Choosing a technique to use in your practice is an important decision, because your technique is a primary determinant for many other choices about your practice. In one respect, your technique defines who you are. When people ask about you as a chiropractor, you’ll probably answer, “I’m a Gonstead doctor,” or “I have an Activator practice.”

For many doctors, their technique also determines their location. Some doctors do a competitive analysis and then locate in areas where there are no other doctors practicing similar techniques.

Your technique is also a major factor in your unique selling proposition (USP), because it sets you apart from other doctors using other techniques. For these reasons and more, selection of a technique is something that should not be taken lightly.

So how do you choose a technique? Several factors influence most doctors’ choice of techniques:

• Prior experience. Before you started chiropractic school, you may have had an experience with a chiropractor who used a specific technique that helped you or a member of your family. You may have had conversations with the doctor and other doctors about this technique, and you feel comfortable with it.

• Technique clubs. As you scan the variety of clubs at your school, you may see various technique clubs. These are good places to learn about how a specific technique is performed, the science behind that technique, and the types of patients who can be helped by this technique.

• Seminars and workshops. It seems chiropractic students learn as much out of class, at seminars and workshops on specific techniques, as they do in class — and this is perfectly appropriate. No school has the resources to offer all techniques to all students.

Take advantage of on-campus seminars or seminars put on by technique organizations to learn more about them. When you listen to speakers, spend time to learn more about the people who are heading the technique. Are they the type of people with whom you want to be associated?

Issue 6 > Get the Facts > Looking at technique options > Narrowing down your location: Choosing a street > Communicating for success: Listen up! > Why should I hire you? A question for associates > Project 6: Research local civic and networking organizations > Download this Issue in pdf format

• Your own personality and practice methodology. As you progress in chiropractic college, you gain more insight and experience, and you hear a variety of opinions from faculty and speakers about techniques. The final decision about which technique to use often comes from own personal feelings, which may be difficult to analyze, but are still of primary importance.

Consider:

• Evidence behind the technique. (Some techniques are more evidence-based than others. This may help you explain the benefits of a technique to patients.);
• Types of patients served by that technique; and
• Varieties of conditions that can be helped by that technique.

Finally, consider adding a “toolkit” of techniques to your skill set, so you can offer a variety of techniques to suit different patients with different needs. Keep an open mind about the techniques available to you, and don’t commit to one until you have explored them all. Listen carefully, ask tough questions, and go with what you feel is right.

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