Choosing a career path that aligns with your passion and offers a fulfilling professional journey can be life-changing. Among the multitude of healthcare professions available, chiropractic care stands out as a unique and rewarding choice. Chiropractors are healthcare professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating neuromuscular disorders, emphasizing the body’s natural ability to heal itself without invasive procedures or medications.
If you have an inclination towards holistic healthcare and a desire to make a positive impact on people’s lives, becoming a chiropractor could be a path worth considering. In this article, we will explore five compelling benefits that make pursuing a career as a chiropractor an exciting and rewarding choice.
What is a Chiropractor?
Chiropractors are highly-trained medical professionals who use natural treatments like massage therapy, spinal adjustments, and physical rehabilitation exercises to treat and help people heal from injuries and chronic health conditions.
Chiropractors find full and part-time work in various settings, including chiropractic clinics, wellness centers, and even fitness facilities offering massage therapy services. They can also work in solo or group settings, and some are even self-employed.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, chiropractors earn a median annual wage of $75,000 and have a projected employment growth rate of ten percent by 2031, faster than the average of all occupations.
Plus, demand is expected to increase as the desire for nonsurgical and drug-free ways to treat pain and improve overall wellness rises. It’s no surprise that individuals who are passionate about helping others pursue this career as a chiropractor.
Discover how UB can help you earn your Doctor of Chiropractic degree and achieve your career goals!
What are the Benefits of a Career as a Chiropractor?
1. Chiropractors Change Lives
First and foremost, chiropractors use chiropractic adjustments and techniques to allow patients’ bodies to operate at their optimum and highest potential.
While the timing of healing can vary depending on the individual and condition, chiropractors pave the way for healing by correcting misalignments in the spine. Results can be immediate and life-changing.
Through these changes, patients achieve an improved quality of life, and chiropractors end each session and day with satisfaction, knowing they helped their patients feel better and avoid future injuries.
2. Chiropractors Are in Demand
Employers and employees are putting an increased emphasis on health and well-being, which means a demand for increased insurance coverage for services provided by chiropractors.
Plus, based on the projected employment rate from the BLS, roughly 2,100 jobs will open each year due to the continued aging of the large baby boom generation and the need to replace workers retiring from the workforce.
Individuals interested in a Chiropractic career can rest easy knowing their employment is secure, especially as people of all ages seek out integrative healthcare to treat their pain.
3. Chiropractors Promote Healthy Lifestyles
Chiropractors focus on patients’ overall health, not just physical. Malfunctioning spinal joints and other somatic tissues interfere with a person’s neuromuscular system resulting in poor physical, emotional, and mental health.
After all, when our bodies feel good, we also feel mentally and emotionally well. This is why chiropractors will also recommend a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and other well-being techniques to ensure their patients operate optimally.
Procedures, tools, and techniques used by chiropractors include:
- Massage therapy
- Rehabilitative exercises
- Ultrasounds
- Braces or shoe inserts
4. Chiropractors Have Private Practice Opportunities
While many chiropractors find work in clinics and wellness centers, just as many enjoy the freedom of owning their practice and being their boss.
This, in turn, means they can choose where and when they practice and, depending on the number of patients, offer an ideal work/life balance.
Additionally, by owning their practices, chiropractors call the shots and decide how their fees will be structured and what procedures they will offer. They receive a high sense of autonomy in their practice since someone else does not micromanage them.
5. Chiropractors Have Solid Earning Potential
Chiropractic school is often less expensive and time-consuming than other medical degrees. Though the exact program length depends on the college or university, many Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degrees take about four years to complete.
With this shorter time commitment, students can often graduate with less debt, enter the workforce sooner, and earn money by seeing patients immediately. Then, once any student loan debt is paid off, a chiropractor’s salary goes directly to them, with the highest ten percent earning more than $128,750 annually. Remember that earnings will vary depending on the years in practice, geographic region, and hours worked.
These are just five of the many reasons why pursuing a career in chiropractic care and as a chiropractor is well worth an individual’s time, energy, and investment, especially if they are passionate about helping others.
At University of Bridgeport, students enrolled in our Doctor of Chiropractic degree program learn how to make a meaningful difference in their community. With an eight-to-one student-to-faculty ratio, our expert faculty and experienced healthcare professionals are determined to give each student the support they need.
Our program admits students in January and August, and our eighteen-week semester-based program offers students the flexibility to fit their needs and schedule.
Apply today and start reaping the benefits of a long and fruitful career as a chiropractor. Or, if you need more guidance, reach out to our support services team to learn how we can get you through college and into a great career.