Why Chiropractic?

 

There are two questions that I frequently get asked as a DC student- Why did I choose the Chiropractic field? And Why did I choose Life University? At first, the questions seem a little intimidating because you don’t want to give the “wrong answer” or you may hear someone else’s answer and think that their answer to the question was well thought out and impactful. I have been there before. After awhile of answering the question, the thought of expressing your why becomes a lot less daunting and and a lot more easier to express. 

My WHY for chiropractic came after a long year of searching for my passion. Since going to college, I always knew that I wanted to become a Doctor. My battle was choosing which type I was going to be. While in undergrad, I took the time to shadow almost every field in the medical profession. I shadowed, pharmacists, pediatricians, dermatologists, nurses, Physician Assistants, Physical Therapists, Dentists, you name it. While I enjoyed learning about these different professions, none of them truly resonated with that I wanted to represent. I wanted to be a doctor that talked about holistic healing and alternative ways to healing from ailments that have plagued our communities for years and years. 

After graduating undergrad, I decided to take a job in healthcare recruiting. It was a great entry level job and it paid well. I am also a people’s person so talking to people everyday was going to be easy for me, or so I thought it would be. Well, 2 months into the job and I was so unhappy with it to the point that I cried every day that I had to report to work. I felt like I was a robot. I had to make hundreds of calls a day, sit in so many long meetings and if I didn’t hit a certain quota I would then have to worry about being fired. This was just not the life I wanted to live. So after 5 months of working a job that I could not stand, I decided to quit and go shadow a type of doctor that I was not quite familiar with- a Chiropractor. 

I shadowed Dr. Sheila T. Payton of Wellsprings Wellness Center in Decatur, Ga. I had the pleasure of learning how to run an office and also seeing patients come in with pain and issues and then walk out a brand new person almost immediately. I was utterly amazed by the amount of healing I was witnessing in just 2 hours of shadowing. I also enjoyed the environment of her office. It was a free spirited place and everyone seemed at peace once they entered the threshold. It was that moment when I knew I wanted to become a chiropractic. After shadowing, I  immediately applied for a chiropractic assistant position. I couldn’t wait to start my journey to becoming a healer. 

I got hired as a CA for Dr. Dayna Moore Foster of Vitality Rehab and Wellness Center in East Point, GA. This is when my love for chiropractic was solidified. I learned about the power of adjustments and the different techniques that can be used in this field. I also learned how to communicate with insurance companies to make sure that the patient and the doctor as well taken care of. My favorite part of the job was interacting with the patients and building strong relationships with them while they were on their health and wellness journey. I learned that the key to a successful practice is to be authentically you and have integrity in your practice and the patients that you are meant to serve with gravitate towards you. After working as a CA for 4 months, I applied to Life University and started my journey to becoming a Chiropractor on October 4th, 2021. 

Everyone’s journey to chiropractic is going to be different and unique to them. So when its your turn to answer the questions, don’t feel intimidating or like you have to give such a long drawn out immaculate speech, because you don’t. Just be yourself and tell your story. Somewhere on this earth, someone is going to resonate with your story and that will be the moment you inspire someone to start their own person journey to chiropractic, whether it be to become one or to get under chiropractic care! Either way, the ultimate goal would have been met.