chirodoc

Base salary. At least that's what a normal practice pays an associate. There are ofcourse slave drivers that work a doc into the ground for 50K and expect them to be grateful. Its sad that 8 years of education earns less than some high school graduates.

Chiro associate position will pay anywhere in the range of 75K-90K, at least in NYC. Private practice will bring in about 150K and up, but takes time, upfront money and lots of patience. Many chiros simply don't know how to start or run a practice and end up getting fed up with the profession and look elsewhere. All those "fastest growing profession" claims we were all fed in chiro school are BS, plain and simple. The AMA is as strong as ever, PT's are manipulating more and more and insurances are constantly hitting below the belt with new limitations on treatment and reduced reimbursements. The reason to go to med school or the BSN/NP or PA route is to give yourself some stability. BSN coupled with a DC opens up so many doors in the administrative field. NP with a DC makes you invaluable as a PCP or as an ortho/neuro specialist. The possibilities are endless. DC's going for other degrees shouldn't look at it as if they're abandoning their profession, but as if they're enhancing their earning potential and possible career advancement. BTW, I can still have a practice and make my 80-90K after I pay an associate, and add my RN salary or my NP/MSN salary.

Well, I'm a chiro who went back to school for my NP. Just finished my accelerated BSN and will start the NP program in January. I didn't do it because I don't like chiropractic or because I don't make any money doing it. I did it to expand my scope of practice and to do primary care. I loved the neuro ICU preceptorship and I loved the surgical rotation I did, but I would still stick to the primary care aspect of NP just because of the huge demand that exists for PCPs. Btw, Obama's health reform includes a 10% Medicare payment bonus for any provider (MD, DO, NP, PA) that is in primary care. I chose the NP route because of the autonomy NY provides, as well as for the potential for administrative field NP's can get into while PA's don't have as much of an opportunity. Even as an NP you can do first assist with a trusting Neuro/Ortho surgeon, given that you have enough experience and skill. Either way you go, your education and experience as a DC will only make you a much more valuable and desirable asset to any hospital or facility. I suggest incorporating your DC practice into your NP/PA practice. It will make you unique and you will stand out as an expert in the field of neurology and orthopedics. Believe me, smart MD's appreciate your background and will utilize your skills accordingly.

And here I thought I was one of the very few who was doing this. Good to see that there are other DC's doing the NP thing. I don't see a reason to drop chiro after getting the NP. It only gives you that much more earning potential as well as flexibility working with MD's. I'm finishing up the BSN portion of my education in August and going straight through to the NP part. Not sure which one is better though, Acute Care NP of FNP. What I wanted to say though, is that when I was rotating through the ortho and neurosurgery OR, when the surgeons knew that I was a chiro, they treated me with much more professional respect and as a colleague, as opposed to simply as an RN student. They recognized that our DC education provides us with more ortho and neuro knowledge that most MD's have. I'm trying to figure out if I can keep my 5 year-old practice going while I'm in the NP program. EVERYBODY that I have spoken with (and I know a lot of people in nursing) says that you need hospital RN experience if you want to work as an NP in a hospital setting. They simply do not hire new grad NP's that are wet behind the ears when it comes to hospital patient care. Those NP's end up working as RN's with fancy, expensive NP degrees that they cannot use. Now, if you plan on working in private practice only, then you can avoid the whole crap-cleaning, bed-changing, pill-giving part of nursing.

In that case, next time you go see your dentist, make sure you call him Mr. Smith. Because based on your explanation, a dentist/podiatrist/optometrist will have just as little "clinical knowledge" as a DC, DPT or a DNP. And the reason most DC's don't have as much clinical experience as an MD is not due to the lack of desire. We have the training and the education to fully function as PCP's. We are taught to interpert labs, draw blood, do urinalisys and even CBC. We have to know how to do simple GYN procedures and prostate screenings. We just can't, since our hands are tied by the insurances and the good ol' AMA. What we learn in DC school is very close to what MD's learn as far as diagnostics go. The difference is that they reinforce their knowledge as interns and residents, while we stick to musculo-skeletal conditions. But believe me, I have had plenty of times when I caught a diagnosis that their MD completely missed. Again, this isn't about MD/DC relations or DC's ability to call themselves doctor, even though some of you seem to want to steer it that way. This is about MD's and their misguided notion that other providers are trying to steal a slice of that lucrative healthcare pie that they have had all to themselves for so many years. They see their incomes and salaries dropping and think that it's those evil "doctor wannabes" that are responsible for their "economic hardships".

