| I want to use this column as a place for different leaders of the chiropractic community to express their various points of view. - Kent Greenawalt |
Unity - the word produces an immediate and automatic visceral response in every chiropractor. You can read it in their body language immediately after they hear the word. Although others may become excited and jump at the opportunity to offer their thoughts and plans for unity, the chiropractor's body stiffens and their eyes glaze over, because they are tired of hearing about the notion, knowing that no action will be taken. They no longer believe unity will happen in this profession. And although there appears to be greater concern for this issue among the professional leaders than among DCs who work daily in the trenches of patient care, it is an issue of grave significance to the future of the profession.
At a recent chiropractic conference, I sat on a panel of 15 of the profession's more visible leaders. As I looked out over the attendees, including members of the national and international professional organizations, a few college presidents, and several active entrepreneurs who support the profession, my first thought was that we were really out of touch with the profession. Here we sat: 15 white men in business suits, all with personal agendas that ranged from influencing membership to attracting alumni and students, to soliciting support for some specific project or another - and among us, not one woman, minority or active chiropractic practitioner. The disconnect was so obvious that at the end of the session, 15 women came on stage to sit in our chairs and have their picture taken - a quiet protest, yet a strong statement reflective of a deep commitment to get women into positions of power and influence in the profession. Perhaps that is the best plan for unity devised to date. If unity is ever to occur, we must first have unified action and an agreement of basic common values.
Unified Action
I believe there is a critical role here for the leaders of the profession. It is a role that, while often not immediately applicable to the practicing DC, must be handled. My old friend, Dr. Fred Barge, had an acronym for these issues: He called them PILES, which he explained as follows:
- P is for Public Relations - too expensive for an individual to produce.
- I is Insurance - mass representation to organizations like Medicare and Wal-Mart.
- L represents Legislation - lobbying for inclusion in government programs like the DoD, the VA and HHS.
- E is Education - creating professional standards and accreditation.
- S is for Standards of Care - issues of scope and regulation.
Common Values
So, while our national associations and state leaders address these issues, what about the practicing chiropractor? As we all know, all politics are local. Simply put, we are most concerned by those issues that affect us personally. This is where the debate over common values is most often played out. The state of Georgia is a perfect example. There are three players in this Georgia scenario: two state associations with differing philosophies and resulting scope-of-practice needs, and Life College. The recurring issue for this group was to write a new law defining the practice of chiropractic, one that would replace an outdated practice act written in the 1920s. The irony of this was that the only common value between the three players was that nobody liked the old practice act. And in the ensuing months, it was going to take much more than common dissatisfaction to produce a new practice act that everyone would accept.
However, in the end, after an open dialogue of strongly held principles, and with a heavy dose of mutual respect, came the adoption of a document that included values that could be embraced by all. From this document came a proposed practice act, which all three groups are now jointly supporting through the legislative process. Who knows what may come next; some members of the two organizations are talking about a single state association. What a phenomenal example they would be to the profession!
So, what are the values of this unifying document? They are too lengthy for this article, but here are some highlights:
The Association further holds that the right of any individual practitioner to practice within the full extent of his/her jurisdictional practice act or within a narrower interpretation of that act should and will be defended equally, vigorously and proactively.
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In closing, I will tell you that the lesson to take away from "Unity 101" is not only about taking action, but also about finding commonality in our values. As a good friend of mine once said, "I think we have more in common than not." Let's build on common values.
Guy F. Riekeman, DC
President, Life University
Marietta, Georgia
Dr. Guy F. Riekeman, current president of Life University in Marietta, Ga., has held leadership positions in chiropractic education essentially since his graduation from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1972. He was appointed vice president of Sherman College in 1975 and has served as president of all three Palmer campuses and as chancellor of the Palmer Chiropractic University System. In 2006, he was elected to the board of directors of the Council on Chiropractic Education.