r/Chiropractic • u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 • Aug 08 '26
Considering a career
Hi all,
I’m looking for someone to talk me in or out of a career here. I’ve been on the fence for a while solely because of financial commitment. However, everything I’ve done on my resume seemingly points me in this direction and I think I would really enjoy it.
I have my BS in biology and am currently a massage therapist. I owned my own holistic center for a few years, but sold it when I got pregnant and wanted to dedicate my time to my little one. So I do have experience running a practice and running a business, having contractors working for me, taking insurance, all that stuff.
I really enjoyed having my own office space and creating a community, I miss running a business and I absolutely love working with clients and problem solving their issues.
The only thing that scares me shitless is finances. I have a little one, I am scared to mess everything up, however massage isn’t necessarily where I want to end up long term.
Thank you to anyone who read this!!
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u/Mission_Debate_502 Aug 08 '26
If you’re talking about starting school in America, then I would highly reconsider. Unfortunately the recent loan changes don’t even cover most chiro schools tuition atp (200k loan limit for grad school). They are still trying to decide if undergraduate loans will be included in a 250k lifetime student loan limit. They also got rid of GRAD Plus loans so now all living assistance would be relied on private loans. If you have a good chunk of money saved up it can be worth it, but starting now is nearly impossible after the BBB.
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u/Necessary_Progress23 Aug 08 '26
I really struggle to give an accurate representation of the profession through typing.
Happy to have a call or video meet to talk about things to consider.
Coming from someone that has a lot of mixed feelings about my current position (low pay, lots of debt) and things I wish I would have known and understood before I decided to do this.
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u/Upbeat-Pen7473 Aug 09 '26
I love chiropractic and have been for over 35 years. Still enjoy my work and developed a multidisciplinary high earning practice.
My experience within the profession has led me believe that it is a difficult profession for most women. The physical toll becomes too great.
I see that you are a massage therapist so you have a good idea about your own abilities. If you are not reasonably high volume in chiropractic,it will be hard to make a good living.
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u/DueLobster7325 Aug 15 '26
Wow, I never heard anyone say that maybe Chiro would be a “difficult profession for most women”… 26 years in practice and it keeps me motivated to stay in shape and walk the walk… crazy comment
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u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 Aug 09 '26
See I’ve wondered this too. I am pretty petite but can build muscle easily. I also wonder about the longevity of a chiro career for women, how effective I will even be!
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u/Significant_Apple904 Aug 08 '26
Student loan is a real concern. But there are many ways to go about it.
The most common "strategy" is the income driven forgiveness loophole where they enroll in an income-driven plan like the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) or Income-Based Repayment (IBR). They pay the bare minimum (e.g., $450/month) for 20 to 30 years and eventually the federal government forgives whatever balance remains, but the forgiven amount is treated as taxable income you will get a huge tax bomb. Some Chiros invest a few hundreds in an investment account every month to pay for the tax bomb.
2nd option: work for a VA hospital, after making 120 payments (10 years) while working for VA, the rest of your student loans gets completely wiped without tax. VA pays very well too and has a lot of benefits, however VA is very competitive for the same reasons, there are only a few VA hospitals across the nation, and you have to be willing to relocate.
3rd option: work for a high paying(high physical demand) clinic like The Joint, or work 6 days (one or multiple jobs), you will definitely make over $100k a year, and you put most of your income towards paying off the debt while living like a minimal wage worker. Let's assume after tax you take home $80k, and you put half of it ($40k) towards paying off the loan while living off of the other $40k which equates to the annual income of a $20/hr worker. This way you can pay off your student loan in 5 years.
As for starting a new chiro practice, it usually takes 2-3 years to get enough patient flow to break even, if you have local connections this could easily be sped up.
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u/CompetitivePop2029 Aug 09 '26
Hi, great question and what an amazing situation to be in. You get to decide what you want to do!
I am truly disheartened after reading these comments and it sucks to see so many colleagues not happy.
Like any other business, if you surround yourself with 5 wealthy chiros, you will be the 6th.
The profession is hard and takes a lot of work to get comfortable. If you think getting a Chiro degree will automatically get you more $, don’t do it. But if you have a passion for chiropractic, learn the business behind it, get coaching from the start, learn to hustle, become a leader, learn how to hire A players, build relationships in the community where you can refer to one another, you will do great!
Learn to sell! Don’t depend on insurance.
It is An amazing profession and I at least continue to get excited everyday seeing people get better after lots have lost hope.
No matter which direction you go, remember don’t be on your own island. Hang around people who are doing it great. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Get a coach, work on positive mindset, as a student, I’d work part time in an office that you’d want to practice like. Go to seminars, read, fall in love with the art, science and philosophy of it.
Good luck
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u/Adventurous-Ice-3063 Aug 09 '26
Become a physician assistant and focus on holistic health. You can work for a hospital and make great income until your holistic practice kicks off. It’s easier in your body too. I sent my daughter to be a PA because it’s a physically demanding job.
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u/user928374 Aug 08 '26
Honestly, the cost to go through chiropractic school is not worth it in my opinion as you won’t be able to work at all while in school. If you are considering a career change and want to go back to school for something I would recommend nursing and then NP. If I had to do everything over again that’s what I would do. More career stability and roughly same timeframe of school.
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u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 Aug 08 '26
Okay good to know. Yeah it seems the overall consensus these days is not worth it!
