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I remember (with some embarrassment) my first job as an associate……

My boss, Michael, who was always incredibly busy, suggested that I see one of his long-term patients ‘for maintenance’. He was trying to get my diary busier, of course.  

Before the lady came into my treatment room, I had a look through her (slightly illegible) paper records. I could see some hieroglyphics related to manual adjustments that had been performed by my boss on previous treatments……

My stress levels were rising….. questions were going through my mind….. Why was she coming in?…… What should I do?……. Should I do the same manual adjustments that had been done before?…… Should I tell her to come back afterwards?….. What was the point of this?……. Does everyone need this?……. 

In the end I decided to do the same manual adjustments to the patient that my boss had done previously, and told her to come back in about the same period of time that she had returned before…… I think that she came back one more time. Then I never saw her again (no surprise). 

It was not a good experience for her. It was also not a good experience for me, which is why I can remember it all those years later, of course.

I didn’t know what I should be doing.

To be honest, I didn’t know what my job was………. 

Your job description

What do you feel that chiropractors do? What is your job?

Write your ideas down before carrying on……..

Here is what some of the chiropractic associations say on their websites (2025) 

BCA

Chiropractic specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and management of musculoskeletal conditions.

Chiropractors incorporate spinal stabilisation programmes and functional rehabilitation exercises to resolve persistent problems and prevent recurrence. 

UCA

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

WFC

Chiropractic is a health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health

SCA

Chiropractic concerns itself with the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function…..

ACA

Through their whole-person, patient centred approach, Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) elevate the health and wellness of their communities by helping people of all ages live more fully and actively.

It can be quite confusing for the patients as well as the profession!

What are the crucial issues in what you have written on the previous page and what is written above? 

Can you strip this down to two issues? Write them down.....

BCA

Chiropractic specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and management of musculoskeletal conditions.

Chiropractors incorporate spinal stabilisation programmes and functional rehabilitation exercises to resolve persistent problems and prevent recurrence.

UCA

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

WFC:

Chiropractic is a health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health

SCA

Chiropractic concerns itself with the relationship between structure (primarily the spine) and function…..

ACA

Through their whole-person, patient-centred approach, doctors of chiropractic (DCs) elevate the health and wellness of their communities by helping people of all ages live more fully and actively.

(Underlinings and highlights inserted by me……)

Write down the two themes:

1.

2.

In my opinion, our role as a chiropractor is this:

‘to get the whole body functioning as well as possible’

or ‘holistic function’

In other words, I think that our job is to look at everything, and to get it functioning as well as possible.

I hypothesise that if we make this our mission, then no matter what our philosophical or educational background, we will energise and enthuse ourselves and our patients to achieve the best possible results. This idea will help to keep us on track each day……

I hope that some of the ideas that we will be working on in this series will help us to look at everything, and will help us to get patients functioning as well as possible.

Tip: write the phrase ‘holistic function’ on a post-It note and stick it on your desk. Just before you see each patient, say to yourself ‘holistic function’.