I was an ambassador for NCMIC my last year of chiropractic school. That experience gave me the confidence to start a practice relatively early in my career.
While I was an ambassador, NCMIC provided valuable knowledge about starting a practice, but what’s more, I knew I would forever have them as a resource.
I used their worksheets and tools to help me start my own business, and today I’m using them as I expand.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak as a panelist at the annual NCMIC Starting into Practice Ambassador Retreat. Although it was slightly intimidating for me, being a newer practice owner, I was able to step back into the shoes of my student self and remember the issues that seemed intimidating and challenging to me at the time. This helped guide the panel’s answers by instilling confidence, focusing on passion and staying true to yourself and your patients. These were the tools NCMIC afforded me when I was an ambassador, and it was my pleasure to pass them on.
Less than three years ago I was a student NCMIC ambassador. Today, I am operating a successful practice with plans to expand to a larger wellness clinic. It’s amazing what you can do with the encouragement of those who care, and I plan to pay it forward by continuing to champion those who will come after me.
Gretchen Gatzke, DC, MS, is a graduate of University of Western States and currently practices in Portland, Oregon.