I would like to become a chiropractor when I grow up. A chiropractor is a healthcare professional who diagnoses and treats neuromascular disorders while putting a lot of emphasis on offering treatment through manipulation or manual adjustment without the use of medication. A chiropractor would do anything to reduce the pain a patient is going through with the sole aim of improving the functionality of the patient while at the same time educating these patients on how to go about improving their health by embracing exercises, ergonomics and therapy in order to alleviate pain of the back. A chiropractor therefore offers an alternative form of treatment or even compliments medicine (AGCAS Editors 5). As a chiropractor, medical attention is not only directed to the back but also to the neck, joints, arms, legs and even headaches. It encompasses a hands on yet drug free approach to healthcare (Burke 17). A chiropractor must use a wide range of diagnostic skills and also offer rehabilitative exercises as well as therapy, counseling nutritional, dietary and lifestyle issues.
Chiropractors use a wide range of things and equipments during their practice. In as much as chiropractors take a natural approach towards healing and restoration, the therapies they use require the use of equipments. First of all, they use their bare hands when offering treatments (Koch 43). There are some special devices that they use when the hands cannot bring out the intended results. Heat or ice can also be used just like corsets and braces. There are equipments that are used to make ultra sound examinations as well as x- rays in order to diagnose various conditions. This depends on the kind of pain the patient is going through and where the pain emanates (Targetjobs.co.uk 2). In as much as these equipments are used, much of the treatment necessitates the use of hands and, therefore, requires that I work with the patient directly using my hands.
As a chiropractor I will not be tied down to work from a designated area or place. I will have to attend to people from anywhere and at any time. Sports people need chiropractors all the time at practice, at home and even in the track while competing. I can go to people’s home to attend to their needs especially those who cannot move or be moved because of the pain they undergo. I will, therefore, not be expected to work from an office or hospital all the time. As a chiropractor I can even work on an accident scene. This means that I will have to be flexible enough, such that I can move from place to place, town to town, city to city and even country to country in order to attend to a client or patient (Explorehealthcareers.org 3). Chiropractic practice is a flexible career that will not tie down an individual to a given place all the time (Kimball 8).
I understand that the educational requirements for chiropractors are very stringent. I will be required to have a nearly four years of pre- medical undergraduate education. I will be expected to have done courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology and any related lab work (Explorehealthcareers.org 3). After this, I will be required to do four to five years of academic and/or professional study. I will also be required to do much of hands on work in an accredited clinic for clinical training aside from doing my coursework. I will be required to do a rigorous exercise of study in the healing sciences just like medical doctors do. One more thing, I will be forced to undergo a rigorous and intensive education more than doctors do.
Potential for job growth is very high only if I practice and continuously update myself on the happenings in the field all the time. I will be required to prove myself as competent through my years of study and accreditation as well as experience achieved through practice. I will be expected do a one year clinical based program where I will be expected to deal with patients. I will be expected to do a minimum of 4200 hours in the classroom and laboratory as well as clinical experience (AGCAS Editors 5). An accrediting agency will then certify me after which I can go on to practice. I can start as a mere practitioner but then advance in position as time goes by because advancement comes with experience.
I will be expected to develop a client base if I need to earn well. Even so, at the very beginning I will have limited earnings but then as time goes by; my client base will grow which will translate to a rise in earnings. With less than a one year experience, my wages will be between $40,068 and $75,665 a year. This is according to PayScale of the year 2013. After a four year experience, I will expect to earn more than that. Some of its advantages include the fact that chiropractic practice will pay well in the end (Targetjobs.co.uk 6). It is also a very interesting career to take up which calls for a lot of dedication. Aside from it paying well, chiropractic practice is exciting and rewarding especially if when patients get well and when the pain is gone. I believe that one will always feel bad if their patients don’t get well after the therapy sessions and massages. But one disadvantage it has is that it calls for too much commitment and study for one to be accredited to practice.
Works Cited
AGCAS Editors. Chiropractor Job Description. Web. February 2013. Retrieved on 29th March 2014. http://www.prospects.ac.uk/chiropractor_job_description.htm
Burke, Brad. Living the Chiropractic Way- The Complete Lifetime Wellness Guide. Indianapolis: Dog Ear Publishind. 2005
Explorehealthcareers.org. Chiropractor. Web. www.explorehealth.co.uk. 2012. Retrieved on 29th March 2014. http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/41/Chiropractor
Kimball, Cheryl. Start Your Health Care Career. Toronto: Entrepreneur Press. 2007
Koch, William. Chiropractic: The Superior Alternative. Surrey: Spantech House. 1995
Targetjobs.co.uk. Chiropractor: Job Description. Web. www.targetjobs.co.uk. Retrieved on 29th March 2014. http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/278867-chiropractor job-description
