A Career as a Chiropractor: An IMU Alumna’s Journey

When I graduated from my A-Levels in 2010, little did I know I will be treating patients 5 years later at the University that has taught me so much and shaped me to become who I am today. I remember the first time I passed by IMU, that place just intimidates me as I thought about how stressed it must be to study in a medical university. Upon completion of the pre-university course (A-Levels), I heard about the Chiropractic programme at IMU and urged my parents to go with me to find out more about the programme. I was fascinated by the concept that Chiropractic can help to treat and alleviate symptoms without the use of medication and surgery. I signed up for the degree and was determined to be a Chiropractor no matter what challenges I would have to face and how long it takes. I chose to complete my education locally at IMU in four years while some of my batch mates chose to transfer to RMIT University in Australia. Most of us decided to stay locally as the fees were affordable and the University’s close proximity to home. I have great memories studying at IMU and would not forget my final year when we were given the chance to treat real patients as an intern in the IMU Chiropractic Clinic at several locations. This was a golden opportunity for us as we will be applying our knowledge gained in the classroom into real life context. I remembered hoping that my first patient did not have any pain with his shoulder, as I was not too confident in treating the shoulder. Imagine how stressful it was for me when the first patient I had actually came in with shoulder pain! This 10-month internship programme certainly gave us an eye-opening and excellent working experience. After graduation, I took the opportunity to apply for the Chiropractic Residency Programme at IMU and was really grateful that I was one of the few who was chosen for this programme. This is a programme which IMU started in 2015 to help its chiropractic graduates gain clinical experience with continued mentor guidance and support. As a Chiropractic Resident, I was also given many other opportunities and gained a lot of experience. There were many free public screenings and events to raise public awareness about Chiropractic care. Together with the Chiropractic faculty members, we worked with IMU CARES to help screen residents at the homes of its community partners and provide them with Chiropractic care as well. Apart from treating patients, I was also involved in marketing events with the Chiropractic faculty, which is a great chance for me to learn and develop managing and leadership skills. This article is written by IMU chiropractic alumna, Cheryl Ng Yan Yen. Comments from IMU Lecturers