You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Be careful who you allow into your peer group. They are influencing you. Make sure it’s in a positive way.
Chiropractic school
Learn in spite of circumstances
Don’t sit back and wait for school to hand you your chiropractic training. Becoming a quality chiropractor is largely a function of the effort you put in OUTSIDE of school. Awesome job to LACC and the work ethic shown there.
Commit now
When you’re at the beginning of a new quarter (or trimester) your schedule can be lighter. Now is the time to commit to the activities that will make you a better chiropractor once you graduate: technique clubs, seminars, shadowing offices. Commit now to those activities and make them non-negotiable.
My Rant at CE 2016
Venting my frustration with the average chiropractor out there. Most of us are inspired and excited about chiropractic while in school, but some lose their fire and need to be reminded at seminars. Don’t be like them. Keep your fire burning!
Technique is not enough – (and book recommendation)
Being a good technician is only one part of being a successful real-world chiropractor. Keep improving your technique, but start learning the other aspects of running a business.
Recommended books:
The E-Myth Revisited
The E-Myth Physician
Leg Checks Are Not Enough
Use multiple criteria to make a better diagnosis. But sometimes – like on mission trips – you just won’t have access to all the diagnostic tools you’d like. So do what you can with what you have.
Board Scores
Many of you have just received your national board scores.
Congrats to those who passed – and congrats to those who didn’t.
While passing your boards is a necessary hoop to jump through, and some of that material may be useful in practice someday, boards don’t test you on many things.
Adjusting skill. Patient communication. Running a business. Marketing.
Just like your grades in school, your scores on boards are not an indicator of your success as a chiropractor.
So it may seem odd that I’m congratulating those who passed and those who didn’t. But I’m proud of all of you who took boards and are continuing to move forward – whether to the next part of boards or to take them again. Just be sure to keep sharpening your adjusting skills and keep learning what it takes to actually succeed in practice.
DCs who practice what they preach
Learn from those who practice what they preach. Don’t ask your barber if your car needs an oil change – and don’t listen to DCs who aren’t practicing the way you want to practice.
Go to technique clubs!
Make the decision NOW to attend technique clubs. Just make it a non-negotiable time and get your butt to clubs.
Take advantage of your breaks
As I’ve said before – it’s what you do OUTSIDE of school that will make you a better chiropractor. Take some time during the break between classes to read, learn, shadow, practice, or anything chiropractic in order to make you a better chiropractor!