Wellness is a concept that chiropractors have understood for more than 100 years, but only recently has it entered the public consciousness of North America. Today, more and more people are looking beyond traditional medicine to meet their health care needs. Many people are turning to holistic health care to enhance their overall well-being. It is not uncommon for a person to consult a range of health care professionals.
What does that mean for the future of chiropractic? I believe it means that the time for chiropractic to secure its position as an equal member of a patient-centred health care team is now! Over the next several years our profession has the potential to grow tremendously as part of the health care team. Individuals need a number of different practitioners to provide for their health care needs -- practitioners who are capable of working together. But are we ready for this? Is the next generation of North American chiropractors prepared to take on the challenges associated with the inclusion of chiropractic as an equal member of the health care team? The education of chiropractic students is essential to meeting the challenges of the future.
At the centre of our education is our curriculum. We need to ensure that the curriculum we offer our students meets the needs of the practitioner of the 21st century as a primary contact health care provider, able to work with diverse populations of people in a multidisciplinary setting. We must provide our students with a broad range of clinical experience to ensure that they have the knowledge and confidence they need to work effectively within the health care team.
The new clinics that the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) has recently opened are a step in an active approach to addressing these issues and preparing the Canadian chiropractor for the challenges of the future. (Editor's note: see "CMCC Serves Community with Four New Chiropractic Clinics" Nov. 4, DC.) The external clinics provide our interns with the opportunity to contribute to the management of conditions in which it was traditionally believed that we had no role to play. For example, our interns now provide chiropractic care to people with AIDS, and to mentally and physically challenged children and adults. The opening of these clinics has ensured a broad education for our interns. They will graduate with the knowledge that chiropractic care is beneficial to several diverse communities of people. They will also have the experience of working within a multidisciplinary setting, as an integral part of the health care team.
Chiropractic education curricula need to change to ensure that they place more focus on the conditions that respond to chiropractic care. There is substantial research to show that chiropractors provide effective care for low back pain. But there is also a wide range of musculoskeletal symptoms which negatively impact the quality of life of the elderly and people with chronic disease processes. Chiropractic also has an active role to play in the care of these patients, as well as the reporting of related research.
We need to plan to meet the changing demographics of our time. In the future there will be more emphasis on the senior citizen or the geriatric patient, a group who are not currently large users of our services. This is the segment of the population who frequently take over-the-counter medication to relieve musculoskeletal aches and pains. They are also the group who are more likely to be taking prescription medications with the obvious risk of inappropriate drug interactions. Chiropractic may relieve these symptoms without the use of over-the-counter medication, reducing some of this risk. Unfortunately, many senior citizens are not benefitting from chiropractic care because they do not see it as part of their health care regimen. Our profession needs to be more proactive in emphasizing that chiropractic is integral to the health care of all people. This needs to be a thread that runs throughout our education and research.
Not only do our students need breadth of experience, they also need a clear understanding of what it means to be a chiropractor. It is essential that the future chiropractors of North America possess a firm understanding of the philosophy, art and science of chiropractic. As we develop new partnerships with other health care professionals it becomes increasingly important for chiropractic students to develop a clear perception of the underlying foundation of chiropractic and a strong sense of identity as a chiropractor. Chiropractic education should emphasize the integration of the art, science and philosophy of chiropractic within every aspect of the curriculum.
At CMCC, we have attempted to do this via a process of curriculum review and transformation that will ensure students receive a competency-based education. A significant objective of this transformation will be to ensure that the foundation of chiropractic is reflected in all aspects of our students' education. Through this recent initiative, the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College has reaffirmed its commitment to respond to the evolving needs of our students. As both an educational institution and an integral component of the chiropractic profession in Canada, it is our obligation to ensure that the future chiropractors of Canada are prepared to meet the challenges of working within a multidisciplinary health care team as primary contact health care providers. Chiropractic should be an integral part of everyone's optimal health care strategy. If we are successful in meeting our educational goals, the next generation of chiropractors will be prepared to provide this care.
Dr. Jean Moss
President
Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