DC's can function as a PCP in all 50 states. I do not have to "function" or "practice" exclusively as a manipulator of the spine to use the title "Doctor". We can diagnose, but not treat most of the conditions/diseases that an Internal Medicine doctor can. We don't, simply because most normal DC's understand that we simply do not have enough patient exposure to be proficient at these diagnoses. But if talking "scope of practice", then we can function as a PCP. So then would you care to explain why I shouldn't be able to refer to myself as a doctor in my primary care practice once I have an NP?

I don't plan on misleading patients as to what kind of a Doctor I am. And it won't be in a setting when the care provided is as an RN/NP. But when in a private practice setting, as a PCP, I am well within my right to refer to myself as Dr., as long as I am clear as to what kind of a Dr. I am.

Glad to see the AMA is still doing its best to keep their collective heads up their own behinds. Just as they are trying to keep PT's and DC's from using the term Doctor, they have now taken on their closest allies in the workplace. This has never been about the patients being "confused" by the use of term Doctor. This has always been about the over-inflated egos and the overinflated sense of self importance that comes with those 2 little letters after their names. Oh, I'm sure we'll all hear how they went to med school for 4 years, and how hard their residencyt was and how much hard work went into their education and yada-yada-yada. Not once do they stop and consider how hard other people work for their doctorate degrees and how much time and effort is put into earning them. MD's even look down their noses at DO's. They may not admit it, but it irks them, that someone can do the SAME things as them and not have to go to medical school. Patients aren't as dim as the opponents of the DNP want us to think. They can read nametags, they can understand the difference between an MD/DO and a Doctor of a different field of medicine. And if a DNP can provide care that is as good as, or even better than an MD/DO, then the ultimate goal of being a Doctor is reached. The patient benefitted from care that was given to them. Who gives a rat's behind what path you took to achieve your high level of medical competency that led to this patient getting better? BTW, I'm a DC that is going to an accelerated BSN/FNP program. So yes, I will be referring to myself as Dr in a clinical setting. I do it now, and so do my patients and colleagues. (Not just DC's, but MD's and DO's too). And honestly, MD's can get uppity about it all they want, but the reality of it is that they better get used to it.

I'm 32 and already have a very successful chiropractic practice. Med school is another 8 years of classes, exams and extremely high stress with no pay. 1st 1.5-2 years of chiro school are harder than med school. So I really do not wish to re-live that experience again. I don't want to stop doing what I do. I want to be able to do more for my patients, and being an NP will allow me to do that.

Anybody have any input on whether you think I will have to put up with more BS as a student if the people I work with/for know that I'm also a doctor?

Well, considering that I'm what most hardcore chiros would call a "medipractor", I don't think I would have a problem with meds. A medipractor is someone who is looked down upon by the purists of the chiropractic profession. We work very closely with MD's and PT's and have no problem refferring patients out. I sometimes wish I had prescription priviliges so I could help an acute patient with severe muscle spasm or pain due to a disc herniation. Meds are great when they're necessary. Sadly, they're abused as a method of treatment by MD's because it's the easy way out. I hope to either end up in the Neuro/Ortho area of nursing, or do the family practice thing in a private office setting. I think that both my training and extensive experience in Neuro/Ortho will definitely come in handy if I do decide to go in that direction.

Well, I'm sure this will get flamed by some people, but I'm hoping for mostly positive/constructive feedback. I'm a practicing DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) who is applying to accelerated BSN/FNP programs. I'm not disillusioned with my profession, and I would say I'm very good at what I do. I have more than enough income to keep me happy so it's not about money. I just want to be able to do more for my patients. I found that more than half of the patients in my practice either hate their PCP, or don't even have one. Plus, I've been trying to get some kind of an affiliation with a hospital in the NYC area (my practice is in Park Slope, Brooklyn) so I think being an NP will help me. I plan on practicing both, family medicine and chiropractic medicine. Any thoughts/suggestions/comments would be appreciated. Do you think I'll have it easier/tougher/about the same as other students? Do you think that having 7 years experience will help me or hurt me? Do you think that I will get it tougher during hospital rotations if people know that I'm a chiropractor?

Well, I'm sure this will get flamed by some people, but I'm hoping for mostly positive/constructive feedback. I'm a practicing DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) who is applying to accelerated BSN/FNP programs. I'm not disillusioned with my profession, and I would say I'm very good at what I do. I have more than enough income to keep me happy so it's not about money. I just want to be able to do more for my patients. I found that more than half of the patients in my practice either hate their PCP, or don't even have one. Plus, I've been trying to get some kind of an affiliation with a hospital in the NYC area (my practice is in Park Slope, Brooklyn) so I think being an NP will help me. I plan on practicing both, family medicine and chiropractic medicine. Any thoughts/suggestions/comments would be appreciated. Do you think I'll have it easier/tougher/about the same as other students? Do you think that having 7 years experience will help me or hurt me? Do you think that I will get it tougher during hospital rotations if people know that I'm a chiropractor?