We Need to Think Bigger
Dear Editor:
Today I had a conversation with the research department head at one of the accredited chiropractic colleges. I had reached out to several other schools previously for a marketing tool I thought made sense for the colleges to equip their graduates with.
A little background: As I was preparing for an MD lunch, I thought it would be helpful to have a condensed, attractively prepared pitch deck / flip chart that I could present and leave with the medical practice.
I imagined clever graphics, photos, sample declaration pages showing how inexpensive our malpractice coverage is, etc., all adorning a really tangible sales tool. Then my mind envisioned wall posters, pamphlets, and online access videos detailing how we can help the medical provider treat the musculoskeletal patient with the help of a DC. Finally, I thought of those students in chiropractic school who get a small academic serving of real-world knowledge on how to build their business. Feeling inspired, I picked up the phone.
Unfortunately, as I had experienced with the other colleges, I was directed to the research department and told where I might find some research online; little else. When I inquired about the idea of having students, who all take some sort of research class, focusing on such a practical tool for us out here in the "trenches" trying to make professional connections, I was dismissed and told the research departments were too busy for such a project.
The other chiropractic research department personnel had given me the same story. This time, I pressed in asking if the students could carry the burden of such a project. The department head stated that students dislike the research module they are forced to take. "Ah ha," I said, "Well, how about making them compile the latest research and present it to their peers as a real-world role-playing exercise?" Again, I was dismissed and told I was wasting the time of this academic PhD.
I thanked the PhD for their time, hung up and applied my entrepreneur mind for a brief moment. How hard could this be? Sparing you the age-old frustration with complaints of our fractured profession, I wanted to "scatter these seeds."
We have a dozen schools in the U.S. Could they be integrated electronically? Yes. Could they data mine clinical outcomes? Yes. Could they share the results? Publish the results? Yes and yes. Could they coordinate the researchers to build useful tools for the graduates and refine their presentation skills? Yes.
Does our profession need greater unity in our attempts to survive in today's marketplace? Yes! Do our chiropractic schools need to help graduates treat a greater market share than less than 10 percent? Seems logical to me.
As a chiropractor who has started and sold eight offices and had my loans paid off in five years, I learned a valuable lesson along the way. If you think about any challenge in practice the same way without being creative, you will stagnate and suffer from a lack of vitality. If someone in academia reads this, my challenge to you is this: Think bigger! Your very existence may depend on it! Get students involved, charismatic leaders; travel, write emails, shake hands and adapt.
Rob Boyer, DC
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Stepping on Sacred Ground
Dear Editor:
I enjoyed Dr. Lehman's article on the patient who did not want to get her neck cracked. ["'Don't Crack My Neck!' What Do You Do Next?" September 2018 issue] One of the reasons my first practice was so successful was the fact that we did not "crack" necks.
However, I was disappointed that Dr. Lehman did not mention the Activator technique. Activator proves its efficacy, as it is taught in over 30 universities worldwide, and is supported by more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and 25-plus clinical trials (the only technique with clinical trials).
Dr. Andrew Weil, the famous Harvard MD, in one of his most recent newsletters, stated: "Older patients and anyone with a history of heart disease should request low-pressure, high-speed techniques that keep the head in a neutral position, like Activator, a method of adjusting using a spring-loaded hand-held device."
Thank you, Dr. Lehman, for writing this article, as you are stepping on sacred ground by even mentioning instrument adjusting.
Arlan Fuhr, DC
Phoenix, Ariz.