And Stephanie Halloran, DC, MS
This October marks the 20-year anniversary of doctors of chiropractic within the Veterans (VA) Health Administration. What started as humble beginnings, with only 25 chiropractors, each at their own individual VA facility, has now grown exponentially to nearly 400 chiropractors across 275 sites nationwide. Not only does this mean hundreds of thousands of veterans have been able to (and continue to) receive high-quality, evidence-based musculoskeletal conservative care at the hands of a chiropractor, it also demonstrates chiropractic advancements in the mainstream healthcare system and the profession being granted a proverbial “seat at the table.”
While these advances in healthcare access are impressive in isolation, they have influenced advances in other facets of chiropractic training and research. Through VA affiliations with chiropractic schools, many student clerks have been afforded the opportunity to complete clinical requirements and learn in an integrated setting. These opportunities allowed for advancement from student clerkship to residency and fellowship opportunities, with this past June marking the 10-year anniversary of the VA Chiropractic Residency Program. This residency program is one of a few accredited residency programs for chiropractors, with 10 sites nationwide and a total of 75 chiropractic residents trained for future work in a hospital-based setting (nearly all choosing to pursue a career within VA). Most recently, the Chiropractic Residency Match was launched through National Matching Services, which is the same process MDs, DOs, and other health professions use to match with their respective residency programs.
As we continue to advance in our areas of expertise, you can find VA chiropractors represented as medical school faculty, in hospital leadership, leading collaborative pain and physical medicine teams, and authors on spine care research studies and clinical practice guidelines. Truly representative of the aphorism “a rising tide lifts all boats,” these efforts have not only raised the ceiling of possibility of what a chiropractor can hope to accomplish in their career, but also promoted implementation of evidence-based policies and practices.
As we reflect on the impressive path over the past 20 years, it is integral to remember that these milestones are now only possible because of the consistent hard work and policy efforts of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) that directly led to enacting change through congressional mandates. For early-career chiropractors, it is foreign to imagine a world where abolishment of the entire profession was a vocalized and prominent objective from professional organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association, although this was no more than a few decades ago itself. Thus, it is important that we both celebrate the milestones for our field, but also pay gratitude to those that were around to do the hard work before us.
We welcome you to celebrate the anniversary of 20-years of VA chiropractic care, an incredible milestone for the profession, and a positive sign of forward momentum into the future.
Dr. Price and Dr. Halloran are both past participants of the VA Chiropractic Residency Program. Today, Dr. Price is on staff at the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System and Dr. Halloran is on staff at the Boston VA Medical Center.
Live Webinar: 20 Years of the VA Chiropractic Program
Join ACA for “20 Years of the Department of Veterans Affairs Chiropractic Program,” a live webinar on Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. EST (a recording of the program will be available in the Learn ACA platform shortly after the live program.) The webinar will offer an insightful journey through two decades of the VA Chiropractic Program, exploring the program’s significant accomplishments in patient care, research, and education. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from experts in the field and explore the potential for a fulfilling career in the VA system. Register here.
