To Your Health
April, 2011 (Vol. 05, Issue 04) |
|
|
"It is really, really heartbreaking when a child passes away or when they come to the hospital and find out they have a terminal illness and will never be able to leave the hospital," she said.
This realization led her to research other medical careers where she would be able to make a difference. Chandra quickly found her niche when she began working as a chiropractic assistant in Brookings, S.D. It is there where she said she "fell in love" with the profession because of the "miracles" she saw it do for many of the patients who came in for care.
Chiropractic care had already made a huge impact on her life – it had helped her overcome a debilitating knee problem she had suffered from for years; a problem that had restricted her from enjoying her favorite hobbies such as running. After countless doctor visits, Chandra remembers she could not find relief until she found a chiropractor.
"He (the chiropractor) took the time and examined [my knee], did some adjusting on it and some tweaking here and there, and it's never felt better or worked better," she said. "It hasn't gone out on me in over three years ... the pain was excruciating and now it's completely gone, I was so amazed."
From 2008-2010, Chandra was able to soak up more inside knowledge about the profession by working alongside the two chiropractors in Brookings while also preparing for upcoming pageants.
"As that first patient came in, I saw them get better, treatment after treatment, to the point where they were completely healed," she said.
Those two years proved to be the reinforcement she needed to decide how she would spend the rest of her professional life.
As a doctor of chiropractic, Chandra wants to help others the same way. She plans on focusing her career on sports injuries – women and children in particular – through chiropractic care.
"I love children," she said. "I am really interested in sports, volleyball and dance ... I want to help all of the female athletes function at optimum levels."
Like most chiropractic students, Chandra spends her days studying; but unlike others, she also juggles a large number of pageant duties. It is enough to keep her schedule booked all year long. The road to being a chiropractor, like a pageant contestant, is a rigorous one – a challenge Chandra is ready for.
"It's a lot of hours and it's a lot of studying, but it's what I am really interested in, so I don't mind," she said.
Most chiropractic programs across the country require that applicants have at least three years of undergraduate education, and an increasing number require a bachelor's degree. Undergraduate studies also include a prescribed number of prerequisite courses, as defined by the field's accrediting body, the Council on Chiropractic Education. Current entrance requirements for the Doctor of Chiropractic degree program also require a minimum of 90 semester hours and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.50.
On top of that, preparation for a pageant normally takes up to 10-15 hours a week. Chandra is now in her second trimester and has about three years left to complete her doctor of chiropractic degree.
The pageant winner makes sure she is just as active in chiropractic organizations as she is in pageant events. She is a member of the Student American Chiropractic Association and attends professional events such as the National Chiropractic Legislative Conference, and also promotes the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a not-for-profit organization that helps increase public awareness of the many benefits associated with chiropractic care.
Her enthusiasm for the profession has impressed her professors, who say she is a role model for many other young women who want to follow in her footsteps.
