In chiropractic education, clinical training is critical. Academic excellence is non-negotiable. But what’s often overlooked is this: professional leadership doesn’t start after graduation. It starts in school.
Chiropractic students today aren’t just preparing for boards. Many are leading advocacy efforts, organizing events, serving on national committees, and representing their peers at the highest levels of the profession. And yet, support for this kind of involvement remains inconsistent…and in many cases, nonexistent.
As national chair of the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA), I’ve worked alongside students across the country who are going above and beyond to lead. But I’ve also seen just how often their efforts are met with administrative indifference or institutional silence.
If we want to build a future profession that is bold, unified, and professionally engaged, that must change.
Leadership Is Not Accidental. It’s Built Through Involvement
Chiropractic students don’t step into leadership by accident. They grow into it by stepping up, joining professional organizations, serving on national committees, attending events such as ACA Engage, and learning how to advocate for the future of the profession.
But too often, these efforts come at a cost, not just financially, but academically and structurally. Students cover their own travel. Missed class time isn’t excused. Involvement is treated like an extracurricular instead of the leadership training it actually is.
That must change. If institutions want to graduate doctors who are engaged, confident, and ready to lead, then they must recognize and reinforce the value of student involvement as part of professional development. Not an optional side pursuit.
The Cost of Ignoring Student Leadership
When schools overlook student leadership, they’re not just missing a chance to support their own representatives. They’re undercutting the future of the profession.
1. Missed Visibility
When students represent their school at national conferences or advocacy events, they elevate their institution’s brand. Every handshake on the Hill or appearance at ACA Engage is an opportunity for professional visibility.
2. Missed Skill-Building
Leadership isn’t learned through lecture alone. It’s developed in real time through conflict resolution, policy work, advocacy, and organizing peers. These skills directly translate to practice management, community engagement, and clinical communication.
3. Missed Retention and Belonging
Students who are involved feel more connected to their school, to the profession, and to each other. That connection builds long-term commitment to the chiropractic community.
What Schools Can Do to Invest in Leadership
If chiropractic programs want not only to graduate doctors, but leaders, then leadership must be structurally supported, not merely tolerated.
- Excuse absences for national-level representation, such as ACA Engage, SACA Leadership Conference, or committee work.
- Offer funding or travel stipends for students representing the school in official capacities.
- Acknowledge leadership formally, whether through transcript notation, awards, or resume-enhancing certificates.
- Create dedicated faculty liaisons or leadership advisors to support and mentor involved students.
- Recognize that involvement is education, not a distraction from it.
The Message Students Deserve to Hear
Leadership in chiropractic doesn’t start after the diploma. It starts in clubs, in advocacy campaigns, in national service. When schools support student involvement, they are helping shape the kind of profession we all want to see. One with confident, collaborative, civically engaged chiropractors ready to lead.
To administrators: If your students are representing your institution on the national stage, they deserve your recognition, your flexibility, and your support.
To students: Keep showing up. Stay engaged. And don’t be afraid to ask your institution to back you; not just academically, but professionally.
Jesse D. (JD) Greening is a chiropractic student at the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon, and the National Chair of the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA). A first-generation college student, U.S. Navy veteran, and former staffer in the Washington State Legislature and U.S. Congress, Jesse brings a passion for public policy and advocacy into the chiropractic profession. He is committed to helping future DCs speak up, show up, and shape the future of healthcare.
