The Vision of Palmer College of Chiropractic Realized
In 2008, the leaders of Palmer College of Chiropractic put their vision for the future of the College into a document that all constituents, including administration, faculty, staff, students and the Board of Trustees, agreed was the best course for the future success of the College as a whole. This far-reaching document set a course for the next five years for the four cores of the institution—Academic Affairs, Clinical Affairs, Research and Student Success—which are represented by three College components as outlined in this story.
Since the development of the road map in 2008, the College has embarked on a five-year journey to make this visionary document a reality by 2013. The process has involved several paradigm shifts, including moving from a student-centered clinical education system to one that is patient-centered and faculty-directed. In addition, the entire institution has made an evident commitment to quality and continuous improvement. The College also has made a firm commitment to allocating the resources necessary to update its facilities, or in some cases create new ones, in order to make its vision a reality by 2013. All of these efforts have served to align the Palmer campuses.
The Palmer College faculty and staff are recognized in higher education for their commitment to life-long learning, effective teaching, academic inquiry, scholarship and administrative leadership. In addition, the College has achieved notable success in its efforts to attract, develop and retain a superior and diverse group of employees, students and patients.
Palmer College has been able to achieve success in all of these areas while at the same time developing a financial reserve of $50 million. The San Jose campus was merged with the Main Campus corporation so that Palmer truly became one College in 2009. Because of its foresight, the College today is internationally recognized as the finest chiropractic institution in the world. This is the story of Palmer College’s journey and its remarkable results.
The Academic Affairs Component
Faculty, Staff and Students Contribute to Collegial Learning Environment
Academic Affairs at Palmer College attracts faculty, staff and students from all corners of the world who are dedicated to the College’s educational purposes. These individuals contribute to the success of Palmer’s academic practices and programs through their mounting expertise, spirit of inquiry, and cooperative engagement. In turn, Academic Affairs provides its faculty, staff and students a safe and collegial learning and work environment with opportunities for advancement in pay and/or rank based upon productivity and outcomes.
By consistently maintaining their learner-centered, competency-based focus in education, the faculty, as well as the instructional staff and administrators, are well prepared to contribute to the academic programs at the College. Faculty members are encouraged to share input and demonstrate involvement through the Faculty Senate organization on each campus.
Academic Programs are Unique and Effective
Supported by its strong faculty, instructional staff and administrators, Palmer College’s Division of Academic Affairs is widely recognized for offering unique and effective educational programs for graduate placement in a rapidly changing and demanding healthcare environment. Its primary program is the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree, which is well integrated and informed by the best evidence. The progressive skill-building courses embrace the Palmer Tenets and Philosophy Statement, and reflect the learning targets of the Palmer Abilities and Palmer Educational Principles. Furthermore, by focusing on contemporary clinical practice and patient-centered care, the Doctor of Chiropractic program has long-been recognized for preparing the next generation of chiropractors and leaders in the profession.
In addition to the highly valued education provided in its D.C. degree program, Palmer College offers other sought-after degree programs, which include a Master of Science Degree in Clinical Research, a Master of Science Degree in Anatomy, and highly regarded, value-structured undergraduate programs designed to support practicing D.C.s, including the Associate of Science in Chiropractic Technology Degree as well as Certified Clinical Assistant and Certified Office Assistant certificates. The Bachelor of Science Degree offered by Palmer College serves to build a firm foundation on which to meet the challenges of the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree program while providing students with an education committed to preparing lifelong learners for careers in chiropractic healthcare professions.
Facilities and Technology Promote Learning
When distilled, the Mission of Palmer College, and especially Academic Affairs, is to facilitate student learning. With the understanding that learning is an active process of the student, not the College, the central focus of Academic Affairs has become the reciprocal—increasing teaching effectiveness to facilitate learning. All employees of Academic Affairs have a core commitment to facilitate student learning. The Center for Teaching and Learning, Palmer Teaching Clinics and David D. Palmer libraries represent subdivisions committed to specific aspects of learning.
