Dr. Janel HitsonChanging the Face of the Chiropractic Profession

Financing for your chiropractic office will be difficult to come by, make it a little easier by building strong credit while you are still in school.

With all the focus of passing Boards and getting patients in clinic, your credit score seems like the least of your worries. Many don’t realize how simple it can be to raise your score, but it does take time.

There are many resources on credit scores and how to build yours. I won’t get into that here.

Many chiropractic students see an associate position as a way to get out and start making some money with little risk or capital. Many think that chiropractic is like other professions where you get your degree and then go look for a job. Or, there are those who are intimidated by what they don’t know and want to learn under another doctor for a time until they are ready to get their own office.

There are several fundamental flaws to this plan.

It costs money to open a Chiropractic Office! Even before the crash, it was difficult to get a loan to open a chiropractic office. I found it a shock that banks were not lining up to give me their money. A degree and a template business plan that showed inflated profit margins was not enough. What’s the problem?

The problem is–now and then– that chiropractors, along with most other doctors, have terrible statistical default rates, which have ruined the chances , for many, of getting funding (at least not without collateral, cosigners, or both).

Good Grades Don’t Get You Anywhere

They do not put your GPA on your diploma. Not one patient has ever asked me my class ranking. My utility company never gave me a discount because I got an “A” in Biochem.

There is nothing wrong with getting good grades, by all means, you need certain grades in order to get that coveted diploma. What I wish I had known is where my priorities should have been.