I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare field but I wasn't sure what profession would suit me.
Growing up, my family valued and appreciated a holistic approach to health and wellness. My mother would rave about her chiropractor, who greatly alleviated her migraine headaches and low back pain. During my senior year of college I began to research the chiropractic profession and shadowed a few doctors in my hometown. I decided that chiropractic was the right fit for me because it will allow me to care for patients in a hands-on capacity and help them live a better life.
When looking for chiropractic programs, I wanted to go to a smaller school where I could get one-on-one attention from instructors. I found this at D'Youville. Here you can become close with the faculty, the clinicians and your peers. My instructors truly care about students and want us to be amazing practitioners. And because the program is small, the faculty become like family.
This chiropractic program prepares us to treat patients with a variety of techniques that include manipulation; soft tissue work; modalities such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound; as well as, rehabilitation exercises and stretches. We have the opportunity to intern at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), Buffalo Spine and Sport, the DYC Chiropractic Health Center in North Buffalo, and the on-campus chiropractic clinic. We can also participate in externships.
Most of the chiropractic faculty practices at least part-time. This means they teach us the techniques that yield results in clinical practice. The instructors and clinicians constantly give us feedback to improve our skills - from obtaining a comprehensive patient history and administering a physical exam to treating patients with manipulation and other techniques. As students, we are able to gain incredible insight and knowledge from our clinical experience.
We also participate in independent research. I recently co-authored a case study with one of the faculty in the program, Dr. John A. Taylor, and another doctor, Dr. Paul Pritchard, entitled "Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip: A Case Report" It will be published in the Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association in 2013.
Katherine Van Wagenen
Graduate Student
Doctor of Chiropractic (DC)