The Center for Teaching and Learning is at the heart of academic life for faculty. The Center provides essential resources and development opportunities to support and empower faculty members, especially in the areas of instructional effectiveness and academic achievement, thereby strengthening the College’s academic programs and overall mission. Palmer College, similar to other professional training institutions, is not a think tank, research institution or sterile warehouse of knowledge. However, research and scholarly activities are essential to effective teaching. Scholarship informs teaching.
Palmer’s clinics, which are maintained through Academic Affairs, function both to provide patient care and also to support the educational mission of the College in preparing Palmer graduates for successful chiropractic practice. These clinical functions provide personal, effective and service-oriented care to Palmer’s patients.
Palmer’s campus libraries provide key programs and services in support of the objectives of the College and Academic Affairs. The focus is on enhancing the campus learning environment by providing an organized and readily accessible collection of materials, electronic information resources, personal professional services and access to state-of-the-art electronic equipment. The College’s libraries serve all constituents on each campus: student learning, faculty instruction, clinical patient care, scholarship and research, and they assist other College division programs. Further, they are a valued information resource for local communities.
Partnership and Collaboration Encouraged
Over the past several years, the administration has been dedicated to adopting common academic committees, policies and practices among all Palmer campuses within one College. The Division of Academic Affairs has encouraged collaboration, integrated and aligned with the central College interests of other core areas of the College. In addition, Academic Affairs has sought positive impact to serve the surrounding community within and outside of chiropractic.
Excellence is the Focus of Clinical Affairs
Maintained through Academic Affairs, the Palmer clinics serve dual roles—providing personal, effective and service-oriented care to Palmer’s patients as well as developing the attributes necessary for its graduates to be successful in today’s chiropractic practice environment.
Clinical education has contributed to the realization of the institution’s vision by offering experiential-learning opportunities distinguished by and recognized for their innovation, breadth and quality. In doing so, the clinical education program maintains a reputation that augments the College’s competitive advantage for attracting experienced faculty, prospective students and patients.
A Culture Shift
Attaining these strategic initiatives over the past five years necessitated a shift in the clinic culture from that of being student centered to now being value based, whereby the respective best interests of patient and student are mutually considered and both appreciate the worth of their experiences. A number of initiatives have been undertaken in recent years to enhance and broaden the student’s clinical educational experience as well as improve the quality of patient care delivered in the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics. For instance, the Palmer clinics have embraced, employed and contributed to clinical and educational best practices, championing the considerations of available evidence, clinician experience and patient preferences within chiropractic education.
In addition, by employing a mentor model of clinical internship, the clinics have developed an educational environment that is patient centered and faculty directed. This transition began with the opening of the Palmer Academic Health Center in July 2007, and has been fully realized in all clinics on each of the Palmer campuses.
Varied Student Opportunities
Palmer’s clinical education opportunities range from local to international in scope, including on-campus, remote site and community-based internship options, and expanded outreach, integrated care, precept and clinic abroad experiences. Internship opportunities are no longer restricted by geography; students from all of Palmer’s campuses have the ability to apply for and receive their clinical education at any of Palmer College’s clinic internship programs throughout the world.
The academic health center model for clinics—consisting of first professional education, quality patient-centered care and scholarship—has been advanced on all Palmer campuses. Clinic faculty and student interns now routinely participate in federally funded clinical research in the Palmer clinics under the auspices of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research.
A Valued Community Healthcare Resource
An important initiative for the clinics during the past five years has been to establish and maintain a reputation for the Palmer Chiropractic Clinics as a valued healthcare resource not just for the communities in which they reside, but for many others who are referred to Palmer for care. The teaching clinic operations are renowned as centers of excellence for healthcare specializing in chiropractic, focusing on the conservative management of spine-related pain, injuries, and neuromusculoskeletal disorders. Additionally, the Palmer clinics are widely recognized for the promotion of health awareness, healthy lifestyles and early detection of disease. In doing so they have been able to develop and attract the most experienced and accomplished clinician mentors as clinic faculty. The communities in which Palmer clinics are located have responded favorably to this initiative—the numbers of patients utilizing the College clinics have substantially increased since 2008. The Palmer Clinics have become recognized as the center of focus for chiropractic clinic operations throughout the world.
