According to the February issue of Fast Company, a magazine and website that chronicles how the business world is changing, the chiropractic profession is ranked fourth among the nation’s top jobs to pursue in the next five years.
According to the article, the top 25 jobs are ranked according to:
· Job Growth Index (accounted for 35% of the overall index score);
· Salary Range Index (35% of the overall index score);
· Education Index (20% of the overall index score); and
· Innovation Index (10% of the overall index score).
The sources of information include the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Salary.com, and an innovation expert (see below for a list of the top 25 jobs according to Fast Company).
According to the Fast Company article, which was also cited in the March issue of Dynamic Chiropractic, chiropractors “diagnose and treat problems related to a person’s muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems, with special emphasis on the spine.” Currently, chiropractic is one of the most common forms of Complementary and Alternative medicine in the United States, and its popularity and availability can be attributed to the fact that it has been licensed in all 50 states since 1979 when Louisiana became the last state to pass a licensure law.
According to the Fast Company article, good education, increasing popularity of complementary and alternative medicine, and insurance reimbursement all contribute to the promising future of the chiropractic profession.
Considering chiropractic’s historical struggle to gain legitimacy as it faced frequent denouncements by the American Medical Association (and still faces some discrimination by current medical establishments and professionals), this recent ranking in Fast Company is a significant sign that times are changing, perhaps to the dismay of some MDs and to the satisfaction of chiropractic and complementary and alternative medicine proponents.
Whether or not one agrees that the chiropractic profession is one of the top jobs in the nation, the Fast Company ranking at least indicates that this is a profession and a practice which needs to be taken seriously.
The 25 top jobs for 2005, according to Fast Company, are:
· Personal finance adviser
· Medical scientist
· Computer software engineer
· Chiropractor
· Environmental engineer
· Biochemist and biophysicist
· Sales manager
· Epidemiologist
· Computer system analyst
· Athlete
· Agent and business manager for artists, performers, and athletes
· Marketing manager
· Producer and director
· Actor
· Lawyer
· Advertising and promotions manager
· Management analyst
· Postsecondary education administrator
· Financial manager
· Actuary
· Airline pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer
· Geoscientist
· Market research analyst
· Securities sales agent
· Medical and health services manager
Source:
http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/23/07/04.html
Posted by Laura Stevens