The Chiropractic Summit and the Worldwide Chiropractic Placement Service

The future of the chiropractic profession depends upon the critical issues we address now and the standards we set today.

That's why Dynamic Chiropractic has organized the first ever CHIROPRACTIC SUMMIT, a gathering of the recognized leaders in our profession and representatives in chiropractic. New concepts and standards can be set when our profession addresses the pertinent issues which will shape the future of chiropractic.

The Worldwide Chiropractic Placement Service (WCPS) is one of the the Chiropractic Summit's sponsors. WCPS, founded by two chiropractic physicians, Curt and Reva Draeger, is a chiropractic placement and consulting service. WCPS's primary objective is to cultivate and promote successful associateships between the recent chiropractic graduate and the established doctor.

A recent graduate seeking to become an associate chiropractor faces a job market which can be confusing and discouraging. In the past, associates entering the job market after graduation had a limited placement network behind them. More often than not, the newly-graduated DC was left to his own resourcefulness and limited contacts with little more than a wish and a prayer that he might find himself in a compatible relationship with an ethical, well-established DC. This hapless approach can be the beginning of a mismatch which can negatively impact both the associate and the established doctor.

In 1986, the Draegers were graduating from Chiropractic College with a large student loan debt and an uncertain future. The three options available at that point were opening their own practice, purchasing an existing practice or entering into an associateship arrangement.

The Draegers soon learned that the cost of opening a new practice or purchasing an existing practice was becoming too prohibitive The most cost effective and beneficial option for most recent graduates is to begin their career in an associateship.

Faced with this common dilemma, the Draegers discovered there was a void in the chiropractic profession: no centralized, single-source matching and placement service. What follows was the development of WCPS, a company which has given the chiropractic profession an organization to utilize for complementary associate placement, business guidelines and structure. In the process they've also become a virtual clearinghouse of information. It is very difficult to find the "perfect associateship." But, through a sophisticated and strategic screening system, WCPS helps provide the opportunity for the associate doctor and the established doctor to "find" each other. The associate and the established doctor both benefit from a placement service which matches technique, style and personality in a standardized, professionally designed and organized method.

Drs. Curt and Reva Draegers dedicated a year in the development stages of WCPS, researching the needs of the chiropractic profession. Their research included personal visits to several of the chiropractic college presidents and consultation with the profession's leaders.

The WCPS process begins with a computer matching of associate and established doctor, with all encompassing guidance once the associateship has been established.

Some of the specifics of the training WCPS provides include practice management, staff management, leadership skills and and patient management. Another advantage of this service is on-going consultation providing guidance and problem-solving support.

The new graduate has the opportunity to continue his education with "hands-on" experience, while the established doctor can expand his practice base by adding an associate without being forced to raise fees or personally see more patients. WCPS affords the established doctor and the associate the opportunity to work as a cohesive team, matching similar techniques and style. The Draegers feel this will help the chiropractic profession in the future to grow and become stronger.

"Chiropractic is bursting open with new opportunities and public acceptance. We see the ever-growing need for more chiropractors rendering their health services to the public, not only in the larger cities, but in rural communities, as well," they said. Today, we have a multi-dimensional public which means multi-dimensional opportunities for every DC. Teaming the right people with the right circumstance is the key.

While it is very difficult to find the "perfect associateship," WCPS helps provide the opportunity for the associate doctor and the established doctor to "find" each other and develop a healthy professional relationship on positive ground.

In serving their profession, organizations such as WCPS help create unity and harmony among and within individual practices, thereby molding stronger and more organized components that make up our profession. WCPS rightfully deserves recognition as a company that is genuinely devoted to furthering the needs of chiropractic by participating as one of the cosponsors of the Chiropractic Summit. With this kind of support, the opportunity for our profession's growth is unlimited.