Significant effort has gone toward the cultivation of collaborative clinical practice and educational opportunities with other healthcare disciplines, healthcare systems, and federal, state and local healthcare agencies. Over the past five years, Palmer has established such relationships with the Department of Defense, the Veterans Health Administration, local hospitals and medical groups, state agencies and benevolent organizations such as the Salvation Army.
The Latest Technology Enhances Student Learning and Patient Care
To realize its vision, Palmer has invested heavily in educational and clinical technologies intended to enhance both patient care and student learning. The Palmer clinics are recognized as diagnostic imaging centers of excellence, and as leaders in the implementation of electronic patient record-keeping and the use of innovative educational software applications. Clinical education also coordinates with the Palmer Center for Business Development to expose student interns to the use of business and practice management software applications. There has been a significant increase in the use of technology in the classroom that has made Palmer a recognized leader in this area, not just because of the technology but because of the way in which the Center for Teaching and Learning assists instructors both in the development and application of the technology. The use of web-based and other forms of technology- driven systems to assist the student or to offer courses at a distance has reached into every aspect of the Palmer educational system from pre-chiropractic to post graduation.
Valuing and Improving Quality
The culture of continuous quality improvement evident throughout the College is reinforced in the Palmer clinics through the Clinical Integrity Program (CIP) established five years ago. The CIP provides the processes and mechanisms by which quality-related clinic and provider data are captured, recorded and used to improve the educational and patient care environments.
In conjunction with these efforts, quality-related key performance objectives have been developed and implemented into faculty collective bargaining agreements and handbooks. Similar quality-related expectations have been developed and implemented for clinic support staff and for student interns.
In addition, the Palmer clinics have all obtained the prestigious NCQA-Back Pain Recognition Program certification, and are actively investigating and pursuing other quality-related accreditations, certifications or credentials.
The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research Component
Today, thanks to creative vision and productive teamwork at the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR), the PCCR is acknowledged by both scientific and healthcare peers, as well as by federal, state and private funding agencies, as the premier center for chiropractic research in the world. Five years ago, PCCR investigators began advancing from a strong platform that had already been built in basic science research toward an overarching goal: establishing the first translational research center for chiropractic. Translational research is focused on making science more directly relevant to improving human health. Currently, the Palmer Center for Translational Research in Chiropractic is conducting groundbreaking research that will shape daily chiropractic practice worldwide. This remarkable achievement has been accomplished, in large part, by integrating Palmer’s basic research program with an expanded clinical research capacity. The PCCR has further developed its clinical and translational research abilities, strengthened scientific expertise and research infrastructure across all campuses, continued to build partnerships with other scientific collaborators, and diversified funding sources.
People Provide Vision and Leadership
Faculty, staff and administrators at the PCCR are dedicated individuals who seek to advance public health by developing knowledge and translating that knowledge to the practice of chiropractic health care.
The faculty and professional staff are the engines of success at the PCCR. They identify meaningful research questions, collaborate with investigators within and beyond the College, obtain external research funding, design and execute high-quality research studies, serve as graduate and postdoctoral research mentors, play a key role in teaching clinical research masters students, and participate in evidence-based training of chiropractic students. In addition, in recognition of the growing complexity of the research conducted at Palmer College, the PCCR holds to the highest ethical standards for the use of human subjects and animals in its research.
Research Programs Key to Success
Research and training programs at the PCCR are devoted to improving public health by developing knowledge, translating that knowledge to the practice of chiropractic health care, and training translational researchers to further advance the science of chiropractic. This is accomplished through a synergy of high-quality, relevant clinical studies, basic science, and health services research.
The College has achieved internationally recognized success in three main areas of study: 1) delivery of care, which encompasses the doctor/patient relationship, cost-effectiveness, safety and risk issues, and wellness and prevention issues; 2) outcomes of care, which encompass biological/physiological effects, along with clinical evaluation, diagnosis and prognosis, as well as technique assessment; and 3) mechanisms of care, which encompass normative data, spine lesions (e.g. vertebral subluxation complex) and spinal adjustment/manipulation.
