The fact that everyone has been so supportive and helpful makes me happy and proud that I am pursing the chiropractic profession.
Last week, with classes canceled on Wednesday and Friday, I had the opportunity to shadow two field doctors. I spent half of a day with each of them, observing their methods and picking their brains. Shadow hours are not required for graduation, however, I feel the time I have spent shadowing has been extremely valuable. It has helped me shape, and continues to help me shape, the kind of chiropractor I want to be and how I should operate my office.
In the last three years, I’ve shadowed a handful of doctors. In my pursuit of finding a chiropractor to learn from, I don’t recall ever being rejected. Whoever it was always worked with me to find a time that worked for both of us for observation and shadowing. The fact that everyone has been so supportive and helpful makes me happy and proud that I am pursing the chiropractic profession.
The more I shadow, the more I feel prepared for the world ahead of me after graduation. Things don’t seem as scary after spending time with quality field doctors. I feel more confident in where I am going because of them. Aside from gaining great experience to help me figure out how I want to treat patients, shadowing starts a network of colleagues between you and other doctors. A strong network will undoubtedly improve the vitality and success of a perosn’s practice. In closing, my advice to you, even if you haven’t completely committed to chiropractic school yet, is GET OUT THERE AND SHADOW!! It will help you figure some things out.
