Katie Pohlman, D.C., hands off son, Jacob, to husband
Randy, then a student, during another hectic day. |
When asked how I decided to become a chiropractor,
all I can remember is that in the 8th grade,
I wrote an essay on what I wanted to be when I grew
up and I knew I wanted to be a chiropractor.
After my husband, Randy, and I were married in the
summer of 2002, we moved from Maria Stein, Ohio,
to Davenport to start what we thought was going to
be a three-year journey to finish my plan of becoming
a chiropractor. But in 2004, we realized we were
going to be here a bit longer than three years.
As I entered my sixth trimester in the chiropractic
curriculum, I was also entering into my third
trimester of pregnancy with our first child. It was
at that point that I realized I wanted to take some
time off to be with him.
That same year, Randy, who was a computer numerical
control programmer by trade, began to see more
potential within himself in the chiropractic field. Initially he considered
becoming a chiropractic technologist so that we could work together.
But as he attended orientation for the C.T. program and heard about all
that chiropractors do, I could tell that he was drawn to the career of a
chiropractor. So he stayed in the C.T. program long enough to fulfill his
undergraduate requirements before entering Palmer’s D.C. program.
Now our three-year journey was about to have an extension.
By June of 2006, I had graduated and opened a small private practice
within a business in Bettendorf, Iowa. I was also in the middle of
obtaining my Diplomate in Chiropractic Pediatrics. However, I soon
became disappointed in the quantity and quality of research in
chiropractic that dealt with pediatrics, so I enrolled in Palmer’s Master
of Clinical Research program.
After four months in this program, I also realized that I did not have
enough time to be a full-time mom, full-time student and a practicing
chiropractor. Since I knew there was a need for quality pediatric
research for the chiropractic profession, I sold my small business so
I could dedicate more time to my master’s degree.
In the winter of 2007, I was offered a full-time position in the Research
Department as a clinical project manager. And in June, after Randy
receives his D.C. degree, we will be welcoming our second child to
the family.
The most challenging aspect of our journey has been maintaining
a balance between personal, family and professional time. We
strongly believe that nobody can raise a child better then one’s
parents, so we have been committed to spending as much time as
possible with our son.
To be able to keep this balance and spend time with our son, we have
also had to have very open lines of communication with each other.
For example, by completing the D.C. program myself, I’ve understood
the expectations that have been required of my husband. And in the
same way, Randy has been able to support me through my jobs and the
pursuit of my Diplomate and master’s degree. Together we have been
able to keep each other balanced and still enjoy life.