Question
Hi
My name is rooz and I'm looking to start the DC program at Parker Universit this fall. I have been doing some research online and I can manly find negative things about the profession. I am very interested in becoming a DC but after all the negetivity I would like to get the facts from someone already in the professtion. I've read about it not workinig , low income and high student loan default rates.
I would appreciate it if I can some facts. I guess my main question is , Is it worth it to become a chiropractor considering income , job demand and job satisfaction.
thank you

Answer
Thanks for your question, Rooz.

I wish that I could tell you to expect wonderful things with a career in chiropractic, but the unfortunate reality is that the cost of chiropractic education is high, the income-earning potential for chiropractors is low (particularly through insurance reimbursements), student loan defaults are disproportionately high for chiropractic graduates, and the profession still remains split between progressive-thinking chiropractors who embrace evidence-based patient care and who wish to practice as allied health care practitioners with the medical profession versus chiropractors who steadfastly remain entrenched and indoctrinated in an archaic philosophy purporting to cure any disease known to man by spinal manipulation, discouraging vaccines in children, and poo-pooing medical care.  

If you are interested more in the practice of manual therapy, I would recommend considering a career as a massage therapist or a physical therapist. If you are interested more in patient care and diagnosis, I would recommend choosing a medical or osteopathic program.

Almost any other career choice offers you some kind of career security. Chiropractic does not. You assume all of the financial, emotional, and professional risks entering the chiropractic profession, potentially leaving you hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt if you fail.

My opinion aside, I present these papers to you for your consideration, and I would urge you to consider carefully the consequences of your decision to either pursue chiropractic as a career choice or to find another career in which you can be happy:

The Future of Chiropractic Revisited: 2005 to 2015:
http://tinyurl.com/c3kwr3e

How can chiropractic become a respected mainstream profession? The example of podiatry:
http://tinyurl.com/c7w2wfl

The establishment of a primary spine care practitioner and its benefits to health care reform in the United States:
http://tinyurl.com/d5xy3z7

I hope this helps to answer your question.