Becoming a Chiropractor? Patient Skills Are the Difference!

As you begin the exciting journey toward becoming a chiropractor, first take time to congratulate yourself on choosing a healthcare profession that focuses on improving health and obtaining long-term wellness without pharmaceutical solutions or invasive procedures.

At the same time you’re taking on classes and labs, though, you must learn effective ways to interact with people who are in chronic pain or are facing disorders and conditions that reduce their quality of life.

Are You Ready for a Chiropractic Degree?

Just as every day as a chiropractic student will be different, every day as a Doctor of Chiropractic will be different. Working with patients of all ages and from all backgrounds will be challenging. Sometimes you’ll find that a casual “get to know you” approach that is so successful for one patient…may not be right for someone who’s in crippling pain. It turns out every patient is different. (Imagine that!)

Experienced chiropractors also say to remember patient reactions are not personal – they’re reacting to a stressful situation. To be ready for the unexpected from day one in your practice, learn from every patient encounter or treatment scenario you have while earning your chiropractic degree.

Becoming a chiropractor takes more than knowledge and technical skill; it’s also about assessing each patient’s needs, both short term and long term. Being prepared to meet patient needs in personalized ways establishes trusted patient-provider relationships over a lifetime.

How to Build Patient Skills While Becoming a Chiropractor

Your chiropractic school will give you plentiful opportunities to practice patient care. As you gain competence and confidence in your skills, you’ll progress from classwork to “skill assessing” technology like the new Force Sensing Tables to practicing techniques with other students. Then it’s on to real patients in student clinics and in on-campus, open-to-the-public chiropractic clinics.

Still, you don’t have to wait to be taught specific nuances and intricacies of patient care. A specific mindset and behaviors you can adopt while you’re in school will set your (eventual) chiropractic practice apart from the competition. Examples include:

• Be empathetic. Your current patient should feel like the only patient you have that day.
• Be up-to-date. Know the best treatment available, but also know what alternatives might be coming in the future.
• Be confidently humble. Always have a patient-first point-of-view. Refer patients to other health care professionals if that’s the best possible option.
• Be a comforting resource. Your patients are in pain, in stress, and probably both. A welcoming, peaceful clinic setting sets the stage for an accurate diagnosis and treatment.

The CUKC Doctor of Chiropractic Degree

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit, healthcare-focused university located in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of the Kansas City metro. The CUKC College of Chiropractic has been a pioneer in chiropractic and health sciences for nearly 100 years. At CUKC, students can earn their doctor of chiropractic degree in just 3.3 years.

What you’ll find at CUKC:

• A team of faculty and staff who are dedicated to the success of each student
• A 34-acre campus with plentiful green space in a pleasant suburban location
• Financial aid guidance (More about financial aid options here.)
• Hands-on classes with patients as early as the first trimester
• Advanced technology: Two Force Sensing Tables in the adjusting laboratory on campus
• Business clubs and other programs for career preparation
• Opportunities to intern at the on-campus student chiropractic clinic and then at the University’s public chiropractic clinic.
• Students choose when to begin the Doctor of Chiropractic degree program from three yearly start options: summer, fall, or spring.

Learn all you can about becoming a chiropractor. Get the free eBook, Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession today!