I remember very clearly looking dumbfounded at a friend of mine as he made a major confession to me.

Was I hearing right?  Had he actually said what I thought he said? 

He is a student at a premier chiropractic college with straight A's and a great personality, and he was going to be an Associate?  He was going to work for someone else?  What isn't working for him, or what went wrong? 

These were the thoughts I had at the time, and to this day, I feel a sense of shame that I felt that way.

Yet, as I travel to different colleges, there still seems to be a timidity toward people who are associating as if it is some sort of failure or poor decision. 

This has to change.

A major failing that our profession has is a lack of support for our new practitioners.  It is getting better, as this blog is a testament to, but there is much work to be done.  Cultivating good associate experiences is a crucial step for us to increase our overall training and success in this ever changing business world.  Plus, I feel it will help more of us stay in practice longer by teaching us the pratfalls of practice.

There seems to be a mentality that you're in a race ... I felt it when I was a student.  Oh wow, such and such is opening their practice within a month of graduating... I need to get a move on!  I felt the push to dive in sooner to make sure I was, well, making it. 

I need to act fast and think later.

NO!!!!  It is not a race! 

There is no prize for being the first to open your practice ... that is unless there is an equivalent prize for being the first to close your practice due to poor decisions.

Take your time.  Go through our survey on starting into practice to help you determine where you are at.  Look at your options and take your time.  Make that good decision, and make it well.

Please visit our resources to learn how to create a good associate experience if you decide that it is a good step for you.