I recently applied for a scholarship that included an essay prompt asking about what I envision for my future as a chiropractor. I would love to share my response with all of my readers.

When envisioning my future as a chiropractor, I think about the impact that I hope to make on my community. Having seen the profession from the perspectives of both a patient and now a student, I know there are a wide range of practice styles and focuses, all with the intention of  providing the highest level of care for those in need. However, what I view as vital to furthering our role in the health care system is to provide a more complete approach to wellness. Each of my future patients will come in with a multitude of symptoms and complaints, but even more so, a physical and emotional history, all deeply interconnected to who they are and what they need from me as their physician.

My future practice will be fully focused on empowering our patients to take an active role and participate in a wholistic approach to their health. The whole reason I have decided to dedicate my life to this profession is because I have seen the gap in our health care system and its gradual devolvement into a money-making industry, viewing patients as dollar signs instead of people. I will change this. Chiropractic school has already opened my eyes to the broad scale of how I can provide care, and just how impactful providing meaningful care to the whole individual could be. I am going to combine the Chiropractic adjustment, soft tissue modalities, nutritional and supplementation advice and exercise protocols along with daily habit recommendations to ensure total body wellness. I know the largest misconception that still shrouds the field of chiropractic is that we simply treat back and neck pain and that we, as professionals, do not or cannot provide more extensive services. This cannot continue to be the norm, and the only way for that shift to occur is to educate our patients and, by extension, shift the paradigm of how chiropractic is perceived. Even more importantly, showing our patients all of the ways we can positively impact their body habitus and make long-lasting changes will be critical in ensuring patient cooperation and successful outcomes.

I believe we are in a critical time where the world is transitioning to becoming increasingly open to the central roles that more wholistic approaches to medicine are now playing. Chiropractic has become less stigmatized as more science and data comes out to support the efficacy of the practices and I hope to play a crucial role in furthering the spread of more conservative, less invasive care. If I can implement long lasting change in my future community by empowering individuals to stop relying on medication with toxic side effects, then I know I’ll truly be making an impactful difference. I know that immediate change is not always possible, but even the small incremental steps toward including suppurative methods and treatments can make significant impacts toward improving patients’ daily lives.

For more information about NUHS’ Doctor of Chiropractic program, click here.