At the 2018 National Chiropractic Leadership Conference (NCLC), the newly formed ACA Commission on Diversity presented its first report to attendees at the House of Delegates meeting. The commission is a task force whose function is to “help ACA achieve a deeper understanding of diversity issues in chiropractic generally and ACA specifically. The commission is charged with generating a strategic road map for ACA's Board of Governors, outlining ways ACA can become more diverse, improve the practice success of our women and minority members, serve diverse populations within the American population better, as well as other diversity issues of which ACA leadership should be aware.”

Just over one year removed from graduation, I feel like I am a competent practitioner. But being simply competent isn’t enough--being the best that I can be is my goal. Thinking back, I realize there were a handful of things I could have done in school that would have benefitted me in the working world. On occasion, when I'm working on a particularly difficult patient, I reflect on my undergraduate and graduate school careers and sometimes think, “If I could redo it, I would.…” We all have things in our lives we wish we could change; that’s just part of living. What if we didn’t make those mistakes in the first place? We can’t change it, but I realized that others can learn from our mistakes. I am writing this blog post with that in mind. I want to share, as a new doctor, the things that I would do differently and what some of my more experienced peers would do differently.

Former ACA staff person Andrew Slavik, DC, passed away on April 22, 2018, in Olathe, Kansas. Dr. Slavik joined the ACA insurance relations department in 2008, contributing to important projects such as the Health Care Reform Task Force. While on staff, Dr. Slavik maintained his private practice in Kentucky and thereby offered an invaluable perspective as a practicing doctor, helping to guide association initiatives to develop resources and information for ACA members.  His significant contributions to ACA were recognized in 2012 when he was awarded the ACA’s Presidential Leadership Award.

Less than 50 percent of the U.S. population consult and hire a financial consultant. There is a myriad of answers for why this may be. Those who do work with a financial professional have an expectation of certain results. If the goals are realistic and not achieved within a given time period, a client should obtain a clear explanation as to why discussed benchmarks were not reached. Additionally, a planner should convey concise and easily understood explanations of any suggested changes going forward. There are times where nothing should be done. Open communication is an essential part of the financial planning process.