Recognized as Data Leader
The PCCR’s Office of Data Management and Biostatistics (ODM) serves all Palmer campuses, and is widely recognized for the quality of its work within chiropractic research and the broader healthcare arena. Recognition includes its capabilities in providing biostatistical leadership and expertise in data collection, modeling and analysis for research studies, web and database application development, and data coordination and management. The ODM enhances the PCCR’s ability to provide project-specific data management simultaneously for multiple research projects within and across sites. In addition, the ODM assists in the development of innovative and competitive independent research projects, including R01 and R21 clinical and translational research project grant applications to the NIH and similar applications to other external funding sources.
Research Program Cores Provide Firm Foundation
The research program at Palmer College includes three cores, which serve as service focal points. The Clinic Core provides vital expertise for all Palmer campuses through general clinical services for research projects and through project-specific clinical patient management services. This core also aids in the development of innovative, competitive and independent R01 and R21 clinical and translational research project grant applications to the NIH and other external funding sources.
The Biomechanics Core offers biomechanical expertise for basic, translational and clinical projects conducted by Palmer investigators and in collaboration with researchers external to Palmer. These activities may include, for example, configuring and maintaining state-of-the-art equipment, developing data recording protocols, and consulting with outside services to design and fabricate biomechanical testing equipment.
The Laboratory Animal Resource Core provides vital expertise for the PCCR through general animal care services related to basic science research projects. This core operates under the guidance of the Palmer Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. This core maintains an animal facility under the highest standard of animal care. Licensed and inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Agriculture, the Laboratory Animal Resource Core assures that the care and use of animals is scientifically, technically and humanely appropriate.
The Student Success Component
The remaining part of Palmer College’s story revolves around the achievements of Student Success, a division of the College charged with enhancing and supporting the academic mission of the College. The core of Student Success operations encompasses the dual paradigms of student development and student services, including building alliances between the classroom and other aspects of campus life.
Palmer’s Student Success area provides students services such as those of the Registrar’s Office and Financial Planning Office that focus on service excellence based on student needs and continuous quality improvement. The Registrar’s Office is a primary point of contact for students on all Palmer campuses, where they may obtain schedules of classes, register for courses, drop/add/withdraw, obtain grade reports and transcripts, and receive diplomas.
The Financial Planning Office focuses on service to students and stewardship of funds. Practically speaking, the Financial Planning Office assumes primary responsibility on behalf of the institution for compliance with government requirements. It provides the most responsible aid packages available that emphasize student debt management and repayment while maintaining compliance with Title IV, state and federal regulations.
As a partner in the educational enterprise, Student Success contributes to the comprehensive educational experience of Palmer students and is committed to finding new and appropriate ways to engage students to assure they feel a part of and become engaged with the College and the chiropractic profession. During the past five years, this important relationship has helped the College move forward successfully. Palmer’s Student Success programs have been instrumental in creating successful alumni. A key component of this success has been integration of student-focused programs with continuing education opportunities for alumni.
Student Development Provides Academic Support
Programs in student development have been enhanced during the past five years with the aim of providing the most supportive and fulfilling academic environment possible for all students at Palmer College.
These programs include - Academic Advising , Faculty Advising, and International Student Advising. The Academic Advising Program assists students in the development of meaningful educational plans. The Faculty Advising Program, which provides one-on-one faculty interaction (mentorship) with students, thus increasing retention of students who have the potential for academic success and providing a venue for faculty service to the institution. The International Student Advising Program is integral to the success of Palmer’s international students, as the College continues to pursue opportunities to serve the international market.
The primary mission of the Office of Student Learning and Development (OSLD) is to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to all curricular and co-curricular opportunities offered by the institution. The Office of Adjudication/Compliance supports and enhances the College’s educational mission by promoting a positive educational and work environment that encourages respect, integrity, safety and equal opportunity.
