The Intern Preceptor Program
A win-win situation for everyone
By Steven Paul Brown, DC

Have you ever had a chiropractic student complete an internship in your office? If not, why not?

Unlike medical school, chiropractic education does not include a residency program. The medical residency program gives medical students experience in practice management after graduation, but before they enter private practice.

Since chiropractic students do not have the opportunity to do a residency, the majority of chiropractic students graduate and immediately enter private practice as an associate or as the owner of their own practice. While chiropractic colleges do include practice management courses in their curriculum, hands-on experience with practice management in a private practice setting is not available to chiropractic students except through internship programs.

This lack of experience contributes to the rate of failed practices and student loan defaults in the chiropractic profession.

Chiropractic’s closest answer to the medical residency program is the intern preceptorship program.

THE INTERN PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAM

The intern preceptorship program is an optional, off-campus program for students in their last trimester. It allows interns an opportunity to gain experience with chiropractors in private practice setting. Through a mentorship-type relationship with the licensed chiropractor, the intern gains valuable insight into the everyday management of a private practice.

Depending on the location of the preceptorship, interns may perform a variety of patient care procedures under the direct supervision of the licensed chiropractor. Many states allow interns to perform chiropractic adjustments, examinations, and x-rays, while other states limit intern performance to the duties that a chiropractic assistant would perform or do observations only.

A WINNING PROPOSITION

Internships obviously benefit students by providing them with real-world experience and knowledge about what it takes to run a successful chiropractic clinic. But the program also benefits supervising doctors, as well as chiropractic colleges.

Supervising doctors — especially those who want to hire an associate — find that an internship program allows them to screen potential associates by assessing clinical and interpersonal skills. And they get to hire someone who already knows their practice-management procedures. This makes a new associate more useful from day one.

If you supervise an intern, you will also find that teaching sharpens your skills and forces you to rethink, streamline, and improve office procedures, thus making your practice more efficient and more profitable.

SIDEBAR:
How to set up an internship

Steven Paul Brown, DC, is a 1994 graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic and runs a private practice in Tempe, Ariz. He is a board-certified acupuncturist and physiotherapist, as well as a diplomate of the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He supervises interns from Palmer College of Chiropractic and Logan College of Chiropractic, and his office accepts applications for future internships from all chiropractic colleges.

Disclaimer: The suggestions in this article are based on the laws governing the practice of chiropractic in the State of Arizona. Consult your state board for specific information on the laws in your own state. Information in this article is based on the intern preceptor program at Palmer College of Chiropractic.