PRECEPTORSHIPS

STORIES PRECEPTORSHIP PRECEPTORSHIP

STORIES

With the vision of Dr. Ron Oberstein and under the leadership of Dr. Scott Donaldson, the preceptorship program at Life West has literally taken off like a rocket. This was a clear and obvious need that the president identified early in his tenure and is now growing every quarter. Over 70% of senior interns are now in the preceptor program. Validation of how powerful this experience is for setting our graduates up for success in practice is evidenced by the graduates and preceptor doctors, and how they perceive the experience. The preceptorship program offers the senior student or a student who has earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree but has not received a license yet with an opportunity to increase their clinical experience prior to entering into private practice. For their part, the Preceptor or host DC assists in the development of a new practitioner, who brings enthusiasm and a willingness to learn to the practice. This is a great opportunity for both the intern and the experienced chiropractor.

Dr. Marissa Sum was an enthusiastic early participant in the program. Her preceptor intern, Cassie Stansberry, was right up there in meeting her expectations - the intern was reliable, coachable and eager to learn and grow.

“She had been taking seminars outside of school with other DCs on adjusting, patient exams and office procedures to compliment what she learned in the Health Center at Life West. Her dedication prepared her for post graduate life - the real world! Her attention to detail and ability to predict what I needed before I even knew I needed it were valuable for the practice.” For Dr Sum, having the opportunity to coach her future peers while receiving the gift of expanding her team and adding to the work she could do in the office for her patients was all worth it. Would she have another preceptor intern from Life West? “Yes!” DR. SUM AND

CASSIE STANSBERRY

From the student intern perspective, Libby Jordan’s preceptorship at Dr. Mindy Pelz’s office definitely improved her confidence in her transition from student to

doctor. “It was strange to go from the student setting in the Life West Health Center at first, but Dr. Mindy and her team were absolutely incredible to work with. They made me feel comfortable, supported, and provided a warm learning environment. I went right from my preceptorship in the Bay Area to my job here at Strive Chiropractic in North Dakota quite literally the next day. My time at Dr. Pelz’s office made the quick transition into the doctor role smoother. I cannot recommend the preceptorship program enough!”

Intern Whitney Marsh took a preceptorship with Dr. Elizabeth Hoefer at Well Connected Chiropractic. Though there are many amazing tools she now has in her pocket after working at Well Connected, the most notable is seeing the leadership and teamwork that goes into a high

volume practice. “This is something that we spoiled interns at Life West do not get exposed to. Our files get pulled for us, our patients get checked in and their payment taken by Health Center staff. More than just the adjustment, the patient experience is the entire office’s ability to function… on time, I might add. During my time at Well Connected I was immersed in an office culture of five CAs and three massage therapists. Each and every member of the staff is bought in and motivated to make the patient experience, and the staff experience, smooth and effective.” The greatest value Whitney got from the experience was peace of mind. “At school we can get so wrapped up in the red tape and in the emotions that go into whether or not the adjustment “went.” Being able to step away from the Life West Health Center into real life scenarios gave me the peace of mind to say ‘I can do this, I'm prepared.’” Did the preceptor experience increase her competence and confidence as she looked to her career after graduation and licensure? “100% yes! In addition it was very demystifying. When I was at school I could only imagine what practice might look like. Sure there are days that I shadowed and got a taste but nothing like the day in and day out of a well WHITNEY MARSH AND functioning practice.”

DR. HOEFER

George Tuihalangingie’s preceptor doctor was Dr. Robert Katona at Katona Chiropractic in Castro Valley, CA. Like Whitney, his highlight was seeing the whole process from receiving the patient to taking x-rays and

exams and adjusting the patient. “I liked that it was really old-school because a lot of the offices I’ve been visiting are really new-school with the way they run their business and how they package a care plan for a patient. Dr. Katona took a very down to earth but professional approach to how he dealt with his patients. I really liked how he took his time with each patient and made sure their concerns were being met. Seeing it first hand made me see the big picture which increased my confidence in running my own clinic in the future.”

