Susan Welsh, DC, has been involved with the University of South Florida athletics program for 30 years. She has served as president of the athletic association and as a volunteer team physician, and also played a key role in bringing Division I football to the university. Since last year, she also holds the distinction of being a full-time chiropractic physician in the university's Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine – the first DC to serve in the USF Physicians Group, a multi-specialty faculty practice of the USF Morsani College of Medicine.
In this exclusive interview with Dynamic Chiropractic, the 1980 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic talks about her daily responsibilities as a member of the department, her interaction with the orthopedic / sports medicine team, and why this type of collaborative, integrative care is important for the chiropractic profession.
Share how you became interested in / attained your position within the Department of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. When the College of Medicine moved all the physicians to the new Morsani Center, I was able to work there in the capacity of a voluntary assistant clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. That was in 2008. I then moved into the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine [while] still working at my office four days a week. After a few years, I was working at USF two days a week. Then last year, I was asked by the chair to join the department full-time as an employee of the College of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, as a chiropractor.
What are your responsibilities within the department specific to your chiropractic expertise? My primary responsibility within the department is treating patients. Some were my former patients; however, my main referral source is the doctors at Morsani. This includes orthopaedics, neurology, family medicine, physical therapy and internal medicine. I am also part of the concussion clinic. Some of my other duties include working with the residents and fellows in family and sports medicine. It's a great way to teach what we do as chiropractors. My main duty is chiropractic care!
Describe your interaction / collaboration with other members of the department. My interaction within the department and other departments is based on patient care. I have a large percentage of patients who are co-managed by other doctors for a variety of problems. This includes orthopaedic, neurological, physical therapy and general medicine. It has been a great collaboration. I also adjust extremities and get many referrals for ankle, wrist and feet maladies.
What is an average day like for you? My average day begins at 8:00 a.m. and I see patients until 5 p.m. four days a week. I have two rooms dedicated to me with treatment tables. One also has a flexion-distraction table. I use a cervical chair, so I also have those in each room. Our department is really busy and when I am not there, another doctor will use the space. The university provided me with the regular treatment tables. I also have one physical therapy machine with e-stim and ultrasound if necessary. Since the physical therapy department is across the hall, I refer most of those cases to them. They are all doctors of physical therapy and well-trained.
Our EMR allows each doctor to see all of the medical records for each patient, and if I find it necessary to contact the other doctors, I will email or speak to them.
Have you experienced any negative feedback to your presence within the department from medical colleagues? I have not experienced any negative feedback in the seven years I have been here.
Why do you think this is an important "first" at USF Health and why is it important for the larger growth of the chiropractic profession within health care? I am so honored to be an integrative part of the College of Medicine and my department! It is great for the profession to have the opportunity to work with the other doctors. The patient is the real winner here. We all have our place at the table of patient care.
Anything else you'd like to add? The Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare is one of the premier treatment centers in the U.S. It has a pharmacy, radiology services and a surgical center. There are over 400 doctors here and at Tampa General Hospital. This facility houses all of the primary care physicians, as well as all of the specialists.
I have also been allowed to have supplements in the pharmacy. The dean of the college of pharmacy, Dr. Kevin Sneed, recently met with the [president of the supplement company] and myself to showcase the new pharmacy. It is a state-of-the-art pharmacy with the main goal being [to educate] patients about health care. We are so lucky to have this opportunity to supply the patients with alternatives in health care.
I'd also like to add that as a member of the sports medicine team, I treat many of the 450 student athletes on campus. I also work with a high school and the Tampa Bay Storm [arena football].
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
