In the blink of an eye, I have completed my 4-year journey as a chiropractic student at the International Medical University (IMU). For me, the journey of becoming a certified chiropractor was enlightening yet challenging. To be completely honest, at certain points during my journey, I contemplated stepping away from the chiropractic programme because of the ups and downs that I faced and my initial preference to pursue a degree in medicine. However, everything changed after I met a bunch of friends with the same chiropractic goals in my university life.
As the saying goes, no man is an island. I would like to express my gratitude to my friends and experienced chiropractors who have generously offered their guidance and knowledge throughout my journey. Their support and companionship have made my chiropractic journey more fun and interesting. In our free time, we often gather at the Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre (CSSC) to enhance our adjustment skills.
It was during my internship at the IMU Chiropractic Centre when I learnt to deal with various musculoskeletal conditions, while also understanding patient expectations. The clinicians’ guidance and advice have laid a solid foundation for my continued progress in the field of chiropractic care.
In 2022, I attended several seminars with my friends. By attending these seminars, we were able to learn from the experienced chiropractors from Australia and United States in term of theory, case management, philosophy and to name a few. It helped to widen my insights and knowledge about my profession. Most importantly, it also showed the beauty of teamwork. This really reminds me of a saying, if you want to walk fast, walk alone; if you want to walk far, walk together. I guess without them, I wouldn’t have made it so far.
As primary healthcare providers in Malaysia, we are expected to have adequate educational background, good character, and skills to serve the community. Learning is a lifelong journey. In my humble opinion, as a chiropractor, we should always learn and equip ourselves with the latest medical or chiropractic knowledge as learning is an endless journey in life.
According to “Are you the Doctor, Doctor?” by Dr Fred H. Barge, degree and education does not build a real doctor. Instead, a good philosophy or principle does. In my humble opinion, it is very crucial for us to practice and learn with an open mindset. No human being is so stupid that you may not learn something. No man is so wise that he cannot be taught by child. Dc Jimmy Tham from Excellence Chiropractic Centre once told me “Never be afraid of failure, learn from it and make it worth”. Life is full of challenges, but these are the stepping-stone and excellent learning opportunity that allows you to grow and improve. Thus, stay open-minded to the suggestions or guidance of others as our mind is like a parachute in the sky, if it’s not open it doesn’t work well.
During my time studying chiropractic at IMU, I had also attended free spinal screening event held throughout my student life.
The importance of this screening event is to increase the awareness of musculoskeletal health and to introduce chiropractic care to the society. In addition, it also helped to sharpen my communication and analytical skills. In my opinion, it was really a great experience as it is something that we can’t obtain it through academically and through these activities, I have found my interest in chiropractic.
I would like to grab this golden opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to all the lecturers in IMU especially Dr Janice Chan Vey Lian (my mentor) for their guidance throughout my university life. With the knowledge equipped in university and guidance from senior chiropractors, I truly believe that I could provide the best chiropractic care for the society in the future.
In the nutshell, although I have completed my study in IMU, I will always keep learning, walk the extra miles and strive to know more.
Written by Leong Jia Wai
