Perhaps the most important nuance you must familiarize yourself with in our daily practice life is the skill of “listening.” As a young DC, you must hone your skills of observation and listening so that you can learn information that your patients may be telling you either verbally or physically.
Body Language Speaks Loudly
We can observe a patient’s physical state by watching him get up and out of a chair, walk down the hall, enter a treatment room and then sit down again. Just that action alone will tell us how smooth and symmetrical the patient’s gait patterns are, how he swings his hips and shoulders and the posture he attains when he sits.
We can watch facial expressions like smiles, grimaces, frowns and other indicators of physical or mental stress. The face doesn’t lie when words might. Watch people’s faces and you will learn a lot about how they are really feeling from the inside.
It does seem like a daunting task to have to pay attention to so many facets of your future chiropractic practice, but don’t worry about perfecting these skills right at this moment. You have time to work at it and improve on them over time.
Remember that patients love to talk about themselves. The trick is to get them to talk and give you the information you need to move on to helping them feel better.