GEORGE TUIHALANGINGIE

DR. JESS LIPS Dr. Jess Lips at Ginkgo Chiropractic speaks highly of her preceptor intern, Kirsten

Foullong. “Kirsten exceeded my expectations. She worked hard, got along well with the team, and was a very enjoyable person to be around with her warm, smiling energy. I appreciated explaining my adjustments and analysis to Kirsten and really enjoyed some of the teaching moments we had. Everyone at the clinic loved her energy and she was a great help.”

Learn more about how to participate in this program as a

preceptor doctor at preceptor.lifewest.edu

ORIGIN STORIES

Over Life West’s 40th Birthday week (March 8-12, 2021), Dr. Ron Oberstein had the pleasure of interviewing many of the leading figures in the college’s very first years of existence. These webinar format recordings are available at the Life Chiropractic College West YouTube channel and are well worth listening to for their insight into the hows, whys and whos of the early years. Following are some of the abridged highlights.

WHO WHAT WHERE AND HOW

Who knew that in fact Dr. Gerry Clum had been directly approached in the late 70's by Drs. Wentland and Anderson to lead Pacific States Chiropractic College, and it was Dr. Clum who suggested that they also reach out to Dr. Sid Williams for his help to keep the college on track. In Dr. Clum’s words: “There hadn’t been a lot of growth in the educational community in the profession. Sherman had come along in the early 70’s. Life had come along shortly thereafter. And then in Northern California there was the establishment of Pacific States Chiropractic College. And Drs. Wentland and Anderson's goal was to have an upper cervical, specifically a NUCCA oriented, DC curriculum in California. And they were wonderfully well-intentioned and dedicated. But quite honestly they didn’t know the ballgame they were getting into and they were getting eaten alive. They contacted me directly and said, “Would you come out for an interview?” And I did and accepted the position. And as I thought about it, I called Dr. Anderson back almost at the last minute before I was to head to California and said, “You know, you don’t need me. You need something bigger than this. You need Dr. Williams. You need the base that Dr. Williams brings to the table. You need the gravitas that he and his name and his reputation in the profession has. And I’m flattered but the truth of the matter is you need something more than me.” And out of that came an opportunity for Dr. Williams.”

Dr. D.D. Humber continued the story: “Dr. Sid was so impressed with the opportunity that was there, the challenge that was there, because he was good at taking on challenges. He had a meeting with the Board of Trustees at Life Marietta, and they made a loan of half a million dollars to Pacific States, Dr. Sid making it a requirement that the name would be changed from Pacific States to Life Chiropractic College West. The other stipulation was that he be able to choose the President. And thank goodness he made the right choice.”

Dr. Oberstein’s next evening’s guests were Dr. Michael Schmidt, instructor, then Clinic Director, then Technique Department Chair and for his last ten years Dean of the College, all spanning 1981 to 2002; and Dr. Adrienne Miller, between 1994 and 2006 serving first as Dean of Instruction and then Dean of the College. “In the very early days, everybody did everything. We did the janitorial work when the kids left. I spent the first month before the school opened painting. We painted all the halls, classrooms, the old building. And the students helped us. The students did a lot of work. And it just grew from here,” Dr. Schmidt reminisced. And grow it did, to over 800 students. How did that happen? Dr. Schmidt threw light onto the story: “We had a spirit here that people liked and gravitated toward. And it was truly a spirit of service and we got a huge number of transfers. But at the same time what was going on in the big picture of chiropractic, there were probably three or four other schools that had opened up. And they were not able to get accredited. So their students had to transfer somewhere else and we took a lot of them. You know, there was a Pennsylvania school. Pasadena went under. And then another one in Southern California.” And then there was the recruiting: “The other thing, part of everybody’s job description, Ron, you certainly remember this, is in the evenings and weekends we recruited. I spent many, many, many times at Ron’s and Mary’s office where we would have career nights and get ten or twelve new students. Our goal was to meet prospective students, share the Life West story and if possible meet with people one on one afterwards." Dr. Oberstein carried the story onward: “it wasn’t fashionable to be a chiropractor back in the 80's, so you either had to have an experience or someone told you about it or your chiropractor said

you need to go to the student evening. Michael, I remember you coming all the time, and Gerry, and we’d have 50 people sometimes in the reception room of Mary and my office. It was from all the chiropractors in San Diego who just knew that there was a student open house. They were fun.”

