Since graduating with her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from National University just last year, Liron Saletsky, DC, is already living her dream focusing on pediatric and perinatal chiropractic at Revolution Chiropractic in Jacksonville, Fla.

At Revolution Chiropractic, she treats the entire family, including pregnant women who often bring their newborns for care after birth. Working with children has been a passion of Dr. Saletsky’s since high school. If it’s a passion of yours as well, here are some tips that will help kickstart a future career in pediatric chiropractic.

Liron Saletsky, DC, ’21, (right) and a coworker adjust pediatric patients.

1. Consider treating pregnant women

For many chiropractic clinics that specialize in pediatrics, treating pregnant women as well as children often goes hand-in-hand. In fact, at Revolution Chiropractic, pregnant women are their biggest client base. According to Dr. Saletsky, one of the main ways chiropractic medicine helps pregnant women is by creating more space for mom and baby, which means added comfort.

Their large pregnancy base is one reason that Revolution Chiropractic clinic treats patients as young as less than a week old. Once their pregnant patients have delivered, they will often bring in their babies for chiropractic care and continue treatment as they grow older.

“At Revolution Chiropractic, it’s very much a family affair,” Dr. Saletsky said.

2. Shadow as many pediatric chiropractors as possible

Alongside seeing young patients at the NUHS Whole Health Center, Dr. Saletsky expanded her expertise in pediatric and perinatal care by shadowing 25 different chiropractic physicians. The experience helped her learn various styles of practice.

“It is important to see all the different perspectives of chiropractic,” she said. “Doing that so early helped build my perspective in what chiropractic really is.”

While other students might not have the time to shadow 25 different physicians, she encourages shadowing at least a few doctors in order to find their own style of practice.

“DCs love to help students who are interested in shadowing,” Dr. Saletsky said. “The majority that I asked said yes. Some even went above and beyond by sharing books and other educational materials.”

One of the many advantages of the Chicagoland area, where National University is located, is that it’s home to one of the largest health care communities in the country. Within a 20-25 minute drive, there are over 120 hospitals and hundreds of area clinics. Students will have no problem finding chiropractic clinics that specialize in pediatrics or any other specialty they are interested in, Dr. Saletsky said.

3. Keep an open mind

Because there are so many different perspectives within chiropractic medicine, Dr. Saletsky said it’s important to keep an open mind. This helps you figure out what chiropractic is to you, and provides the clarity needed to find the right career path.

By the time she graduated from NUHS, Dr. Saletsky had a clear idea of her future career. A few days after graduation, she was already relocating to Florida to start her new job at Revolution Chiropractic.

“When you take in a lot of different perspectives, that’s what ends up making you who you are,” she said.

4. Find mentors to further your education

As an undergraduate and during her studies at National University, Dr. Saletsky benefited from having multiple mentors. Some of these mentors included chiropractic physicians she shadowed, along with the clinicians at the NUHS Whole Health Center. In order to succeed in a niche specialty like pediatrics, it’s crucial to find a supporter who will help guide you, she said.

In addition to offering advice, her mentors have often provided books, videos and research articles that helped supplement her education in pediatric chiropractic. Having mentors also helped build her professional network. It’s one of the reasons she was able to find employment so quickly after graduation.

5. Join ICPA and other professional groups

Aside from shadowing DCs, another great way to network is to join professional organizations like International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). For Dr. Saletsky joining ICPA was a great way to learn about techniques specific to pregnant women and children. The organization offers pediatric training programs, along with live videos and podcasts.

She also joined professional groups centered around pediatric chiropractic on Facebook. These groups were also a great way to look for clinics to shadow and to explore other opportunities.

“All of the jobs I found were on Facebook,” she said.

Across the board, pediatric care seems to be growing more popular, Dr. Saletsky said. While searching for clinics to shadow, there were no shortages of DCs specializing in pediatric care.

According to a 2017 article in the Journal of the Academic Pediatric Association, in the United States, complementary and alternative medicine is frequently used by children with pain and many parents report benefits for their child’s symptoms. Of children with pain who use complementary and alternative medicine, chiropractic medicine is among the two most commonly used treatments alongside biologically-based therapies like special diets and herbal supplements.

Now that Dr. Saletsky is settled into her career, one of her goals is to continue to fuel the way for chiropractic medicine to become a routine part of children’s care.

“Children get their ears checked and their teeth checked, why not their nervous systems too? My vision is for chiropractic pediatrics to become a more routine part of our world,” she said.