Here are some more posts and BTW do not take advice from the chiro schools. They are private universities who will tell potential students anything besides the hard facts about the chiro profession( low paying jobs, high competition, inability to get on insurance plans etc…
They will probably concentrate on their new science center or their high scores on the national boards… I hope you get my point.
AllieDC
I am currently involved with the state investigation and am also pursuing a Qui Tam case (Medicare). It seems like a LOT of work, but it also seems worth it.
I have owned my own practice (successfully and ethically), and associated with two practices. I cannot BELIEVE the lack of integrity, morals and outright greed that seem to permeate almost every aspect of our profession! So, I finally got fed up and did something about it. I know it�??s possible to practice with integrity and still make a living. I am doing that right now!
I’ll let you all know how things turn out.
lizziedc2rn
I am a DC working at a $@#$%(* Target. :-/. long story short, my husband was then my boyfriend and he pretty much moved me and my daughter to KS. I have my own practice since 2005, have wonderful patients…yet, they feel better, so I don’t have alot of patients coming in. I am tired, burnt out, worried, broke…
I haven’t been able to pay myself in 5 weeks. My receptionist makes more then me now. I started this clinic with about 4K… so my start up was real low and I have about 500 in the bank…This wasn’t supposed to be this way.
I did work hard in chiro school, couldn’t wait to get out and get a “real” job. Now, I just want a paycheck. So my new plan is to either get my BSN or RN degree and get totally out of this field. In 3 years my loans will be due. I never looked forward to school, I always hated it…but now I am actually looking forward to going to school again.
I want to get out. I want a retirement. I want stability for my family. thanks for reading…and thanks for posting everyone…it really does make a chiro feel better because now me and my sis aren’t the only ones who are doing everything possible to get out.
trapdnchiro
I sit here with my youngest son in my lap and stare at my bank account balance of $50.00, I can�??t help but think of how great chiropractic is. Actually it is worthless!
I�??ve been out of school for almost seven years now. I become less able to support my family every year I�??m in this profession. I found this site after one of my friends left chiro in 2003. I�??ve been a lurker ever since. I feel that it is time for me to finally speak. I can�??t stress enough that what you read on this site is correct. Before I took my first associate position, I read and thought that these guys must be the minority. Now I know that isn�??t true. I�??ve lived it first hand.
I�??ve helped many people in practice over the years, but it still doesn�??t justify the amount it cost to acquire the chiropractic degree. I�??m in my third associateship after closing my private practice in 2005. I make 600/week.
Yes this is correct 600/week, and I see right at 120 patient visits a week. The docs I work for apparently feel that five dollars a patient is a sufficient cut for the work I do. This is the most honest group I was able to find out of 30 or so interviews and such. Notice I say �??most honest�??, the docs I work for still do a few questionable things.
I�??ve learned that most chiropractors will go against there own basic principles of chiropractic to make a buck. Most doctors I�??ve talked to and the five I�??ve worked for always want you, the associate, to put a value to what you do.
Every single one of them gives free exams and x-rays. Not to mention I have yet to work or go to an interview with somebody that actually collects the full deductible or co-pay. Some are still not collecting anything. How can you put value on something that is free?
The reason why I had to close my private practice is because I wasn�??t one of the good old boys that just took what insurance paid him. People would just go to one of the other five chiros in town that did. I couldn�??t compete. I have to say that the insurance companies are making it harder to do NOOPE, but it still happens.
Chiropractic isn�??t worth it! Even if you are smart and want to fight the good fight over natural health care, there are too many other chiropractors out there that make the profession as whole look stupid.
I�??ve met some dumb chiros, I mean really dumb. A lot of the successful chiros I met are just salesmen. They aren�??t really good �??doctors�??. They are just able to talk people into the care at whatever cost, and then they do the monkey dance �??the adjustment.�?? Then as they get more money, they take their sales techniques to the other docs and take money from them.
Why would you want to spend so much money on a degree that requires you to be a salesmen. I wish I hadn�??t. I like helping patients.
Right now I�??m trying to figure out my exit strategy. I�??ve been searching the forum for ideas. I�??m thinking about a PA program. I had considered nursing and then trying to fast track it to NP or something higher.
My understanding is nurses get crapped on a lot. I would love to get my DO or MD, but I�??m 33. Not to keen on the idea of not really starting work again until I�??m 40. I keep kicking myself for not pursuing an MD to begin with. I had the grades, the MCAT scores, and the drive to do it back in the 90�??s.
I want to let those reading this know that I�??m not looking for sympathy. I only hope that you will read this and look a little harder at the decision to become a chiropractor. I would highly advise reading IPFreely�??s stuff on this forum.
suicidal
Tell me, as I am a loser. If I had a PVA ( a Scientology based statistic of how many times a patient comes to one’s office for a treatment) of 40, and if this profession is so great, why did I still go bankrupt?
The average PVA in a Chiropractic office is about 20 so my patients stayed twice as long.
The truth is that Chiros have only ever seen 5-10% of the population. 300 million Americans (legal and illegal) times 10% (I’m being generous) equals 30 million legal and illegal Americans who will ever see a Chiropractor.
Now there are 60,000+ Chiropractors in America. 30 million Americans divided by 60,000 Chiropractors is 500 Americans who will ever go to a Chiropractor for every Chiropractor.
Now, according to what is parroted in the Chiro profession, 2 out of 10 people have Antisocial Personality (Hubbard) so they won’t come back. Now you only have 400 to work with. Another 2 out of 10 have no money (Singer) so now you only have 300 persons that will come to your office and pay you money.
Let’s say that you have excellent salesmanship skills and you keep these 300 people on monthly maintenance. Let’s also assume that you charge $50.00 for your cash maintenance visits and let’s assume that you don’t accept any insurance (which lowers the fee) or Medicare (also lowers the fee.)
You are now left with $15,000.00 per month that these people are giving you. You will have to pay $1,000.00 per month in student loans.
$14,000
You will have to pay $1,000 per month for a $50,000.00 working capital loan.
$13,000
Rent will be about $2,500 per month depending on your contract and size of office.
$10,500
Your CA will have to be paid about $1,750.00 per month, depending on how generous you are (I figured about 10 dollars per hour.)
$8,750
You will also have to pay about $1,750 per month on equipment loans.
$7,000.00
Power, water, trash, malpractice insurance, and various supplies, about $1,000.
$6,000.00
Can you live on that?
Wait, I forgot… how are these 300 people supposed to find you with another 50 other Quackprakters in your town, especially since you are the new guy/girl?
Another $3,000.00 per month for advertising/marketing. Not to mention that you have to buy a gizmo so you have a gimmick. A Subluxation Station or some other sEMG quack device will run you about $500.00 per month.
Not to mention that you have to take up your evenings, lunch time, and weekends either harassing the owners/managers of local businesses or whoring yourself in said businesses to scare up some patients.
Can you live on $2,500-$3,000 per month? I bet you make that giving massages. Why would you take up a house payment with no house to live in? Many older houses cost about $120,000-$150,000.
Or, you can go into practice as an associate, make $3,000.00 per month while chasing the big brass ring of that bonus the con man promised you that you’ll never get. Oh yeah, the 3 grand per month is what you make BEFORE you have to pay the $1000 per month to pay back the student loan.
Why don’t you go into real estate and make better money while using salesmanship and actually help people. People need houses, they don’t need their fictitious lesions cracked.