At Cleveland, there are many classes and clubs offered that help a student specialize if they so choose.
We just started a new trimester. Over our two-week break, I took advantage of a great opportunity and shadowed a chiropractor in Denver. I didn’t know what to expect because I was connected to him through a friend. I had never met him and didn’t know what philosophy drove him or even what technique he used. It turned out to be an amazing, eye-opening day. I was introduced to some new techniques and also a new take on how to practice. The doctor and I had some time to chat and he told me about why he specializes his practice to cater to sports athletes. He wanted to focus his energy on one specific area of chiropractic. He felt by doing this, he could focus on certain types of research and techniques and this would allow him to better serve those that came to him.
Specialization is not a new thing in chiropractic. It is completely up to the individual as to how they run their practice or who they target as their primary demographic. Some of the reasons for specializing or not may be philosophical, or maybe a chiropractor really likes a certain technique, or maybe there is a large population of a certain demographic in that area that needs chiropractic to name a few. Some of the specialization opportunities include pediatrics, women’s health, geriatrics, animals, sports rehab, accupuncture, nutrition, diagnostic imaging, neurology, internal disorders, occupational health, and the list goes on. At Cleveland, there are many classes and clubs offered that help a student specialize if they so choose. I appreciate that as a student, I am not pushed one way or another to specialize or go into general practice. The College leaves that decision to me, but they at least provide me with the tools and experience I need in order to make the right decision for me.
