The State of the Profession
What is the state of the profession? A question I am often asked. And I usually answer with a question in turn, “What is your state of mind?” Am I trying to be a wise ass? No. I truly see a ‘tale of 2 professions’ and with that there is no doubt… [quote_center]These are the best of times. These are the worst of times.[/quote_center]
I lead a mastermind of very high achieving chiropractors and we get together 3-4 times a year. And in that group there are DC’s achieving things in practice that even I find to be mind-boggling at times. Multimillion dollar practices that have zero collections from 3rd parties that are seeing large volumes of patients and having dramatic impact on the local community. Others are in the process of buying up other practices in the area, expanding regional brands, and growing like crazy. Truly the best of times for these focused, motivated, and on purpose chiropractors.
On the other hand, as I am out in the general chiropractic population I interact with DC’s who are barely hanging on, lost and scared, and blaming everything outside of themselves for their predicament. They cite Obamacare, insurance reimbursement reductions, a bad economy, the school they went to, their location, and other such things for the scarce predicament they are in.
So what’s true? All of it. There are oppressive forces that in the absence of a strong mind and determined spirit will create downward negative pressure on a career. And when a chiropractor is clear on the principles of his or her practice and with them has a passionate purpose, these oppressive forces become impotent. It is the way of the world at large. Not just the way of the chiropractic profession.
On a macro-level there are many interesting developments. A premise I hold is that there is no such thing as a challenge or crisis that does within it possess a solution or opportunity. The Obamacare debacle is a perfect example. To many DC’s, this is a career killer. To others, they recognize that the concept of healthcare in the mindset of consumers is completely destabilized resulting in an opportunity, an opening if you will, to convert them to engaging in chiropractic as their primary path to achieve long-term health.
We have our challenges in some realms. For example, scope of practice; some misguided souls think that DC’s getting prescription rights is a ‘good thing’. Chiropractic college enrollment is still down compared to years ago. Sudden downturns in 3rd party pay is sadly causing many DC’s to fail in practice (and this is a needless dependency that must end for all DC’s). Battles such as these rage on. But I see emerging a new invigorated field that transcends these ranges of challenges. And I also see the role of Circle of Docs to be the inception point where this will happen. None of these barriers can come close to matching the strength of a centralized, focused and engaged community of DC’s, students and staff who aspire to bigger impact and greater things. Engage with us. With Circle of Docs, together, we will all Elevate.