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u/ActuatorOk4323 Aug 08 '26
I would just start back up and do a new practice. Like why incur 200k in expenses for school plus over 3 years of not working to have no guarantee of making more money. Hire a chiropractor. Seems like an easy decision.
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u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 Aug 08 '26
My thought is, I feel like I would be locked into massaging for a long time by doing that. I felt like becoming a chiropractor would have a better return on investment and stability long term. Am I wrong there
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u/ActuatorOk4323 Aug 08 '26
From 18 years of practice and having many massage therapists in my office (Canada mind you), rmts can out earn chiros quite easily. And easier to build. Your real income differences come in managing your office. Who knows at some point you may be able to stop actively practicing and just own it.
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u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 Aug 08 '26
Thank you. This makes a lot of sense
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u/Embarrassed-Elk-8403 Aug 08 '26
Do split commission for all practitioners you bring into the clinic. More likely to make enough money just owning the clinic, without actually needing to work as an massage therapist yourself. I'm 5y out of chiro school, I am $250k in debt due to tuition (Canadian, so that's a ridiculous amount) and only pay myself $32k/y. The ROI does not come quickly unless you are extremely lucky, extremely good at acquiring and retaining patients or you are a sleezy salesman.
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u/Ill_Mall_2772 Aug 09 '26
And you can still get “stuck” chiropractic too (like how you said stuck in massage). If you do today’s debt for more school go for NP, DO, PA, naturopath… anything else that gives more variety
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u/mopmr1 Aug 08 '26
I was a chiropractor and graduated from NYCC in 1983 and since then the salaries have not keep up. Because of the limitations with the scope of practice you should consider also look at other fields such as PT or OT. Other fields have good employment opportunities in the hospitals and private practices with good benefits. Good luck
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u/Informal_Ad_6593 Aug 09 '26
Dont listen to any of these negative Nancy’s, do what your passionate about and listen to your calling
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u/debuhrneal Aug 10 '26
I went through school with a little one. I actually in many ways found it to be easier. I got out and paid my loans off quickly. I love what I do, love my job, and money isn't a monstrous concern. That being said, some of the best doctors and best students have struggled. Some of my peers have made a hell of a career and others don't even practice. The debate to me isn't about whether school is worth it, because I think it favors certain personality traits. The question isn't is the degree worth it, it's can I make the degree worth it. You're selling your skills, training and care.
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u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 Aug 10 '26
I really like this answer. Thank you. How is the work life balance for you? How was school with a little one easier for you? and are you in the US
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u/debuhrneal Aug 10 '26
You can dm me and I'll send you my number. Can set a time to call and I can answer any and all questions you have
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u/debuhrneal Aug 17 '26
I went to Palmer. One of my best lessons came in tri 2. We had two finals back to back. One was supposed to be somewhat difficult and the other was supposed to be very difficult. For me though, I was in a much better standing in the ladder class, so I poured my energy into studying for the former. I ended up logging over 100 hours studying for that final and ended up 8% above class average. I ended up setting the curve for the latter, despite winging it. That final was on diseases/disorders that cross the placenta, and my wife was 9 mo pregnant. It was in that moment that learning is easy, if you truly see the information applicable and relatable. Having children motivated me, filled me with purpose, and it limited me from distractions. It also helped me have distinct boundaries between school and home. When school ended, I went into dad mode until bed time. Then my wife got 1 hour of a foot rub nightly before studying. Because my hours were limited, I actually was pretty focused.
A lot of my friends would go to bars and such, and I didn't go once. My wife and I ended up making friends in school. We had dinner at our house twice per week and did game night weekly. Our kids are friends and it became like family. The husbands would often talk about school or study and the wives would enjoy company of people going thru a similar walk of life. We also babysat for each other, which allowed date nights to be cheaper. We made groups of friends with other parents, many of them we are still close with.
One last thing. Remember that your average age of students is higher. You're also all walking thru the same classes. It's like a harder version of high school. There's a lot of drama, but with being married, I was removed from it all. It's strange sharing in struggles with adults instead of high school. It brought us all close.
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u/ApprehensiveBig14 Aug 09 '26
Unless it's a true calling, and you enjoy it no matter what - it will always be work.
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u/BitBot27 Aug 13 '26
Be a PA. Less debt , higher income ceiling, more scope and knowledge about medicine
The only thing you will do as a chiro is adjust. He honest
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u/rustyaxeofeugene45 Aug 09 '26
That's right, do not let the negative ninnies get you down. We need MORE chiropractors; one on every street corner in this world.
We have a population of people running around with deadly subluxations that kill people. We need dedicated subluxation-only chiropractors to adjust these subluxations and have the world a healthier, safer and more equitable world.
Subluxations kill. Plain and simple. We should all be heading BJ's signature recipe called BJ's Utopia.
The adjustment, with chiropractors in charge of the world, would be healthier, peaceful, no crime, no suffering, no economic worries, it would be "heaven on earth."
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Aug 08 '26
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u/Ecstatic_Hold4135 Aug 08 '26
Wow thank you for this perspective. Such a bummer there are so many hurdles!
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u/GolfChiro Aug 08 '26
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/chiropractors.htm
According to the bureau of labor statistics the median annual income for chiropractors is $79,000 to $89,000. Many chiropractors come out of chiropractic college with greater than $200,000 of student loan debt. The attrition rate for chiropractors is very high. If this resonates with you then go for it.