Information Regarding Veterans Health Administration Chiropractic Positions

As of January 2011 there are 43 VA facilities with on-site chiropractic clinics: each of the 21 VISNs has at least one site, and some VISNs have multiple sites. This represents a growth rate of about 65% since the program's inception. It appears to be consistent with the natural expansion of any new clinical service added to a large healthcare system, and suggests successful program implementation.

The decision to initiate a chiropractic clinic in a VA facility is made by individual facilities, based on local needs and resources. Commonly when a VA facility wishes to hire a D.C. it will be done by posting the openings on the VA Careers Website.

Although opportunities continue to emerge, there is no standing process for a chiropractor to plan for and obtain a VA position. D.C.'s interested in such future positions are advised to consider following the information below as guidelines to successfully prepare and fulfill VA employment.

VA Facility Employment Opportunities

• It is extremely unlikely that an individual D.C. could contact a VA facility and convince that facility to start a chiropractic clinic. Many have tried this and so far none have been successful. This decision is made inside the VA.
• It is not recommended that you cold-call or attempt to send a CV when no job is posted to any given VA facilities or the VA Central Office. This makes one appear naive and does not lead to good results.

Drive Chiropractic Inclusion at a VA Facility

• Join efforts with a local veteran group. One example is the Wounded Warriors Program, which has shown consistent success in motivating development of chiropractic in VA facilities.
  Click Here to learn more about the WWP.

Develop your Professional Competencies

The following attributes will help to mold you as an attractive, well-qualified candidate for an available D.C. position in a hospital setting:

• Practice experience in a hospital or another integrated setting; a track record of working with other providers
• Training experience in a hospital, which can also include attending CME presentations at medical facilities.
• Commitment to professional growth as seen by attending high quality conferences such as: Association of Chiropractic Colleges-Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC), American Public Health Association (APHA), North American Spine Society (NASS), American Back Society (ABS), etc
• Firm grasp of evidence-based medicine and patient-centered care
• Peer-reviewed publications in indexed journals.
• Academic experience
• Exceptional clinical skills
• Professional appearance/demeanor
• Excellent communication skills (written, spoken, PowerPoint, etc)

It is difficult (and indeed very rare) for a DC to obtain experience in all of those areas. However, these are the types of features that make one stand out as an applicant, and also make one best suited to be successful within a medical system.

There appears to be strong interest in VA positions among the chiropractic profession, and we have seen that new job openings are extremely competitive. It would be very unlikely for a new graduate to be chosen for a position at a facility that is starting a new chiropractic clinic (that is, a facility with no other chiropractors on board). A D.C. with an established track record would likely be better suited for such a situation. However a new graduate may be suited for a position at an existing chiropractic clinic that is expanding, where he/she would be part of an established department.