March 2005

Chiropractic ranked number four on 'top job' list

Popular business magazine Fast Company has ranked chiropractic number four on its list of the "25 top jobs for 2005." According to the magazine, four major factors were considered: job growth, salary potential, education level, and room for innovation.

Although the placement was "good news" of a sort, the magazine fell into the trap of describing chiropractors as back pain therapists. With software engineering ‑‑ a largely sedentary role ‑‑ being such a hot job, it should be no surprise that the people who treat bad backs are also in demand," the article explained, adding: "Chiropractors diagnose and treat problems related to a person's muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems, with special emphasis on the spine."

It was also less than complimentary when noting that, "Despite the practice's sometimes shady reputation, it takes a lot of education to crack a back."

However, it gave the profession high marks for job growth potential since "people are becoming more interested in alternative, holistic health care such as acupuncture and massage therapy.

Health insurance companies are also beginning to recognize the benefits, which bodes well for the practice's respect and reputation."

Outranking chiropractic on the list were personal finance adviser, medical scientist and computer software engineer. The only other health related jobs to make the top 25 list were epidemiologist (#8) and medical and health services manager (#25).

The magazine made its determination based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Salary.com, as well as input from Dr. Kevin Stolarick, a lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert on the creative class.

The article and list is available at the Fast Company website, www.fastcompany.com.