college. Let me be blunt and honest. Unless you understand and practice objective straight chiropractic, you have about one chance in ten of succeeding in practice. That would be a waste of your time, money, talent, and life. I do not care where you go to school or why you chose chiropractic as a profession; no one deserves to have their efforts, money and time wasted. If you would like direction or help, please contact the Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Education. You may want to begin by checking out our web-site at www.f-a-c-e.com and sending us an e-mail to let us know you read this letter and you would like some support. Or call our toll-free number (1-800-397-9722). We will be glad to send you free information.
We are interested in you and in you helping us make a difference in this world and its understanding of life, health and chiropractic. If we can help you, then you will be better equipped to serve people. Hopefully the world’s perception of chiropractic can be changed, making life better for all of us, not to mention a successful career for you in serving mankind. v15n1
Hello Dr. Strauss,
I am starting school in January ( I believe the one you referred to as, “One is even trying to become a “medical” school to join with another profession that is also overcrowded.”) I know that I want to be an objective straight chiropractor and would like any assistance I can get in order to keep my head on “straight” while I go through this medical-laced, range-of-motion, physical therapy based program. After reading your Open Letter to Chiropractic Students, I realize what I’m up against and would be grateful for any support.
Thank You,
Mike Adney
Mike, first let me congratulate you on entering our profession. I would suggest the following:
1. Read all the old posts on this blog.
2. Start with chiropractic philosophy and continue reading Blue Books.
3. Ask questions on this blog continually. Don’t think any question is too dumb or not worth asking.
4. Share with the others on this blog your concerns and the challenges you face.
5. Never,never,never let them discourage you or get you down.
6. Everyone on this blog is willing to help you negotiate this difficult time in your life. Getting through any chiropractic school is a challenge. One thatdoes not share your vision/objective is doubly challenging.
7. Call me Joe.
Any other guys have some suggestions for Mike?
Hey Mike, You might find an off campus philosophy group could be formed. Even if it is just a couple of people it helps to bounce ideas and viewpoints off like minds. Get them reading this blog and converse. If you can’t find good philosophy (blue) books at your school, try Sherman’s bookstore. Do not be afraid to question your instructors and make them explain to your satisfaction but remember OSC is leading edge philosophy, not everyone is up to par.
Thank you Joe and Steve. I appreciate the info very much. I am joining the Dead Chiropractic Society here in Southern California and also have joined SCORE, which stands for Student Chiropractors On the Road to Excellence. This is a group formed by Dr. Dennis Buckley and sounds great. I have one of the Blue Books which I’m going to start reading after I finish Reggie’s bio. I wish I would have purchased more at New Beginnings. I am going to try and get a philosophy group together at LACC, and would love any input on doing so. I’m looking forward to reading this forum and getting deep into the philosophy. Thank You!
Hi Mike,
Welcome to the ultimate NTOSC blog. Read it and participate… it’s the ONLY way to “unlearn” and to grow in the philosophy.
To start a philosophy group, observe WHAT is going on around you at LACC. See, WHO is influential and WHO is not. You might be able to engage someone WHO is serving on the student government council about the philosophy. If you do it will help get a group going strong.
I remember being a student at Sherman College in 1975 when Reggie asked me to help him form a committee to start the FSCO (Federation of Straight Chiropractors Organizations) and to assist in writing the by-laws. Reggie wanted to have “international” students serving on this committee. Arno Burnier and I were chosen for the task. Later, he asked me to start the SFSCO Student Fellowship for Straight Chiropractors Organization). I went to see the president of the student body, Mark Peters, and engaged him into the project. Mark was very influential with the student body. He got the ball rolling so fast, that within one month we had created “Philosophy Day” at Sherman and the first chapter of the SFSCO had begun its function. –
– The reason I mentioned this is for 2 reasons: –
1.- It will give you the opportunity to meet people quickly. –
2. – It is always good to BE with someone WHO understands the ins and outs of the school and WHO has the pulse of the student body and may be even the administration. This person could become your PIC. – If you don’t find anyone in that capacity, then YOU step in the right seat. 😉 –
– Mike, this blog is for anyone WHO chooses to BE willING to have a “beginner’s mind”. You may consider this blog as your support system while you navigate the maze of professional education at LACC. Log in every day and let it give you the lift you need to take on altitude and leave the drag behind. 😉
5. “……let them, (those at your school) discourage you….
… of course Mike, to step in the right (correct) seat means to jump in the LEFT seat! 😉
Hello Claude! It was great meeting you at the Garden State seminar in April. I have remembered what you said about leaning on the principles as my instruments and I’m doing my best to learn them. I want to get very well rooted in them before I start school since I know I will be the minority at LACC. But I look at it as an opportunity to spread the word about true chiropracTIC and bring others into the light. I’m really excited about it. I’m already in contact with the Student ICA President at the school and we are going to tag team this effort. I am definitely ready to be in the beginners mind and feel so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing place to come for advice and to re-cage my gyro.
