NPs working with chiropractors

Julia77 · Nov 4, 2014

Oh, and btw, my medical doctor recommends chiropractic care, also. Julia

cfinesse19 · Nov 8, 2014

Hello all!!!

I recently started my first position as a Nurse Practitioner with a Chiropractic group. I've just finished my first week and it has been an absolute nightmare!!! I'm looking for a way out immediately. I've even considered going back to my RN job for a couple weeks while I continue looking for a CREDIBLE Nurse Practitioner position. First off, Chiropractors don't practice actual medicine and their knowledge of disease processes is extremely limited. They believe that almost ALL medical diagnoses can be cured with a series of spinal adjustments. This simply is NOT true. They also don't believe in patient's taking medicine, probably because they don't have prescriptive authority. They even discourage patient's from taking vaccines and encourage parents against vaccinating their children. This practice is against EVERYTHING I believe in! The particular group I unfortunately joined is cult-like and more than likely practicing insurance fraud. They are all about sales and getting new patients to sign up for treatments that are unnecessary and potentially harmful. The techs are given a pushy sales script to follow to get patients to sign up for these services. Patients are put on a payment plan to cover 36 visits. After the 36 visits, techs and chiropractors are given another script in order to get the patient to sign up for another series of appointments in order to "maintain" their health. Its all about the money and its quiet ridiculous. The company recently added NPs in order to provide services such as trigger point injections in order to bill insurance companies even more. After accepting the position I found out that chiropractors had recently been penalized by insurance companies for billing for services that they were not qualified to perform. Hence the recent pull for NPs to join their practice. I would tell ANY NP to steer clear of the chiropractor offices! This is not what we went to school for and there are better opportunities out there for us! I had several other job offers but chose this because the hours were favorable. I now regret this tremendously! I had an interview yesterday with a CREDIBLE hospital and I'm hoping this pans out! Keep me in your prayers and I'll keep you posted!

mystcnurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Nov 8, 2014

cfinesse19: Did you not know what the job was before you signed up for it? Do you have a medical director? Just curious.

cfinesse19 · Nov 8, 2014

Honestly I didn't completely understand what chiropractic medicine was all about. And I didnt know that they couldn't prescribe. So when the chiropractor comes to us and ask us to give a trigger point injection, they are essentially practicing medicine under our license. Which I dont even really know if its legal to be honest. The scope for an NP working in a chiropractic office is EXTREMELY limited. Its not primary care or any type of medicine that we've learned. They have a lot of nonconventional practices that I believe conflict with what we have learned as providers. This is just not the type of practice I would recommend

sam1971 · Nov 8, 2014

I have a family member that uses a chiroprater as there regular doctor. And by that I mean, she brings herself and the 3 kids there for wellness check ups. Im sorry but I firmly believe those 3 kids should be seeing a medical professional (md, pa, np) at least once a year for their check ups....not a chiropractor. I would not work for one and would be too embarrassed to admit it if I did.

RainMom · Nov 8, 2014

Cfinesse, please don't believe all chiros are like the office you hired into. And some states like mine give DCs a very large scope of practice: only 2 restrictions - no surgery & no Rx privilege.

We had pts who received B12 injections to acupoints for CTS & avoided surgery. Pt just had to receive the rx from the MD. This was not an integrated practice. The largest ortho group in our area referred to us regularly as we in turn referred to them.

I agree the offices that buy into the management companies & scripts, etc are usually not worth throwing money at. But please realize chiro offices are not all the same.

BlueDevil, DNP · Nov 9, 2014

Chiropractic was founded by DD Palmer in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa. He described himself as a "magnetic healer." Palmer claimed to have learned Chiropractic manipulation from a spirit during a sèance.

Should be 'nuff said, but wait, there's more!

Below are the first 5 articles in my 30 second search. I could link another 3,332 of you like. The conclusion is that at best, there is no outcome difference between chiropractic manipulation and massage. At worst it is highly dangerous in practice, both due to direct risk and the fact that many patents are seeing a chiropractic provider in lieu of a qualified professional.

It is nothing more than sham pseudoscience and any self respecting clinician should have nothing to do with them.

A Cochrane review of combined chiropractic interventions for low-ba... - PubMed - NCBI

Vertebral artery dissection and cerebellar infarction following chiropractic manipulation

A randomized controlled trial comparing 2 types of spinal manipulat... - PubMed - NCBI

Adverse events after manual therapy among patients seeking care for... - PubMed - NCBI

A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety, and cost of... - PubMed - NCBI

"No one ever went broke underestimating the stupidity of the American people."

- HL Mencken

Psychcns · Nov 9, 2014

I saw a chiropractor for several months many years ago with a good outcome. I eventually learned how to keep my back strong with exercise. It is good to have options with healthcare. I am supportive of people who find chiropractors helpful..

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 18, 2014

I love my chiropractor. She had fixed what "modern medicine" hasn't been able to fix. She is quick to refer if she feels there are issues beyond chiro care. Chiropractic care is reasonable and wonderful when used appropriately.

That being said...I can't imagine how and NP would fit well with chiro care unless it was an office where they were looking for multiple specialities. So the NP is the PCP and there happens to be a chiro connected type of thing. They can work together in harmony just like other specialties. I can't see any other way of it working.

DCtooRN · Nov 18, 2014

I would NEVER work with a chiropractor who is a practicing chiropractor. And I used to be one! I left the chiro field for a much better career IMO. If they are a chiro who left the field and aren't practicing anymore that's a different story IMO.

puravidaLV · Nov 21, 2014

Glad you had that experience I've gone to three and each of them have been more full of turd to the point I ended up with a neurosurgeon to find out I had an 3x herniated disk one being 16.5mm. Part of me was ready for malpractice.

I've seen NPs with chiropractors and its been basically insurance turn and burns set up by lawyers for car accidents. One stop shop

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 21, 2014

Glad you had that experience I've gone to three and each of them have been more full of turd to the point I ended up with a neurosurgeon to find out I had an 3x herniated disk one being 16.5mm. Part of me was ready for malpractice.
I've seen NPs with chiropractors and its been basically insurance turn and burns set up by lawyers for car accidents. One stop shop

You had bad ones. That's something you see in anything.

My husband found out about his issues because the chiro pushed for imaging. I know I have nerve issues. My chiro does too. I'm not doing imaging because I won't do anything for the issues right now. Some of the care we receive is there care we choose to accept. We sometimes have to know when to use alternative medicine and when to go a traditional path.

There are good and bad in everything.