Finding your dream location

Where do you want to live? If you haven’t decided, now is the time.

We should specify what we mean by “dream location.” We’re talking about the perfect chiropractic office in the perfect city for you.

Getting to this location is a two-step process. First, you will need to determine where you want to live. In Issue 1 of the StudentDC.com newsletter, we described this process, but we’ll give you a little different slant on this subject here. (We will discuss finding an office location in another article.)

The process of finding the perfect city in which you want to practice is very much a honing-in process. In this context, we’re borrowing the concept of “honing in” from aircraft, in which the bomber hones in on a target by refining the view to a smaller and smaller focus.

If you have ever used Google Maps to zoom in on a location, you’ll know what we mean. In other words, start with the big picture and continue to zoom down to a narrower focus. Start with the country where you want to practice, then zoom down to the region, then to a specific state or province, and then to the city.

Be clear about your purpose—you are searching first for a place where you will enjoy living and second for a good place to practice chiropractic. You can practice anywhere, but if you go somewhere for a practice and you don’t enjoy living there, you won’t be content, and you’ll soon be selling your practice and moving to the location you should have chosen in the first place.

When you have narrowed your search to a state or province, it’s time to start spending some time wandering around. This sounds obvious, but we know graduates who have actually waited until graduation to visit the place they think they want to set up practice!

Before you make that trip, here are some tips on preparation, to make your visit more worthwhile:

1. Find out about the chiropractors in that area. Go to Google Local (local.google.com) and type in some of the cities in the area and the word “chiropractor” to find out what chiropractors are there.

2. Check with a job search or practice search service (see our article on this) to see if anyone in the area is looking for an associate or a practice to buy. Depending upon how close you are to graduation, you may want to contact these people and schedule visits.

3. Get information on cities in the area you want to visit. Go to the Web site of the chamber of commerce for these cities, or to the local economic development organization. Print out information about the economic situation, schools, and local employers.

4. Check out the online editions of local newspapers, to see what housing costs are (rental and purchase).

5. If you are interested in a specific sport or activity, find out (from the phone book or online) where you can enjoy that activity in the area you will be visiting.

When you get to the area, it’s up to you where to begin your search, but it’s usually best just to drive around a little to get the “feel” of the place. Eat at local places, not chain restaurants; if weather permits, find the local parks or enjoy the downtown square businesses. As with other choices, you will quickly begin to sense which cities or towns feel right and which don’t. Don’t be afraid to talk with people and see what they say about the town and, of course, you can always ask them if they currently are under chiropractic care. As you visit each city and town in the area, add it to your list of possibilities or check it off your list.

If you find a city that looks promising, check out the local chiropractors. Talk with them about the town; you’ll be able to tell whether they consider you an asset to the community or a potential threat.

Plan for at least one trip to the area during the time you are in school and then another trip close to graduation. The focus of the second trip will be different. You will want to meet chiropractors that you’ve talked with about potential employment or practice purchase, you will be looking for a place to live, or you’ll be searching for an office location.

Going through this process of selecting a location may seem intimidating because you’ve never done it before. You are making a major life decision, so take the time to be sure. Most of all relax and enjoy the experience.

Back