National University recently redesigned the business curriculum in the chiropractic program to ensure students have a more complete set of business skills. Instead of just learning the basics of how to run a business, NUHS students will now learn the nuanced aspects of how to start, manage and grow a practice.

The new curriculum was implemented in the Spring 2021 trimester.

“This sequence of business courses will take students from knowing little to having a deep understanding of how to build a successful and thriving practice,” said Jeffrey Ware, DC, DABCI, MS, Assistant Dean of the chiropractic program.  “Our goal is to help students become exceptional not only at diagnosis and treatment but in business, as well.”

In the chiropractic field, it is common for new graduates to join existing practices as associates in order to learn how to properly run a business. National University’s business curriculum will change that. The new curriculum will provide students with the skills needed to get their practices started right away, allowing graduates to fast track their career at a higher level of income.

Based in part from student feedback, the courses have been specifically sequenced to build off each other and provide a well-rounded education into the many small details that go into running a business, from learning how to get a loan, advertise their services, choose a location, lease a building, manage employees and use accounting software.

“Once we put all these pieces together, our graduates are going to be very savvy and successful at running a business,” Dr. Ware said.

The business curriculum includes five courses:

Professionalism, Ethics & Law

Patient Communication and Marketing

Starting a Practice

Managing a Practice

Billing, Coding, Documentation and Compliance

In the first Professionalism, Ethics and Law class, students will learn about the professional conduct that will become the foundation of how they run their practice. This professional conduct starts during their time as students before they start their professional careers.

The Billing, Coding, Documentation and Compliance class will provide an especially detailed education from an expert. Today, increased auditing among chiropractors has made a deep understanding of this subject vital.

In addition, the new Patient Communication and Marketing course will now teach students how to get involved with the local community in order to grow their practice. Since many graduates start off as solo-practitioners, they must also learn how to take the next step toward becoming a larger or even multi-disciplinary practice.

NUHS recognizes that learning doesn’t end after the completion of these business courses.

“Even after graduation, NUHS faculty members will remain a resource to students who have questions or concerns while starting their practice,” Dr. Ware said.

Unlike chiropractors of the past who might have had to learn how to run a business on their own, students at NUHS will have a complete set of business skills the moment they graduate. As a result, NUHS graduates will have a much better chance of success.