Student Services Enhances Learning Environment
As its name implies, the domain of Student Services exists for one reason: to serve Palmer students. Over the past five years, Palmer’s Student Services function has been expanded in order to provide students with the most well-rounded and satisfying educational experience possible.
For example, the Recreational Sports Program enhances students’ fitness and wellness, knowledge, personal skills and enjoyment by providing opportunities for a variety of activities that contribute to individual fitness and wellness. The Student Housing program serves as a resource to assist students with safe, affordable housing within walking distance of the campuses.
The Campus Activities Program enhances the overall educational experience of students through development of, exposure to, and participation in programs and activities that improve student cooperation and leadership, including clubs and organizations. Participation in this Program also prepares students to be responsible advocates and citizens ; its offerings complement the institution’s academic programs. As the center of campus community life, the Student Union complements the academic experience through an extensive variety of cultural, social, and recreational programs.
Elective Programs Offer Variety and Quality to Students and Alumni
Palmer College has long been known for providing alumni with a comprehensive set of educational options. In recent years, these elective programs have been expanded to serve students while they earn their degree from Palmer.
Continuing Education Provides Quality Lifelong Learning
In the area of continuing education, Palmer College focuses on the advancement of Palmer and the profession through the development and implementation of quality lifelong learning vehicles for students, faculty and alumni. These efforts include positive interaction with all campuses, other Palmer departments and alumni networks, and result in the development of mutually rewarding relationships with outside organizations and the community.
The College’s Continuing Education programs consist of license renewal, certificate and diplomate programming, advancement initiatives, online and distance learning, and speaker’s bureaus. In addition, Continuing Education reaches out to new audiences through College events such as Destination Success and by combining continuing education programming with cruises to the Caribbean and other locales worldwide. The majority of the total number of enrollees this year are educated through web-based instruction.
Palmer Leads Chiropractic Education in Producing Business-Savvy Graduates
Palmer has continued its innovative traditions by introducing a program new to chiropractic education. In 2008, the College launched the Palmer Center for Business Development, dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation through educational programs that bridge academic training, clinical skills and business. It is evident that the programs offered through the Center continue to educate the highest caliber chiropractors who not only knows chiropractic, but knows how to succeed in the business world as well.
Since 2008, this program has developed several key components, all of which have served to enhance the business knowledge and success of Palmer graduates. For instance, the Center includes a comprehensive business training co-curriculum, the highest-quality business library in the chiropractic profession, and a dedicated area for development of of technology that matches student skills with the current and ancticipated employment needs in the marketplace.
In addition, the Center provides mentorship opportunities for students with alumni and others in order to enhance job placement, provides cutting-edge entrepreneurial research resources and engage in a variety of leadership events. The Destination Success symposia provide students and alumni with a focus on successful business practice.
Career Planning and Guidance Services Offered for Students and Alumni
The Career Development Center assists students and alumni through all phases of their career development. This includes helping them develop self-knowledge related to career choice and work performance by identifying, assessing and understanding their competencies, interests, values and personal characteristics.
Specifically, the Center helps students in obtaining educational and occupational information to aiding them in career and educational planning and in developing an understanding of the world of work. Through the Center’s programs, the students also learn to take personal responsibility for developing job-search competencies, future educational and employment plans, and career decisions.
Students gain experience through activities, community service, student employment, research or creative projects, cooperative education, internships and other opportunities. The Center’s resources also allow them to link with alumni, employers, professional organizations and others who can provide opportunities to develop professional interests and competencies, integrate academic learning with work and explore future career possibilities.
Palmer’s Vision Is Now Real Life
The breadth and depth of the vision originally conceived by Palmer’s leadership in 2008 rendered the thought of accomplishing it by 2013 seem challenging ... and it was. With sound strategic organizational development, hard work and perseverance, this ambitious vision is now a reality, and the results as outlined in this article are truly remarkable. Palmer College of Chiropractic’s campuses, led by the main campus in Davenport, Iowa, are now solidly positioned to be the leaders in chiropractic education, and their graduates are prepared for success in practice and in life.