The public primarily perceives the chiropractic profession as a healthcare discipline involved with the management of spine-related pain and disability. Unfortunately, the current state of spine care in the United States is dominated by specialists, who tend to function in isolation, with minimal communication between providers. While this may have been the way it has been in the past, we feel it doesn’t have to--and shouldn’t--stay this way. Regardless of the practice setting, we believe all DCs have opportunities to improve patient care by adopting a more interprofessional approach to care.

The blog posts in the VA Chiropractic Residencies series thus far have been focused solely on the current residents’ experiences as they unfold throughout the year. For many, the question remains: What happens after the residency ends? In this post, I summarize what Brian Giuliani, DC, the 2016 graduate of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, and Kelsey Corcoran, DC, the 2017 graduate of the VA of Western New York Healthcare System, learned from their respective programs, their favorite rotations, where they are now, and what advice they have for students interested in applying for the VA Chiropractic Residency.

Anticipation for the McAndrews Leadership Lecture at this year’s National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC 2018) was heightened by the mystery surrounding the title of the talk – “Grilled Cheese, Candles and Beer”—and what it could possibly have to do with leadership. Presenter Stephen M. Perle, DC, MS, a respected author, journal editor, lecturer and professor of clinical sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, not only served some valuable lessons based on his personal experiences and observations on leading “from the middle,” in the end he gave all gathered plenty to chew on.

Whether your desire is to work in private practice or in an integrated setting such as a hospital, working with other health care providers is critical in the management of patient health and wellness. No one professional has all the answers and no one type of treatment will work for all people. Therefore, building professional relationships will help you to create a network for referral and to receive insight or feedback on specific patient conditions.  The following 10 tips will outline ways to cultivate these relationships, gain the trust of other providers and secure your place in the community health system.

The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) hosted a historic Stakeholder Collaborative Forum on Jan. 26 at Northwestern Health Sciences University to delve deeper into the current market need for chiropractors in combating the opioid crisis as well as issues related to chiropractors working within or in collaboration with hospitals and health systems. Michele Maiers, DC, PhD, facilitated the meeting with the primary goal to identify industry trends and how to position members to be successful.  Several qualities were identified and work groups were established to help guide ACA in the creation of toolkits we can provide for our members.