In this blog series, we feature a member of the Chiropractic Association of Alberta.

Dr. Rebecca McAllister has been a chiropractor for x years and is currently practicing in Calgary at ____. Dr. McAllister is part of the Associations current SelfBack Pilot Study and since being interviewed back in June of 2024 has joined the Board of Directors at the Chiropractic Association of Alberta this September.

Why was joining the Association important to you?

The advocacy work that the Association does for the chiropractic profession is really important. In general, not a lot is known about the chiropractic profession, both in terms of the general public and also other healthcare professionals - knowing the healthcare crisis that we're in today, the scopes of practices of every healthcare discipline is not being utilized to its fullest scope. Having the Association advocate for our use of scope, such as regaining publicly funded diagnostic imaging, is so valuable to the profession.

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

I would tell students who are thinking about applying to chiropractic college or who are entering the chiropractic profession to connect with other chiropractors who are in serious stages of their career - ask to grab coffee with them, ask to shadow them, pick their brains – this will help you get a well-rounded picture of what day-to-day practice will look like.

What is your hope for chiropractors of the future?

The healthcare landscape is shifting right now, and I think there is more of a push for team based, collaborative care. I would like to see a future where you have a family doctor, a chiropractor, a mental health specialist, and etc, all within one team. It would be amazing to see a nurse on staff who would triage patients when they call in and then filter them into scheduling for the practitioner that best suits their complaint. I would love to see a model like this not only for chiropractic, but for the future of healthcare.

What do you most enjoy about the chiropractic profession?

I always find the most rewarding is when you get someone who books in with you as their kind of last-ditch effort. For instance, they've been through the healthcare system, they've seen a variety of different healthcare professionals, and sometimes even feel like they're a medical mystery because no one's been able to help them - I think we're really fortunate in the chiropractic profession to be able to have the time to educate and communicate to our patients what's going on and to be able to provide them information that eases their mind and their concerns about care.