Salutations!  My name is Christopher Kotwicki and I am a future Doctor of Chiropractic ! I am also a self-proclaimed beach bum, animal lover, fitness junkie, and sports fanatic.

I started the DC program in January of 2015 and I am currently entering my second trimester at National University of Health Sciences in the sunny state of Florida. Unlike some of my peers, I am not from Florida. In fact, I am from the northeast–specifically the great state of New Jersey. I earned my baccalaureate from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey with a major in biology.

I am thrilled to write this blog since reading previous blogs helped me decide NUHS in Florida was my perfect fit. So how did I end up over 1,000 miles away from the place I call home?

During my four years in undergrad I considered many different career paths but was sure of one thing, I wanted to help people. I know it sounds cliché, but after witnessing physicians treat my loved ones’ pain and illnesses, I was motivated to want to do the same. Knowing that every person I encounter is someone’s mother or father or son or daughter, inspires me to want to treat my future patients as if they were my own family.

My problem was deciding which profession to choose. I considered doctor of physical therapy, doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathic medicine, and doctor of chiropractic. In order to decide which profession to pursue, I shadowed each profession. I must have changed my mind 10 times, but talking to my friends, family, the professionals, and the patients helped shape my decision to become a chiropractor. When I was trying to decide which to pursue, Google was my worst enemy. I stumbled upon tons of contradicting information online. It was hard to tell who was trying to help and who had ulterior motives.

Instead of listening to what “people say,” I listened to what people I had actually met had to say, as well as people who put their name on their statements like the bloggers at NUHS . Every chiropractor I spoke to loved their job, and every patient of chiropractic I spoke to loved chiropractic. That includes myself–I have been a patient of chiropractic care for over 10 years!

Chiropractic helped me recover from sports injuries, car accidents, and work related injuries. I worked construction, stained decks, painted houses, and worked retail at a furniture store. I played soccer and ran track in high school and continued to play soccer at the collegiate and semi-professional levels. Needless to say, I have had my fair share of injuries and ailments. Chiropractic always helped me recover and get back to work or back on the field. I was shocked to learn there are detractors of the field that had helped me for years. Knowing that chiropractic helped me, my family, and millions of others was all I needed to decide it was right for me.

Everyone has an opinion but YOUR opinion should be the one that matters most to YOU!

So I knew chiropractic was the career I wanted, but which school to attend was the next decision. I wanted to escape the cold weather (especially after all the snow we have had in the Northeast) and go to grad school somewhere warm.

I also wanted a school with a strong scientific program. National trains their future doctors to be primary care physicians but approaches health care naturally and holistically. I am a man of science; I did research in undergrad on the antimicrobial properties of essential oils so I know there is sound scientific evidence behind many alternative/complementary treatments. The science is strong at a few DC schools, but none as strong as National. Plus there are no schools in this area with as strong a curriculum.

After talking to current NUHS Florida students and visiting the school , I knew leaving my friends and family to go to school in Florida was worth it. Finally, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Florida in December of 2014. I love this program, and I have only just begun. I am looking forward to sharing my story, and hope you all learn what life is like as a chiropractic student at NUHS in Florida.

Email me at  [email protected]