I do have one question if you don’t mind. Since I have 6 months before I start school, would my time be well spent in chiropractors offices, learning the ropes and determining which techniques I am interested in? I really don’t know much about the many techniques that are out there, except that some chiropractors choose to be upper cervical only and others do full spine. I understand that BJ believed that primary subluxations occur at C1 and C2, so I can see why some would specialize in upper cervical. However, I haven’t heard many opinions on this subject and would love any input. Not to mention that Mrs. Gold, warned me that I won’t learn how to adjust at LACC. So I need to determine when I should start learning technique and if I just need to wait until I get into school and reach a certain point in my curriculum. Thanks in advance for the input!
Mike
Mike,
Do NOT get involved with techniques at this time. I repeat DO NOT get involved with techniques at this time. This should be the least of your concerns. It’s the innate intelligence of the body that performs the adjustment NOT the chiropractor. Do NOT worry about technique. Low wings or high wings is a matter of preference. Right? You’ve got to learn the basics very well before you launch in IMC.
Philosophy is where it’s at right now. Attend seminars (it gonna be free for you as prospective student). Visit Straights DCs ONLY during their orientations to their practice members, then YOU choose whether or not you wish to shadow them in their office. Take notes, read ALL the Blue Books, my book, this blog and my blog and Reggie’s tapes/CDs/DVDs everyday, and I mean EVERYDAY! Immerse yourself into the philosophy ALONE. Learn to “armchair-fly” by visualizing yourself BEING the passionate chiropractor that YOU are. Ask to the chiropractors on this blog any and many questions you may have. GET a Non Therapeutic Objective Straight Chiropractor as a mentor!!!!! –
And most important of ALL, tell the chiropractic story, over and over and over and over and over and over and over again now. –
– WHEN? NOW??? YES!!! NOW!!! RIGHT NOW!!!! 😉
Claude, thank you for that information. I’ll put the technique thing on the back burner and stick to the philosophy. I’ve been looking for a NTOSC in my area but it’s been tough going so far. I’m sure I’ll find someone, even if it takes some time. I wish we had an online resource for people to find local chiropractors who serve in this way. Will you please give me the link to your blog? Thank You, MIke
Mike,
Google Lessard Chiropractic Centre and click on “blog”.
Hi Mike, I believe we met at NB, I was working at Joe’s table when you bought the Reggie book. Great advice given so far. I agree 100% with Claude’s last post. Get the philosophy down as everything else that you do and do not do will stem from this foundation. Joe’s 2 Chiro Philosophy books need to be devoured until you own the principles contained within, then devoured some more until they own you. Reggie once talked to us in spinology about Arthur Treacher, the Fish and Chips guy. He wondered if he really spoke with a British accent all the time, or if you woke him up in the middle of the night would he have a Brooklyn accent! Get the philosophy down, and all else follows. Hmmmm,where have I heard that before??? 🙂 Get the Reggie 10 hours of philosophy on cd and do the same with them. If they are a little out of your budget right now, contact me at ticdoc55@gmail and I will lend you mine. They are out on loan right now but you can be next in line. Outside of that I would say start working on your sensitivity of touch in your fingertips. Regardless of technique used, a valid, reliable, reproducible analytical procedure is imperative and takes time to learn. Go to Nick Spano’s website: http://www.advancedmusclepalpation.net/ and sink your teeth into that. The old hair in a phone book works wonders in developing sensitivity. Open a phone book, if you can find one these days, take a hair, place it on the page, turn one page over it, spin the book around a few times so you don’t know where it is. Find the hair, trace the path of the hair with your fingertips. Once you get one page down, go to 2, 3, 4…when you get up in the mid to high teens you’ll be rocking! Tom
Hi Tom, I do remember meeting you at Joe’s table. Thank you for your thoughts here. When I was in NJ, I felt like I was surrounded by non-therapeutic objective straight chiropractors and had numerous places to turn if I had questions. Since I’ve moved out to L.A., it has been difficult to find just one totally straight chiropractor. I’ve been to a few offices, been adjusted, only to find out later that the chiropractor also did acupuncture or massage, etc. In addition, trying to find someone out here that doesn’t try to diagnose is a challenge in itself. If anyone knows of someone out here that I should contact, I’d really love to know who that would be. I’m heading to The Wave and Life West in a month so I’m hoping to meet a few non-therapeutic DCs there who I can latch onto in my area. Until then, I’ll be reading reading reading. The hair in a phone book idea sounds interesting yet humbling. I’ll start doing that as well. Thanks for the idea. Also, it looks like Dr. Spano’s website has changed and is now “http://home.epix.net/~ampspine/”. Thanks for that recommendation as well. Mike
Dear Dr. Joe. I greatly appreciate your heart for chiropractic and all chiropractors young and old. I especially appreciate you telling it like it is even if it’s already ten years since you wrote this blog. The truth is never old. What I find ironic is you said at the end to reach out to FACE for any help and so I did. What I found was that apparently FACE has changed to become what you warned us to look out for. I didn’t know Chirpractic is now considered Chiropractic Medicine and that there are Chiropractic nurses.