Part of Dr. Miller’s role was to observe faculty in class: “It was interesting to see all the styles. And when I looked at it, I had this big insight that chiropractic is using the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I had taught Emerson and so many of the things chiropractors did got into that American approach to things. And in fact BJ quoted it quite a lot. So it was a really interesting way for me to see how a philosophy got translated into a life.” And as Dr. Oberstein revealed, Dr. Miller went on to publish a paper on Emerson and Chiropractic in ‘Today’s Chiropractic’ from Life College in Georgia.

Dr. Oberstein’s next evening’s guests were two icons who are still in our hallways and classrooms today, Dr. Dan Murphy, 39 years at Life West, and Professor Sue Ray, 36 years at Life West. How do you recruit faculty members who end up staying almost 40 years, to a college that had no accreditation, that didn’t even know if it was going to be around the next day. Something innately was there. In Dr. Murphy’s case: “I was hired with a phone call from Dr. Gerry Clum. He actually had me start teaching Radiology, so my position has changed a lot over these decades. But the back story that no one knows is that when he hired me, my first day on campus was a Friday. I drove out to the San Lorenzo campus and I put the adjusting table into the Quad. And I just sat at the end of the table and these kids would come by and I said, “When’s the last time you’ve been checked by a chiropractor? Do you want to get checked and maybe worked on?" So I work the magic on him and his buddy. Both guys became lifelong friends. And people started lining up. That afternoon I adjusted nearly the entire campus in the Quad. No one knew who I was. And then Monday was my first day on campus and everyone knew who I was.” What a great way to introduce yourself to the campus, right?

For Professor Sue Ray, it was crossing paths with department chair Dr. Peggy Phillips who founded the anatomy program at the college. “She asked me if I would be interested in coming over to this new college that was just getting started, and would I be interested in developing curricula? So I thought, this is really cool. And when I came to Life West to interview, I met Jim Hawkins, Anne Marie Smith, and Dr. Gerry Clum, and I was totally enamoured. They proceeded to ask ‘could you teach this course,’ and named a handful of topics. My response was ‘Well, I suppose so,’ and I thought, well, that’d be kind of cool. I didn’t know a thing about chiropractic, right? Was I going to give this a try? It was Warren Vale in my very first class who took me out to the little Quad area on the San Lorenzo campus. We stood underneath the blossoming cherry trees on a beautiful spring day and he told me why he wanted to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. And that was it. I thought, my gosh, this is such a wonderful thing. And so of course I’ve been with Life West ever since.”

Dr. Oberstein’s final evening’s guests were the very first class at Pacific States and the love continued: Dr. Claudia Anrig: “I fell in love with the college because of the

philosophy and the commitment of my colleagues. Everybody knew we were walking into the fire. But we weren’t afraid. There was something very magical about that first class and for every class that came afterwards. I’m really honored that I was lucky enough to be in that first class.” Dr. Michael Zabelin shed some reality on the early days: “It was a middle school that had closed because of the demographic changes in the area. And all I remember are the desk chairs and that everything else was made for little kids. The poor teachers had to bend over to write on the blackboard as they were knee high.” Dr. Michael Gracey added: “you had to be willing to do garage sales to go to our school. That’s how we made “We had a spirit here that people money on the weekends to support the college, as well liked and gravitated toward. And as all of us working jobs and studying as hard as we could.” it was truly a spirit of service..." Most of the students in the first class transferred to Life College Marietta to complete their DC degrees as Life West had yet to receive CCE accreditation in those early years. At this point in the show, Dr. Oberstein made a dramatic announcement to them all: “At either this June or December graduations at the college, for those of you who don’t have a Life West diploma, I would like for you to walk across the stage and receive an honorary Life West diploma. You will finally be capped and gowned at Life West. If I’m lucky enough to get Dr. Gerry on the stage with me, he will be handing you your diplomas.” What an end to a week of celebrations, and what a capstone for 40 years since the college transformed from Pacific States to Life West. In the final reckoning we are our graduates, and we are as proud of these pioneers as we can ever be.

