President Joseph Stiefel Brings National University to it's 110th Year
The American Chiropractor
INTERVIEW
The subject of The American Chiropractor (TAC) September issue ’s interview is Joseph Stiefel, MS, EdD, DC, a graduate of National University of Health Sciences (NUHS), and now, current President. Dr. Stiefel served on the NUHS faculty, and in various positions on its administrative team before taking the helm in 2013. One of those positions included an appointment as the first dean of the university 's Florida site, where he worked successfully to implement the vision of his predecessor, President Emeritus James F. Winterstein. Amongst Dr. Stief el’s multiple degrees, is an EdD, which included a dissertation focused on predictors of success for medical students.
In the past 17 years, the university has been the leader in expanding beyond the borders of a single purpose chiropractic institution, and noM’ boasts several accredited degrees in a broad range of health care specialties. This means President Stiefel ’s (JS) leadership will make an impact on each profession separately, as well as set an important model on how the professions interact. This is why he has chosen a leadership style of communication and collaboration. The following interview presents his perspective on the challenges and opportunities for National University and chiropractic medicine.
■ ^Additionally, the advent of integrative medicine is opening doors for DCs to comanage cases in hospital environments and a variety of integrative care settings. J Ï
PAC: What is it about chiropractic that makes you want to lead a school into the future?
JS: Of all the CAMS professions, chiropractic medicine is unique in the opportunities it provides due to its broad scope of practice combined with established licensure nationwide. Our medicine allows physicians to practice as narrowly or as broadly as they are trained to do, and allows them to specialize in areas of advanced expertise, such as sports medicine, physical rehabilitation, functional medicine, and more. Additionally, the advent of integrative medicine is opening doors for DCs to comanage cases in hospital environments and a variety of integrative care settings.
It’s important to stay trae to the profession’s broad-scope focus, which allows for graduates to practice in ways that they find rewarding and challenging. It also allows for our graduates to practice in ways that then communities want them to practice.
Sometimes that means becoming more focused, but more commonly, communities ask our graduates to practice more broadly.
The university itself is continually asked to participate in the integrative medicine movement. The opportunity that the institution must provide is an avenue for our graduates to step into that role.
National graduates don’t want to be an “alternative”; they want to be a conservative option for patients. Our graduates become a viable option and a player in the healthcare community because of this broad-scope education. I think the vast majority of the profession wants the ability to provide their patients with broader, primary-scope services that will allow their patients to get back to health and then provide a substantial basis to maintain health.
The current, established healthcare community is begging for continual advancements in integration. While some in the chiropractic profession profess that the current system is broken, I can
* ^Integrating our multiple health professions both in the classroom and in the clinic is giving our students a real understanding of each profession and its special strengths. 5 5
assure you that the fix will not come about by players in the current system walking away from the table—allowing for a clean-slate redo of the healthcare system. Reform will only happen as a result of being present at that table. Our graduates will continue to be trained as competent, broad-scope practitioners who will be afforded the opportunity to choose their practice paths and be invited into the integrative medicine movement as conservative healthcare providers. That’s an exciting future for our students.
TAC: Have you seen the chiropractic program at National changing over the past 10 years? How do you see that changing in the future?
JS: Since we teach an evidence-based program, our distraction changes with new developments in scientific literature. Ten years ago, we didn’t have epigenetics or genomics as part of the curriculum, but today we do. Additionally, we’ve been able to incorporate a wide range of digital technology, from SMART boards in diagnostic imaging classes, to high-resolution digital cameras in the labs, to an Anatomage table—all of which add another dimension to our hands-on instruction and technology resources.
TAC: Can you comment on the effect that the alternative medicine programs at National have had on the scholastic experience of a student progressing through the program?
JS: Integrating our multiple health professions both in the classroom and in the clinic is giving our students a real understanding of each profession and its special strengths. We’ve had an exponential increase in the number of students seeking a second degree here at NUHS in the past 10 years. That means more and more of our chiropractic students are dual enrolling in the naturopathic or acupuncture and oriental medicine programs. Our students understand the patient care benefits as well as the career advantages that multiple credentials will hold in the healthcare marketplace.
TAC: Are those programs doing well? Would you like to talk about them?
JS: We’re very proud of our naturopathic medicine program, which is one of only seven accredited ND programs in North America and the only one in the Midwest. Our acupuncture and oriental medicine programs are led by some of the finest faculty in the field—international leaders committed to training students in the treatment methods and philosophies of traditional oriental medicine.
Our historic tradition of high academic standards and scientific rigor has been used to develop each of these programs, and we are teaching students how to work together and with other medical professionals in mainstream health venues.
For example, we now have a successful hospital rotation for our acupuncture and oriental medicine students at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly Cook County Hospital) in their pain management clinic. This is one of very few hospital-based acupuncture internships in the country and it is proving to be very successful.
TAC: What is the biggest change that you have been able to see in the students that National attracts since you've been a student, versus today? Is it any different?
JS: We’re out to attract students of higher academic caliber, and as such, tend to attract students with specific individual goals in mind. The students today seek more individualized programs and attention. They want a wider selection of clinical experiences, which we’ve been able to provide, as well as courses or clubs that cater to their specific interests—whether that be primary care, sports medicine, homeopathy, neurology, or research.
TAC: What is the biggest challenge that you see students have getting into practice as they graduate from the National program?
JS: Similar to graduates from other schools, our professions can be impacted by the overall economic condition. That’s one of the reasons we’re committed to a broad-scope education with an emphasis on integrative medicine. It gives our grads a wider outlook and greater eligibility for an expanded range of practice opportunities. They won’t be limited to just a one-track practice, unless they want to be.
TAC: What is the biggest opportunity?
JS: We’ve always instilled in our students the expectation that they will become leaders in then professions, as many graduates before them have been. We don’t just expect them to succeed; we expect them to break barriers and set milestones, and they do. They aie not only pioneers within the profession, but they also aie expanding respect for chiropractic medicine worldwide. One of our grads just authored a chapter for Gray’s Anatomy, while several serve on faculties of leading allopathic medical schools. The first DC and ND students to ever be awarded the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship came from NUHS. When you graduate from NUHS, these aie the footsteps in which you follow.
TAC: Any final words for our readers?
JS: It’s up to all of us to keep respect for our profession high, especially in these days of changing healthcare policies. Letting any hard-won gains slip, be it in the realm of educational requirements, reimbursement, scope of practice, or respect from our colleagues in different branches of medicine, can lead to deficits that would take years to rebuild. Since we ai e the standard bearers for patient-centered care, we owe it to our patients to embrace educational excellence and professional development, and deliver our care with enthusiasm, tenacity, and compassion. ES9
You may contact Dr. Joe Stiefel at jstiefelJiyiuhs.edu
