The Question is Why?
The question is a simple one, one we ask as a child that tends to become an assumption as we get older. This question leads us down roads of more questions, which is why it has become less of a concern for many, at least, that is my theory.
The question is…why?
Why does chiropractic work? Why are we contacting that specific segment? Why do those symptoms lead us to that nerve? Why do we adjust that way? Why do you choose to do what you do?
During my first trimester at Palmer, I was very much focused on academics. Why? Because I felt responsible to know all that I could in order to better serve my patients; that, and fear of actually starting to explore what chiropractic was, and most importantly, what chiropractor I wanted to be.
A friend of mine convinced me to go out to a Sunday class at Troxell (whatever the heck that was, right?). Unlike many of the things that my classmates were talking about, this program did not seem to claim to teach me all I needed to know in a single weekend, nor did it cost more than I would spend on groceries in 2 months.
The class was…different for me. I came from rarely seeing the chiropractor, and when I did, he adjusted me up and down my spine, cracking and popping, then sending me to get ultrasound and e-stim. That was what I knew chiropractic to be. At Troxell, every intern (those who taught the class) was dressed up, confident, and knew how to answer my “why” questions.
Why do we wear a gown? Why do we need to be skin-on-skin? Why are we only moving a little?
I’m not sure if that is where the why’s started or where they started to finally be answered, but I was hooked down a path that craved answers.
So, you might wonder… Why am I a Troxell Intern?
I want to serve people the BEST way that I can. I want to find the CAUSE. I want to look my patients in the eye and tell them that I was as thorough as I could be, that I acknowledge them as a person, not a number, that I never treat them with indifference.
The Troxell Intern program is truly the only place that students can grow their chiropractic knowledge and skill in order to be prepared to help patients in this manner. I can confidently say that I am ahead of all my classmates, both in academics, and in chiropractic skill. They say, “if you can teach it, you know it”; I wanted to KNOW and UNDERSTAND the why’s that were haunting me, going unanswered by so many who choose not to ask.
The Intern Program is designed to promote the Gonstead System—the most specific and thorough analysis and adjustment a chiropractor can give. The program requires that students learn the system, understand it, and work towards mastering it. Once that can be demonstrated via an exam, the intern is able to help teach, and so the cycle continues. Uniquely, interns also get to work with current practicing docs, a win-win of becoming confident in known knowledge and gaining more.
The question I now have is… Why don’t YOU become an intern?