All your questions about CHIROPRACTIC answered (1 Viewer)

[:kaz.n:]

Hello to everyone contemplating studying chiropractic,

I am a 3rd year chiropractic student here to answer any questions you may have about the course, as it is coming time to place your preferences for university.

Something I must state right away is that chiropractic is NOT a good career for making money (I have been working in a busy chiropractic practice for over a year now), your overheads tend to eat into the majority of your turnover and the Sydney market is starting to become oversaturated with chiropractors- making it harder to get patients.

It is a tough course and I beleive you need to be passionate about chiropractic to stay motivated. However, it is an incredibly rewarding profession!

So if anybody has any questions about any aspect of chiropractic or being a chiropractor, post it here and I will get back to you.

Kaz .

 

[jellybelly08]

nice idea Kapil.

 

[:kaz.n:]

Hey jellybelly, thank my brother as it was his idea since he is in HSC year this year, but thank you.

 

[AsyLum]

Why don't they advertise that you get to strip down and rub each other up as part of your course?!

 

[n8r]

thats pretty interesting about the money side of things a senior lecturer said the average salary is about 300-400k and " similar to that of a GP", he also gave us these statistics in his lecture
* 3000 chiros in australia ( and growing)
* 1300 in NSW
* average chiro sees 130 cases a week and charges $55.00, 55 x 130= $7150 p/w
* need to pay 5000-6000 dollars as insurance and licensing fees.

I agree though practicing outside sydney would be ideal atleast for a few years anyway

 

[Begbie4017]

was that 5000k per week ?
Could you please explain what the overheads are for a business like that?

 

[Cyan_phoeniX]

thats pretty interesting about the money side of things a senior lecturer said the average salary is about 300-400k and " similar to that of a GP", he also gave us these statistics in his lecture
* 3000 chiros in australia ( and growing)
* 1300 in NSW
* average chiro sees 130 cases a week and charges $55.00, 55 x 130= $7150 p/w
* need to pay 5000-6000 dollars as insurance and licensing fees.

I agree though practicing outside sydney would be ideal atleast for a few years anyway

Something seems out of place in those calculations. how long does it take to see each person? Even if it only took 30 mins per person you would be working for 65 per week? :/ Are you sure you have the correct information? (I'm almost certain your average GP does not earn that much either).

 

[katie tully]

One of my friends did a Masters of Chiropracty a few years ago and is currently running her own business.

I think she's the only Chiro in the town, but there are 3 physios..
Anyway she works here 3 days a week and in another town 1 day a week, and I think her business is rather successful but definitely not in the tune of 300-400k...

 

[katie tully]

Oh yeah Cyan, the average GP is definitely on somewhere in the vicinity of 200-300k p.a.
Mum's best friend is a GP in a small town with 400 people, and although she is being sponsored by another GP (she's from o/s), and he takes 60%, she's still on 200k

 

[BackCountrySnow]

Why don't they advertise that you get to strip down and rub each other up as part of your course?!

Dude?!? where do I apply??

 

[Anonymous1]

thats pretty interesting about the money side of things a senior lecturer said the average salary is about 300-400k and " similar to that of a GP", he also gave us these statistics in his lecture
* 3000 chiros in australia ( and growing)
* 1300 in NSW
* average chiro sees 130 cases a week and charges $55.00, 55 x 130= $7150 p/w
* need to pay 5000-6000 dollars as insurance and licensing fees.

I agree though practicing outside sydney would be ideal atleast for a few years anyway

What a joke.

Chiropracters are quacks. Period.

 

[RogueAcademic]

What a joke.

Chiropracters are quacks. Period.

It only leaves you looking stupid if you've got absolutely no evidence to back up statements like that.

 

[n8r]

Anon1 what evidence have you to support your views? or is it just you being brainwashed? As chiros we are taught that we are part of a health care team and to work with medical doctors, nutrionists and physiotherapists( even though we do many things alike). Physiotherapists are trained in manipulation/adjustments, rehab and soft tissue work and so is the chiropractor in fact the university of sydney has a post graduate course in manipulative physiotherapy, so they must be quacks as well by your reasoning. Infact recent studies have shown the one of the fundamental rehab tools used by physios ( and some chiros), in ultrasound therapy is in fact a placebo. http://www.massage-research.com/blog/?p=80
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/heat-therapy-ultrasound.html

So anon1 before you go making such accusations maybe do a bit of reading

 

[AsyLum]

Ignore the troll.

 

[glitterfairy]

I've long been a supporter of physiotherapy, but I'm looking at trying some chiro and osteopathy soon just to see what the difference is. $15 a session for students at the MQ chiro clinic... now there's a good deal!

 

[n8r]

Heres the lecture with some history of chiro in australia and the statistics

 

[:kaz.n:]

No disrespect man but 300-400K is excessively high take home pay for a chiropractor (even one running their own business). The place I work at, which is busy as we see almost 1 patient every 15 minutes (split by 2 chiros) grosses about 35K a month hence that is approx 420K a year.

However:

This is then divided by 2 (split amongst the chiros) = 210K each
Used to pay staff (two staff on at each shift @ $20ph) = -76K in staff alone (this is needed to keep up the fast appointment times as we do massage and reception)
Various insurance, CAA fees etc = -6K
Running costs (paper, maintainence of chiro beds, water, power) = ~10K

Hence, even running at relatively full capacity, take home pay BEFORE TAX is closer to only 100-120K a year (you can look at closer to 80-90K at avg capacity). The loan you have to start your own practice plus student loans etc are yet to be deducted (the business loan can be quite high aswell).

After studying it for this long you realise that there are ALOT of other easier ways to make the same amount of money, if not more, with a shorter (and in my opinion less taxing) uni course.

Bottom line is, don't get into this for the money (gross turnover is high but after everything is payed it is very average pay considering the amount of time and money invested into the degree + masters). If you have a passion for improving the quality of life for your patients and learning more about the biomechanics and anatomy/physiology of the body (specifically musculoskeletal and nervous system) then you will have the drive to get thru all the challenges and truly enjoy your job.

The people who get into this for the 'comforts' of having your own business and earning large amounts of money tend to make their business practices less than ethical for max financial gain (e.g. overtreating patients- 4 times a week for the next 12 mnths), this just brings down the name of the profession.

 

[piitb]

earnings depends largely upon whether "happy endings" are offered.

 

[samjohnno91]

Do we have to buy practical lab coats because i saw a thing in the macquarie 2009 diary that you can purchase chiropractic lab coats at the U@maq shop.

 

[Leggs]

Do we have to buy practical lab coats because i saw a thing in the macquarie 2009 diary that you can purchase chiropractic lab coats at the U@maq shop.

You don't need a lab coat for first semester. But you need one second semester for Organic Chemistry. And then you need one second year for anatomy.