*Member-Exclusive Content* In this first blog post in a series of three discussing how to be selected for one of the five VA residencies, I’ll be outlining the application process and providing an in-depth guide of how to write a solid personal statement. Subsequent blog posts will cover finding recommendations, completing the necessary application requirements and preparing yourself for an interview.  Some of the information will be from the VA’s residency website while other parts are based on the personal experiences and opinions of current VA residents.

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In late October, three of the five chiropractic residents within the Veterans Administration (VA) health care system attended the North American Spine Society’s (NASS) annual symposium in Orlando, Fla.  Rachel Mooers from Los Angeles, Stephanie Halloran from West Haven, Conn., and I spent four days immersing ourselves in spine care from a (mostly) different perspective.

The saying goes: If you’ve seen one VA hospital, you’ve seen one VA hospital. Across the board, there are many similarities between the chiropractic residency sites. However, each has its own flavor – making them unique in their own way. As a New Jersey native, moving to the opposite side of the country wasn’t even a question when I discovered my acceptance to the VA chiropractic residency program in Los Angeles (although retiring my snow shovel for year-round sunshine made the decision quite acceptable, let me tell you…). The opportunity to treat our nation’s veterans in this setting was a dream come true, and almost four months in, I couldn’t be happier. 

VA chiropractic resident Stephanie Halloran, DC, frequently finds herself fielding questions about her day-to-day routine in the Veterans Administration (VA) from family, friends and colleagues. The Connecticut VA Healthcare System has two chiropractic sites located in West Haven and Newington. Dr. Halloran is primarily at the West Haven campus, but spends at least every other Tuesday in Newington. Collectively she works under the guidance of Drs. Anthony Lisi, Christopher Coulis, Lauren Austin-McClellan, Nathanial Majoris, and Todd Kawecki. Although each day can vary, Dr. Halloran offers this look into a typical VA resident schedule.

I’ve had more than a handful of family and friends ask me, “What’s it like working for the VA in St Louis?” and my response is always the same—“It’s great!”  I usually then proceed to give them a rundown of what a typical week looks like as my activities vary from day to day and sometimes from month to month.  An average week is broken down into four different segments: outpatient clinic, interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation (IPR) program, scholarly activities, and clinical rotations. The majority of my time is spent in clinic helping veterans manage their pain and develop healthy habits for self-care. However, the time spent outside the clinic has also been beneficial for personal development and education.