If you don’t know Dr. Tyna, she is a naturopathic doctor and a chiropractor from Portland, Oregon. She’s truly a badass in the field! She managed to complete her naturopathic studies and chiropractic studies at the same time. For those currently in the program, you are probably thinking to yourself, (as I was) “I barely have the capacity to do this one program, let alone two doctorates”. Trust me, I know – hence the term “badass”.
I had the privilege of talking to her and picking her brain on what we as future naturopathic doctors can be doing to set ourselves up for success. We aren’t in a profession where patients will be handed to you, or where you’ll clear your debts right out of school. We are in a profession that requires us to wake up every morning and give it our all. We need to market ourselves; we need to get our name out there; we need to be entrepreneurs. There’s no other way around it. The earlier you realize this, the more time you will have to learn the skills, master your mindset, and build your brand. And by the time you graduate, you will be equipped to take your practice whichever way you desire.
At first, I was a bit hesitant to label my future self as an entrepreneur because “it isn’t about the money”. But guess what? Being an entrepreneur with business and marketing skills under your belt, will allow you to reach and impact more lives. If naturopathic doctors can reach more people and make an impact on a much larger scale, I think we can all agree that the world would be in a healthier and happier place.