Simply surviving after graduating from chiropractic school is NOT the goal! You are nearly done with a grueling program that has earned you a top credential: Doctor. Yet why do I hear from so many new graduates, and doctors in practice for many years, that they do not yet have a career. So many of you are not earning a good enough living, not in a place where you feel job satisfaction or even appreciation and have zero growth potential. I hear stories of hopping from one associateship to the next, renting space from a questionable landlord and doctors driving for Uber or DoorDash just to make ends meet. This doesn’t have to be your story.
In chapter 1 of The Manual for the Chiropractic Entrepreneur, “Finishing School and How to Prepare”, I go into detail about the valuable steps you can take to set yourself up for success while you are still in your chiropractic program. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Build relationships – this is the perfect time to make connections with doctors! There are so many of us out here who absolutely love mentoring students. Introduce yourself at symposiums, email or DM doctors who have a strong presence in the profession. While in school you should try to meet as many influential chiropractors as possible – you never know when they’ll need an associate, who they know or simply what valuable advice they have to offer
- Get involved – if you have not already, it may not be too late! Get involved in clubs, attend symposia, shadow chiropractic practices, shadow practices from other professions and make friends! The more friends you have in this business, the better.
- Work on your business plan – while it may seem daunting, writing a business plan is the clearest path to success. Without a plan how can you make any decisions about location, target audience, brand name, appointment length, rates, hours? A business plan will lay out how much funding you need (or don’t need) and where you might find the resources. Most importantly, a business plan will is your first step to planning for profit! And yes, I believe you can be profitable month 1.
- Make the most of your preceptorship – choosing a preceptorship should not just be about getting adjusting credits. In chiropractic we do not have great options for residencies like they have after medical school. Therefore, your preceptor should be someone you admire, someone who practices the way you’ll strive for and someone who will mentor you during and well after your experience. So choose wisely.
It can feel very isolating working alone or as part of a small practice. This is one reason why I so strongly recommend creating as many connections in chiropractic as you can while you are still in school. I guarantee that questions will arise regarding your business as well as patient care. Will you have someone to call and ask their advice? Not to mention that we have all been there and done that, and most of us happy to help keep you from making the same missteps or pitfalls we have made. The biggest bonus in networking within chiropractic – is that you won’t have to pay big bucks for conversations with people who care about you.
I want to see you succeed. The growth of our profession depends on it. If you need to make your first connection or want to add me to your list of strong chiropractic relationships, shoot me an email lisa@drlisagoodman.com
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