Blog
Canadian Chiropractic
Assistant Association
I Stood In The Practice In Total Disbelief.
It was March 16,2020 and I was scrambling to produce regulated voice mail, social media statements and practice signage while responding to the non-stop calls from patients wondering what was happening with their appointments. I was also communicating with other assistants and chiropractors, sharing information and templates. I was reading the Ontario Chiropractic Association (OCA), Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) and the College of Chiropractors, On. (CCO) websites to ensure the information was current and accurate. That was the most stressful component of it all, ensuring patient safety while adhering to the regulations.
Provincial regulations and information seemed to change as fast as the patient appointment book. I remember thinking that this would all pass, much like SARS and Swine flu had passed while I hung the mandatory mask, social distancing signs in the office. Clearly, I was wrong.
I am used to having immediate solutions to practice challenges and as increasingly desperate calls from my colleges came in, I was urgently searching for the right answers while trying to remain optimistic and reassuring. My entire career had been focused on patient care and practice growth so it was a bitter pill for me to swallow, cancelling so many appointments for people who needed them. It was such a foreign concept to me.
I worried for all the patients that would not get the care they needed, the practitioners possibly closing their practices, but most important, I thought about all the other chiropractic assistants.
If I was feeling overwhelmed with all my professional knowledge, how were less experienced assistants managing? As well as practitioners? I think I speak for everyone when I say we all felt the same way. Unprecedented.
I grew tired of hearing that word, but it was exactly that, unprecedented.
When I started my career as an assistant, over 20 years ago, there was an abundance of seminars and training to attend. I had the good fortune to have met, learned from and been inspired by some of the greatest Chiropractic Assistants and Chiropractors in the world. I felt supported, encouraged and appreciated in this community, it was an amazing environment to learn in, and that environment had a great influence on me both professionally and personally.
When you are surrounded by accomplished, supportive and appreciative people, it is easy to love the work we do. It actually makes you want to do it better.
This was introduced to me by a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C) I worked with, Dr. Robin Whale; he gave his team full access to these seminars and the incredible line up of speakers. His investment in his team of Assistants gave us the knowledge and confidence to successfully achieve the goals we set for the practice. We felt valued as a team.
I have had the privilege of working with many incredible practitioners throughout my career, I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned so much from each of them and for the trust they each placed in me.
My passion for what I do today remains the same today as when I started, because of that sense of community and the foundation I had to grow from. For many years I have thought about starting this association for assistants, with the lack of seminars and Assistant representation, I believe it is needed. I hope to create an environment of comradery and community that brings us together as a profession. To grow as a profession, to learn from one another, to support one another and to be proud of the important role we play in successful practices.
I look forward to doing that with you, both assistants and practitioners, as we move forward together.
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