Doctorate Of Chiropractic
A chiropractor is a medical professional that helps treat patients suffering from problems in their neuromusculoskeletal system. This refers to the system in the body that holds the tendons, bones, muscles, and ligaments.
Chiropractors believe that the malfunctioning joints and somatic tissues of the body have a direct connection to the person’s neuromusculoskeletal system. Hence, any problem along that line results in poor health.
When you see a chiropractor, you’d expect that this doctor will go down to the very root of the problem. Rather than giving you medication, they will focus instead on your overall health.
If you’re interested in working in this field, the very least that you’ll need to hold is a degree or doctorate of chiropractic. Then, when you have one, you can open yourself up to a wide range of career options. Some of these are the following:
1. Self-Employed Chiropractor
If you like to be your own boss and be flexible with your schedule, then you can go for the option of opening up your private clinic. In doing so, you’ve got to treat in the same manner as that of running a business. Only that in this case that you’re running a practice of a profession.
Like all other clinics, on the average, you’ll be working on a forty-hour workweek, spread across five days. But, if needed, you may also address emergency calls.
The advantage of being self-employed is that you can set your hours and schedule. Then, if you need to do home treatment, you’ve got more flexibility to do so as well.
2. Associate Chiropractor
If you’ve just finished your degree recently and you’d like to gain more practice, you can also work as an associate in a chiropractor’s clinic. By this, it means working as a junior chiropractor of the senior chiropractor or the owner of the clinic. In simpler terms, it’s like working in a firm where you’re a new or junior employee and reporting to a boss or a person of authority.
As an associate, you’ll most likely be paid a fixed salary. But, this has its perks too, like the following:
- When you’re still a beginner, you’re unheard of. Working as an associate will help you establish that name while earning a steady income.
- You can gain more experience and learn from the experts while earning at the same time.
- You don’t have to worry about the capital of coming up with your own clinic, or also the management and operations side of your clinic.
3. Sports Team Chiropractor
If you’re interested in athletics, then this specific career option is the right one for you. You can also hold this position on the side, along with working as a private chiropractor or running your clinic. A sports team can also employ you as their go-to or in-house chiropractor.
Especially for sports that are strenuous and high contact, it’s not uncommon for athletes to suffer injuries. The thing is, with athletes, they need remedies fast. They can’t afford to make it last so many days without feeling better, especially when they’ve got big games coming up.
If you’re a sports team chiropractor, you offer relief and remedy to these athletes, by treating their injuries right at the very core of their problem.
4. Educator
If you wish to work in the academe, then you can also teach in one of the chiropractic schools. You can also work as an educator while working as a practitioner since you can hold a part-time teaching position.
Teaching also gives you a gratifying career apart from the ability to earn more. In this regard, you’re also helping mold more aspiring chiropractors to excellence, as they enter this profession.
How Do You Become A Chiropractor?
Before anything else, you’ll have to earn your Doctorate of Chiropractic degree. Then, pass the necessary tests to obtain your state license. The Doctorate of Chiropractic degree usually takes four years to finish. Then, before that, a three-year undergraduate course is also needed as a pre-requisite.
Click here to learn more about how to obtain your Doctorate of Chiropractic degree.
Why Should You Be Convinced To Become A Chiropractor?
Not many will choose to work as a chiropractor. It’s like the road less traveled in the field of medicine. But, apart from having a variety of career options to trod on, many reasons should be convincing enough why you should work as one.
Here are some excellent reasons to work as a chiropractor:
- It pays quite a stable income.
- It helps you improve the lives and the health of your patients.
- It’s a rewarding and exciting profession, where you’ll surely never get bored.
Conclusion
With this list of career options, now you can better see that holding a doctorate of chiropractic doesn’t present you only with limited options. There’s so much that you can do in this line of work.
For many, they’d mostly end up working in general chiropractic practice. But, you can also have a career in education, sports, research, nutrition, neurology, pediatrics, and orthopedics, among others.
If this is a career path that you’re interested in taking, then now all that’s left for you to do is to choose that specification, which you know you’ll most be happy and comfortable doing.
