With the peaceful flow of the St. John River as backdrop, the weekend provided a forum to network and share information while gathering new knowledge.  Sessions geared to DCs were presented by world-renowned chiropractor and educator, Dr. Mitch Mally.  CAs enjoyed the dynamic and practical lessons given by Brandi MacDonald. 

Dr. Mally spoke of diagnosis and treatment of upper extremity injuries. His diagnostic approaches and demonstrations of non-surgical treatment techniques for sports and occupational injuries were received with enthusiasm by the DCs in attendance.  Meanwhile, chiropractic assistants were finding themselves motivated to excellence during Brandi MacDonald’s purpose-centred approach to practice management protocols that could be applied starting Monday morning!  CAs left the weekend with a greater understanding of their pivotal role as front desk ambassadors for chiropractic. 

But the conference reached beyond the profession to demonstrate chiropractic’s involvement and impact in its communities and the greater health care system.  Also present were physician Dr. Douglas Margison, Chief Medical Officer for WorkSafe New Brunswick and retired cardiac surgeon and provincial Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fundy-River Valley, Dr. Jim Parrott.  

Dr. Margison spoke of work disability situations, pointing out that some workers who present with little or no pathologies can be more disabled by pain than workers with definable pathology.  He went on to expand on the distinction between biomedical and psychosocial factors in work disability and to point out that workers with profound psychosocial issues might actually meet with poorer outcomes, despite requiring the greatest medical intervention.  Dr. Margison then explained the potential role for chiropractors in clarifying the disabled worker’s situation and mitigating high risk factors to ensure better outcomes. 

During the conference banquet, Dr. Parrott gave an insightful historical overview of health care in the past century, concluding with the observation that chiropractic has become an important contributor to the current  system and will continue to make inroads as this century unfolds.

The conference also featured a trade show where delegates could network with providers of products and services to enhance their practices.

The weekend proved to be a fun and informative retreat for delegates and trade show participants alike.  It was an opportunity to network and socialize while learning about new concepts, trends and developments within chiropractic.