In this blog series, we recognize the CAA 2022 Long Service award recipients. Learn more about them and the words of wisdom they have to offer.

With her fun-loving and quirky personality, Dr. Rachel Schuster often greets her patients singing a hit song karaoke-style, but admits it can be very painful to their ears. She says she won’t quit her day job anytime soon to pursue a career in music. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, she is an avid Roughrider fan and secretly has a stash of memorabilia in her office. As her 25^th chiropractic college homecoming and some personal milestones happened during COVID times, she would like to take 25-years in practice in Alberta as an opportunity to celebrate.

Dr. Schuster has volunteered with the Canadian Chiropractic Examining Board since moving to Calgary 25 years ago, and now serves as the Board of Governors Vice-Chair. She is also a mentor at the University of Calgary Student Wellness Clinic and through job-shadowing, she holds immense pride in seeing her students choose to study chiropractic. Dr. Schuster practices at Full Motion Health and Pain Management in Calgary.

What do you like most about your job?

This sounds cliché, but it is helping people. I like talking to and connecting with patients as well as making them feel better. I had laryngitis a few years ago and had the most painstaking couple of days at work without conversation. I like to gab and story-tell. Working in silence was terrible.

What hopes do you have for the chiropractic profession?

More unity within the profession. And better integration of chiropractic into primary care.

What advice would you provide to students entering or advancing their career as a chiropractor?

Research, research, research. Know this is really what you want to do. It's a great profession, but it's hard work. To be successful, you need to be willing to put in the work.

What inspirational quote do you live by?

Life is not a competition.