As I write this article, I reflect on what has been exactly 11 years of private practice.
As I write this article, I reflect on what has been exactly 11 years of private practice. My future began the day I graduated from New York Chiropractic College in 2002 and has continued through my recent peer-nomination for Ontario’s Chiropractor of the Year in 2013. I was fortunate to be able to share this nomination with four other Ontario doctors: Dr. Sarah Adams, Dr. Rahim Karim, Dr. Igor Steinman and Dr. Deborah Kopansky-Giles.
I attended the awards gala where I met several of my peers who are all quite successful in their practices. I was so encouraged as they told me stories about how they had help along the way to get to where they were today. Dr. Kopansky-Giles was named Chiropractor of the Year that evening. And as I listened to her acceptance speech, I learned that she too had guidance – specifically the legendary Dr. Scott Haldeman, who was one of several colleagues to help her develop her talents and grow into the only chiropractor in history to win this honour twice (2003 and 2013).
Had it not been for carefully placed help along the way, my future would have been very different. The help I received through mentorship moulded the last 11 years that have brought me to this point.
My mentors gave me the confidence to understand and apply concepts I have learned and helped me build upon the facets of my practice that needed improvement.
Early on in my career I had three doctors who served as my mentors and helped me on my journey. Dr. Tom Smith, a local chiropractor in Hamilton, sat me down two days after graduation and showed me how to complete auto insurance/WSIB forms – and continued to help me in the years following.
In my first year of practice, Dr. Andrew Dunn, a clinician at NYCC, would take my phone calls if I needed clinical guidance with new patients – to make sure I was on the right track.
And lastly, Dr. Alejandro Elorriaga taught me how to be innovative and think critically about soft tissue principles and treatment protocols; at the same time, he taught me how to develop myself as a clinician and an individual.
Mentoring is the key for developing and sustaining a satisfying career and enables us to grow, learn, transform and accomplish goals in education, clinic or business. Whether you are an educator, clinician or in the early stages of your training, mentoring helps build a dynamic community for success.
Mentors promote confidence
The importance of mentoring relationships becomes evident as we recognize the value of networking and maintaining relationships throughout our career. The value of a good mentor is immeasurable when it comes to learning the tricks of the trade as well as becoming connected to those in the know and who possess invaluable knowledge about business practice. Most importantly, a successful mentor demonstrates and upholds the values and ethics of the profession they represent.
A mentor can help alleviate much of the frustration students and new graduates often feel in their first few months of working in clinic. By sharing their insight and knowledge on clinical and business skills, new DCs in the field can be spared a great deal of stress. A good mentor can support students, new graduates and practising DCs to help avoid unnecessary resignation due to feelings of incompetence and isolation. Recent studies reveal 30 per cent of North American chiropractors will leave their profession after 10 years.
Bronson’s billions
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Bronson, owner of Virgin Records, describes how mentorship has helped him: “Whenever I am asked what is the missing link between a promising businessperson and a successful one, mentoring comes to mind. Giving people advice on how they can best achieve their goals is something that is often overlooked. If you ask any successful businessperson, they will always have had a great mentor at some point along the road.”
Mentoring can provide opportunities that can be mutually beneficial for both mentor and mentee. Mentors can be a coach or ally answering questions as they arise for the mentee. They act as advocates to help mentees navigate the terrain of academia and move forward professionally.
By providing guidance, support and other insights, mentors can learn and enhance their own leadership skills. Mentees often bring a fresh perspective to a difficult problem, and serving as mentor can provide a renewed sense of purpose in meeting the challenges of chiropractic.
Chiropractic schools and provincial associations should help develop effective mentorship programs to deliver the guidance required by so many doctors in our field.
Ultimately, the responsibility of mentorship rests with DCs. It is vitally important for us to help one another grow and develop into competent professionals and entrepreneurs. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be sharing helpful information with our peers – after all, there is an abundance of potential chiropractic patients in Canada.
Anthony Lombardi, DC, is consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL and NHL, and founder of the Hamilton Back Clinic in Hamilton, Ont. He teaches his fundamental EXSTORE Assessment System and conducts practice-building workshops to health professionals. Visit www.exstore.ca for information.
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