THE BIRTH OF LIFE WEST

George Emmet Anderson graduated with the Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Palmer School of Chiropractic on July 4, 1952. He moved to Hayward, California to open a chiropractic practice in which he would specialize in the upper cervical area of the spine.

The California law which regulated the chiropractic profession required each graduate to have credit for subjects that were not taught at Palmer or in many chiropractic schools before the 1980s. Therefore, in order to be licensed in California Dr. Anderson attended the California Chiropractic College in Oakland from 1952-1953 in order to earn the necessary credits for licensure. He received his second DC degree on September 15, 1953.

As Dr. Anderson’s practice successfully evolved over the next twenty years, he became interested in establishing a chiropractic college in California where he could teach the successful upper cervical technique that had proven so valuable to his patients, called NUCCA.

Dr. Anderson and his close friend Dr. George Wentland, along with a small group of chiropractors began to search the Bay Area for a location to open a college. At the time, one-fifth of the world’s chiropractors practiced in California, yet no college was closer to the large metropolitan Bay Area than Western States Chiropractic College which was 700 miles to the north in Oregon. Los Angeles Chiropractic College was 450 miles to the south.

Drs. Anderson and Wentland founded Pacific States Chiropractic College at 879 Grant Avenue, San Lorenzo, California on August 30, 1976. The college’s Articles of Incorporation were signed October 2, 1976.

On August 27, 1977, the college’s Board of Regents hired Thomas Vander Haar as president of the college and charged him with the responsibility to seek accreditation with the Council on Chiropractic Education.

Seven months later, the first class of twenty four students matriculated in the first week of March 1978. Over the course of the next six months, progress toward achieving the requirements

Dr. Anderson’s office: 542 A Street, Hayward, California

Dr. George Anderson's graduating class from California Chiropractic College, Oakland, California, 1953.

The first campus of Pacific States Chiropractic College, Grant Street, San Lorenzo, 1978.

of accreditation deteriorated due to disagreements between the Board of Regents and the president. As a result, Mr. Vander Haar resigned and along with several dozen students sympathetic to his position, opened a new school in Palo Alto, naming it Northern California College of Chiropractic.

A new Pacific States Chiropractic College president by the name of Dr. Leon Coelho DC was appointed by the board with a charge to rebuild the college and continue to seek accreditation. Dr. Coelho came with seven years of organizational background at Palmer College, which included experience in the process of obtaining accreditation with CCE. Chiropractic course instruction recommenced with the remaining sixteen students in October 1978 and the college began to show signs of growth again. Within a year of his arrival Dr. Coelho resigned his position with the college and was replaced by acting president, Dr. Bruce Presnick DC.

As the college continued to grow in numbers of students, faculty and staff, it outgrew its Grant Avenue facilities and in January 1980 relocated to 2005 Via Barrett, San Lorenzo. In July 1980 an off-campus clinic at 1421 B. Street, Hayward was leased and outfitted for students moving into the clinical phase of their senior year of instruction.

That same year, Dr. Rita Schroader, DC, was appointed president of the college by the Board of Regents. Unfortunately, financial hardships associated with rebuilding the college, an increase in program requirements, along with the frequent presidential changes, all took a heavy toll on the institution’s ability to become accredited.

The effects of the trials and tribulations, along with the accreditation uncertainty with the CCE, caused the Board of Regents to seek a relationship with an established institution so that senior students at Pacific States would have the best chance to graduate.

The college considered entering a consolidation agreement with Northern California College of Chiropractic, but the terms of an agreement were unacceptable. Finally, an agreement was reached in March 1981 between Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia, and Pacific States Chiropractic College.

