The Smaller Centre Chiropractic practice Is it for you? vides enhanced community acceptance with less competition. Still, there are downsides. When weighing the options, what will be the advantages and disadvantages of the city versus a peripheral, small town. Why would anyone not practice in the larger metropo- lis, with all of its conveniences rather than in some berg that offers fewer creature com- forts and is a million miles from anywhere? What are the motivating factors for both? W Lloyd Manning is a semi-retired business appraiser and financial analyst who is now a freelance business article writer. He resides in Lloydminster, Sask. He can be reached at [email protected]. WEIGHING THE BIG CITy AGAINST THE SMALLER TOWN In small-town Canada, most often, you escape the rat race, the noise, the pollution, and the crime. Often, an initial attraction is that people are friendlier in smaller centres than in larger cities. But, are they, or is this just a perception? Ask different people – and expect different answers. A comparison will indicate that broad-based familiarization increases as the town’s size decreases. Still, you may not know your neighbours any better in a community of 15,000 than in a city of 150,000. However, the neighbour-to- neighbour and friend-to-friend support is stronger, in a smaller town, than in the larger city where people are more inclined to “do their own thing” and more carefully guard their privacy. Consider, also, that, as you are bringing a needed service to a tiny town, you should have no difficulty fitting in. A survey conducted by The American Medical Association indicated that final year resident physicians preferred to practice in urban areas, where they believed the ameni- ties would be better for their families. All wanted good schools for their kids, swimming pools and golf courses, spousal employment, and the other perks that are part of a met- ropolitan area. Chiropractors, I wager, are no different. But, unlike a city, in the smaller centre, business is done on a more personal basis. Doctors, lawyers and ministers are called by their first name. Daily, you meet the local entrepreneurs on the street; the grocer, the druggist, the restaurant owner. You see them in the coffee shop, in the store, may attend the same church, service club and enjoy the Continued on page 38 18 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | FEBRUARY 2009 www.canadianchiropractor.ca hen starting out, a chiropractor must often choose whether to practice in a larger city or opt for the smaller centre. Frequently the smaller community provides the opportunity to develop a more diversified practice, and pro- Lloyd R. Manning, AACI, FRI feature
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