Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Jodi Kirsch.
Dr. Kirsch, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a family full of doctors trained in many different specialties. For as long as I can remember, I too wanted to be a doctor. I knew that I wanted to specialize in a field that I would be extremely passionate about and one that I believed, would help the most people. While in High School I did an internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I worked in a research laboratory specializing in “strokes” thus, beginning my pathway toward my future profession. After graduating from High School I attended the Literature, Science and Arts Program at the University of Michigan. Soon after starting at the University I transferred to the School of Kinesiology because I was intrigued by the biomechanics of the body. Upon graduation I took some time off before applying to Graduate School. I started working in the operating room at Oregon Health and Sciences University as an Anesthesia Technologist. The experience was very eye opening in regards to how our current medical system works. There are a lot of very sick people who could have prevented the need to undergo surgery if only they had been properly educated. After working in the operating room for 3 years, I began to investigate other specialties that had a heavy focus on patient education. I quickly decided that my calling was to be a Chiropractic Physician. I attended National University of Health Sciences and after matriculation I was employed as an Associate Physician in a practice where I was finally able to put my knowledge and passion to work helping people. Once I had honed my skills, with the support and encouragement of my husband, I decided to open my own Chiropractic office in the West Loop of Chicago; West Loop Spine & Stability. I have made it my mission to create a practice that is truly patient centered, focusing on the whole patient using a treatment style that is not rushed or determined by the current health care system model of care.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always challenges with being an entrepreneur and business owner. I have encountered many bumps and challenges along the way. The two greatest challenges have been; creating a successful business without having had any formal business training and, more importantly, balancing my business and family life.
Creating a business without having formal business training.
Learning how to run a business, when most of my training in school was how to be a highly skilled Chiropractic Physician, has been extremely challenging. There was very limited emphasis placed upon, “this is how to open your own practice”. With this limited training on the business front I have had to get my information from reading books, asking family and friends who own their own medical practices, taking countless classes, and most importantly, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes to make my practice better.
Work life balance
Leading up to having my daughter one year ago, my life revolved around work. Six to seven days a week I was in the office seeing patients up to 12 hours a day, then, I would go home and do paper work until going to sleep. My passion for my practice and my patients is what I lived for. I wanted the practice to grow and I was hungry to make sure that the practice was successful. I read that statistically, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months. I was determined not to become part of that statistic. For years, my daily routine has been to wake up, workout and work until I go to sleep. On December 18th, 2016 my world changed with the birth of my daughter. It was time to find a work-life balance! The biggest challenge was to find the right people to work in the office so that I could take a step back without sacrificing the quality of our care. It took some time, but I finally found great doctors and amazing staff who make the office run with the same quality of care as when I was there from open to close. Now, I have a wonderful work-life balance.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
West Loop Spine & Stability is a multidisciplinary health care facility. We are the premier resource for Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Spinal Decompression, Massage Therapy, Musculoskeletal Injuries, Sports Rehabilitation, and Pregnancy care all housed under one roof. It is our mission to provide the most current, effective, progressive, and individualized care for each of our patients. No two bodies are the same therefore, all treatment provided at West Loop Spine & Stability is truly patient centered and specific to your personalized needs.
We are known for our longer appointment times and all treatment is provided by the physician. We do not use assistants for your care, from the moment you enter the practice you are greeted and taken back to the room by your physician, treated by your physician and walked out of your appointment by your physician. I am most proud of our true attention to detail and treating the patient as a whole and not just their symptoms.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was overall very quiet. I was studious and determined. I was always the kid in school that was striving for the “A”. When I wasn’t in school I was figure skating. Leading up to college my interest was in getting good grades, learning and skating. If I wasn’t in school you could always find me at the ice rink either working in the snack bar, skating or training.
Contact Info:
- Address: 212 N CARPENTER ST
UNIT A1/A2 - Website: www.wlspine.com
- Phone: 312-928-9282
- Email: jodi@wlspine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wlspine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reinforcewellness
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WestLoopSpine
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-loop-spine-and-stability-chicago
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