It may have taken three years, but it sure was worth it.
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Five years ago, Mudgee Chiropractic Health and Wellness Centre's (CHWC) Dr Ryan Hislop tasked himself with further advancing his chiropractic education.
After being pointed in the direction of the Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (FIANM) course thanks to the NSW Rural Doctors Network, Ryan soon enough completed the rigorous board examinations and has since found himself to be one of four chiropractors in Australia to have successfully become a Fellow.
"It's an honour to have been accepted into the Academy and be awarded the fellowship," Dr Hislop said.
I wanted to further my education and offer the best knowledge and expertise in my field to my patients and community. I wasn't sure how it would happen, but then I was given the opportunity to pursue the course.
- Dr Ryan Hislop
"The NSW Rural Doctors Network provided me with a scholarship to assist with the cost of the course, travel and accommodation that was necessary over the three years of the course."
The path to obtaining an FIANM status is a challenging one that begins with a minimum requirement of 80 per cent on coursework units, which must have a score of 80 per cent before a progression to the board examinations is offered. However, one must have a score of 100 per cent before moving on to the next unit.
After 300 hours of coursework and unit examinations are completed, a three hour written examination for Part One is tasked before taking on Part Two which features a four hour Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), both requiring a minimum score of 80 per cent before passing.
While the qualification is an achievement in itself for Dr Hislop, he said it will naturally improve the overall experience for his patients in a variety of capacities.
"Having this qualification will allow us [CHWC] to provide the most up to date and evidence based service to the Mudgee region," he said.
"The course also has a communication module which aims to develop better communication and overall relationships with other health care providers such as our local GPs, physios and specialists so that we can get the best result for our patients working as a team.
"Musculoskeletal pain and spinal pain particularly, is highly prevalent in regional and remote areas of Australia. With the FIANM, it will allow us to better manage these disorders and improve the quality of life more in our community."
Read more | People Of The Year: Ryan Hislop
When posed with the question, 'What is it that you love about being a chiropractor?', Ryan said it has a lot to do with being a factor in the overall boost of a person's quality of life who may have been struggling prior.
"I am very results driven, so I gain great satisfaction in seeing someone who was once unable to work, pick up the kids, play sport to then being able to do these once again without any problem," he said.
I am very satisfied when I see these people not only out of pain, but how this has an effect on their life, their relationships and their happiness as a result of their body working as it should and allowing them to do the things that are important to them.
Dr Hislop hasn't quite finished his stint of furthering his expertise with a possibility for writing examinations on the table.
"I have been asked by the Academy to be an exam writer and subject matter expert for spinal disc pain and vertigo over the next few years," he said.
"I'm not sure where that will take me, but I'm happy to be involved and to ensure that the candidates are up to the standard required to be part of the Academy."