On March 12, 1981, minutes of the actions taken by the Pacific States Board of Regents show agreement to incorporate the college under the new name, Life Chiropractic College-West, to replace Rita Schroader, DC, as president with Gerard W. Clum, DC, to dissolve the Pacific States Board of Regents and increase the membership of the new Board of Regents to fifteen, with the following members: John Boutwell, DC, Cameron Cassan, DC, Ian Grassam, DC, Robert Hatch, DC, Willie Mae Pruitt, DC, William C. Remling, DC, James R. McGinnis, DC, Charles Ribley, DC, James M. Sigafoose, DC, Robert Sottile, DC, the Reverend Carl A. Standard, Louis Tiscareno, DC, Thomas Turley, DC, and Ralph Ungerank, DC.

On February 3, 1983, the college was granted Recognized Candidate Status with the CCE. Full accreditation was granted in July 1987 and Life Chiropractic College West started another period of rapid expansion. As the college grew, it never lost the roots that Drs. Anderson and Wentland laid down, nor the significance of Lasting Purpose that Dr. Williams implanted within the college. The chiropractic profession owes a great deal of gratitude to Drs. Anderson, Wentland and Williams as Life West continues to be the beacon of vitalistic chiropractic on the west coast.

Bruce Presnick, DC, instructing a technique lab, November 1980

George Anderson, DC

Founder of Pacific States Chiropractic College

Sid E. Williams, DC

Founder of Life Chiropractic College

The 1978 matriculating class of students to Pacific States Chiropractic College with transition to Life Chiropractic College West in 1981. The students transferred to Life Chiropractic College, Marietta, Georgia for a final year of study after which they were granted the Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

On December 12, 1981, Dr. Sid Williams DC awarded the Doctor of Chiropractic Humanities degree to Dr. George E. Anderson.

The 1986 Life Chiropractic College West Board of Regents

Standing: D.D. Humber, DC, Jenifer Jensen, DC, James McGinnis, DC, Seated: Thomas Turley, DC, Luverne Anderson, DC, Carl Dieter, DC, Rod Handley, DC (Not pictured: Louis Tiscareno, DC, Mark Klingert, DC)

SEMINARS, SPA, SPRING FOR LIFE

BY DR. GEORGE CASEY DC

CURATOR, LCCW CHIROPRACTIC MUSEUM

Though the Wave is our most recent program to provide students with opportunities to listen, learn and interact with alumni and other notable speakers in the profession, Life West has always tapped the vision, inspiration and knowledge of the profession for its students.

In the early 1980s the Friday Seminar began what has become an unbroken tradition through today. These earliest seminars were held in the auditorium of the Via Barrett campus. Students were required to attend seven of the ten one-hour programs offered. Speakers and topics expanded students’ knowledge and awareness of the impact of chiropractic care through the eyes of practicing alumni and guest speakers.

The 1980s also gave rise to a wide array of campus clubs, the quarterly Activities Fair and annual celebrations such as Founders Day and the Sleigh Bells Dash, all of which added a casual and festive social element to the demands and rigor of the educational program.

In 1991, the college expanded its weekly Friday Seminar speaker program to include a day-long event called Spring for Life. It consisted of a morning speakers program followed by a picnic lunch and interactive games for the whole Life West community.

In the fall of 1992, SPA Day (Science, Philosophy and Art) was created as an annual event featuring a variety of speakers and campus activities to enhance community spirit. Vendors were invited to provide students with an opportunity to learn about products complimentary to chiropractic services. The program featured headliner speakers in the auditorium in the morning followed by break-out sessions throughout the campus in the afternoon.

In 2000, when the campus relocated to 25001 Industrial Blvd., Hayward, both Spring for Life and SPA Day continued as annual events. Prior to construction of the Standard Process Assembly Hall (SPAH) and gymnasium in 2015, speakers gave their presentations in room 150 with remote broadcast to four additional lecture rooms.

All these programs provided enormous benefit to students by bringing them the first hand experience of alumni and other inspirational speakers who shared the qualities of Lasting-Purpose to Give, to Do, to Love and to Serve from one’s own place of abundance.