A Message to Chiropractic Students

I wrote this addendum to "A Message to Students," offering guidance to young people considering chiropractic as a career, in March 2011.

Another message to students, honest and heartfelt.

Over the last ten years, chiropractic education has changed a lot. Unfortunately, my alma mater, CCC Los Angeles, closed during that time. It was the first chiropractic college to close in decades. Now, nearly every college uses what they call “regional” education programs.

Instead of learning each technique as a full system, students now study body regions. For example, they learn the anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and neurology of the neck one semester. Then, they move to the thoracic region, and so on.

However, when I heard that CCCLA adopted this approach, I was heartbroken. The best chiropractic techniques—Gonstead, Thompson, SOT, Blair, and Applied Kinesiology—are complete systems. You can’t truly learn a system when it’s broken apart. And you certainly can’t understand it when it’s taught by people who never practiced it themselves.

A Bad Approach from Bureaucrats

Recently, my friend Dr. Suzanne Davis told me about her experience in the ICPA program in Philadelphia. There, she met many students and new doctors who said they felt lost and unprepared. Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. This new teaching method makes it hard for students to see the big picture.

Maybe this comparison helps: learning chiropractic through regions is like studying a car engine one part at a time. First, you learn about the air filter. Then, you study the brakes. Next, you move to the differential. But no one ever tells you how the pieces fit together or what they create when complete.

Therefore, make yourself attend technique seminars. Also, find mentors who practice true systems. Your success—and the future of our profession—depends on it.

All my best,
Matthew

I wrote A Message to Students in April 2006 to guide young people considering chiropractic as a career.

A message to students, honest and heartfelt.

This is a profession driven by honesty, passion, and purpose. It’s built on faith in the body’s power to heal itself. Moreover, chiropractic care allows amazing lifestyle choices. For instance, my first chiropractor, Dr. Dalby, sees forty patients each week and scuba dives every morning. Meanwhile, some of my mentors see a hundred patients a day. Others work part-time and spend more time with family. Still others run large clinics with many doctors and no direct patient care. Whatever the setup, they all share one truth: chiropractic is the most powerful healing art on Earth. It honors the body and trusts its innate wisdom.

Even so, deciding what to share with you is not easy. There are many things to say to a chiropractic student. Some of you are just starting school. Others are deep into classes or working in clinic. A few may still be deciding whether to begin this path. And of course, everyone learns differently. What helped me most may not help you the same way.

It's Boot Camp

However, there is one truth for every student. Chiropractic college feels long and challenging. It often looks and feels like medical school. Many nights, you’ll wonder why you chose this road. My own class started with over eighty students. Only thirty of us graduated. Yet, those thirty became remarkable doctors who change lives every day.

Early in my training, I heard two lessons that shaped my path. First: “A students teach, and B students work for C students.” That quote isn’t about skipping academics. Rather, it reminds us that adjusting skills matter most. School can teach facts, but only you can master the art of the adjustment. Therefore, attend every adjusting seminar you can. Also, practice during breaks and after school. Then, spend time in many offices to see what works—and what doesn’t. Both lessons are valuable.

Second, B.J. Palmer told his students, “You will spend your career forgetting all the things you will spend the next few years learning.” To me, that meant focus on the adjustment itself. The human body doesn’t need to be “figured out.” As Dr. Gonstead said, “Find it, accept it where you find it, fix it, then leave it alone.”

You Must Experience It for Yourself

Once, I had an experience that proved that truth for me. During my second trimester, my classmate, Dr. Kristy Zinnes, told me her stomach hurt. She said she’d had that pain for years. So, I offered to check her out. We went to the adjusting table in the back of the room. Using what I’d learned in just three months, I found that her sacrum felt misaligned.

At that time, I knew almost nothing. Still, I set her up for a BP sacrum adjustment. Then—ka-chunk—it went deep! For a moment, I was scared. I thought I might have hurt her. But she said, “Wow!” and smiled. We finished talking and went back to class. Later, she told me her stomach felt better than it had in years.

That moment changed everything for me. It reminded me why I was in school. Moreover, it showed me the power of a single adjustment. After that, I didn’t need to believe in chiropractic anymore—I knew it worked.

Boot Camp Prepares You

Now, chiropractic demands mastery. You’ll face tough coursework, long board exams, and challenges in clinic. Then, you’ll learn to run your own practice. Each step takes focus and courage.

Finally, if you’d like, I’ve shared outlines of talks on mastery, excellence, and success in school and practice. Feel free to read them. You may also reach out to me anytime for guidance or support. Please respect the copyright of these materials.

With gratitude and all my blessings,
Dr. Matthew

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