Rethinking the Mission
Lured out of doors by one of the first sunny days of Spring, my wife, daughter and I were happily chatting and basking on the front lawn when the car pulled into the driveway. As an older couple stepped out of the car—she, wearing a mid-length skirt; he, in a dress-shirt and tie, carrying what we recognized as a Bible—we experienced immediate unease. Before a word was spoken, we knew the couple’s single-minded purpose: to “convert” us.
In response to the man’s request to share God’s message with us, my wife informed him that we already have a faith and a familiarity with the book he was holding. Rather than receiving this news with pleasure at the knowledge that we probably have a common ground and share similar values, the man became a bit provocative, challenging my wife’s understanding of the good book. With increasing urgency, he launched into his script…to convert us.
At this point, I let the couple know that we were happy and secure in our faith and did not wish to engage in a debate. We would not try to prove them wrong, and we were not interested in being converted. Clearly agitated, the couple retreated to their car and left us feeling less than encouraged by the encounter. For our part, we were content to share some common values and beliefs without embracing their entire belief system. For them, it was all or nothing.
Later, I reflected on the experience. What I found most curious was the immediate sense of dread that each of us felt as the car pulled up and the couple emerged. We knew instantly who they were, and why they had come. Their actions did nothing to advance their objective. Instead, the couple reinforced the negative stereotype we had mentally projected upon them.
After further reflection, my thoughts turned toward my profession. When I entered practice 25 years ago, it was common for chiropractors to provide some form of “patient education” at a first or second visit to indoctrinate the new-patient to the chiropractic perspective. Many offices would make attendance to a new-patient orientation mandatory. Some would insist that the spouse or other family member also be in attendance. Perhaps there was some value in teaching patients about the objectives and practicalities of treatments that may have seemed unfamiliar or intimidating, but a clear goal for the practitioner was to convert a patient, who sought only pain relief, into a lifetime chiropractic patient. If you could win over the whole family, all the better.
So many things have changed over the course of my professional career. For me, it has become clear that “converting” patients to the chiropractic perspective is no longer a worthy pursuit, if it ever was. If you have the courage, ask people you trust what it is they dislike about chiropractors. Try asking about unpleasant past chiropractic experiences. You will likely hear some version of a story that begins with: “They always try to get you to…” or “There was this one guy who wanted me to…” In other words, you will hear a story about an attempted conversion. Collectively, these stories have done more to damage the reputation of the profession than almost anything I can think of. These days, there are far too many sources of reliable and accessible information to assume that any single discussion or presentation will convert anyone to your/our way of thinking about something as vast and complex as health and wellness. That is not to say, ours is a flawed perspective; my point is that we have much to offer our patients and our prospective patients without insisting upon or even directly pursuing their “conversion.”
Patients entering my office have specific needs and specific goals. We may have widely divergent views on health and wellness, but the fact that they have sought my services is evidence that we have some common ground and perhaps share some common values. That’s a great place to start. When I abandon my need to convert patients and focus instead on their needs and goals, it is much more probable that I gain their trust and confidence along the way. I love it when my patients experience resolution of pain or a return of lost function. I love it even more, when they gain greater confidence in their physical potential, commit to quitting smoking, start a new exercise program or make some other positive lifestyle change. These shifts in fundamental values occur every day in the offices of thousands of chiropractors who are not afraid to meet their patients where they are. My hope for the future of my profession is that more of us would abandon the “all-or-nothing” conversion mentality, work within the value systems of our patients, lead our patients by example, and ultimately earn the privilege to share wisdom and, perhaps, show them a better way.