D.C. Alumna, Adjunct Professor of Chiropractic Sciences, Chiropractor with Lieberman Family Chiropractic in Rome, Georgia

 

A healthy respect for the self-healing properties of the body was part and parcel of Dr. Rebecca Lapham-Yaun’s upbringing as the youngest of two in Hickory, North Carolina. Her mom worked as a nurse and took a holistic approach to home health care. If there was a low-grade fever or other mild symptoms, that was simply taken as a sign that the body was taking care of itself. Thus, members of Dr. Lapham-Yaun’s family only went to the doctor for standard care and for more serious matters requiring intervention. As Dr. Lapham-Yaun began to contemplate her future, Chiropractic seemed like a compelling career path given the broadened view of health care she had inherited. It paired well with her active, athletic lifestyle as well, as a dancer, cheerleader, gymnast and track & field athlete at different points.

In 2006, Dr. Lapham-Yaun joined the ranks of the D.C. program at Life University (Life U) and graduated in 2010. During her time as a student, she worked as a Supplemental Instruction (SI) leader, a role since renamed PAL (Peer-Assisted Learning).

“I think that’s what kind of got me into teaching,” Dr. Lapham-Yaun noted.

She served as a SI leader for a fair number of classes that she would later teach on behalf of the college, once qualified as a licensed chiropractor. Drs. Laura Huber and Linda Mullen served as valuable mentors to young Dr. Lapham-Yaun. In fact, Dr, Mullen even performed Dr. Lapham-Yaun’s first ever chiropractic adjustment.

When Dr. Lapham- Yaun returned to Life U in 2012 as an adjunct professor, she started with the introductory Motion and Palpation class before taking on Full Spine and Thompson, followed later by Advanced Thompson Technique.

“I can remember now relearning the course, sitting in there with the professor when I was training. I’m like ‘Oh that’s what that meant.’ Things started to make more sense because I wasn’t trying to just put everything in my brain. Now I was actually sitting in a different side where I knew stuff, and I could see the mechanics, so it’s actually made me a better chiropractor to be back here and practicing the technique,” Dr. Lapham-Yaun said.

“I tell people I love going two days a week to teach because I get to practice just the technique of Chiropractic. And it’s made me a lot better clinician in my practice – my adjustments a lot more specific because I understand more the ins and outs of all the different techniques because I have to teach them.”

Dr. Lapham-Yaun reiterated how having at least a working knowledge of different techniques has been essential in her practice because “every technique we teach impacts a different part of that Vertebral Subluxation Complex, and that might be important.” Yet a wide appreciation for technique knowledge is only one small facet of what has made Dr. Lapham-Yaun prosperous.

Taking with her the vital tenants of building a solid chiropractic community, Dr. Lapham-Yaun sought a true partnership in her private practice life. It’s a noble and romantic impulse for a newly minted chiropractor to want to set up their own shingle and build a client list from scratch. Yet life is long, and the risks are great, so it’s wise and beneficial to chiropractor and patients alike to consider all intelligent practice paths. For Dr. Lapham-Yaun, she knew early on she wanted to associate with an established practice.

After asking around for recommendations and introductions, Dr. Lapham-Yaun found Dr. Brian Liberman and Liberman Family Chiropractic. It’s a family chiropractic office located in Rome, Georgia that sees patients of all ages and life stages. Dr. Lieberman is also an alumnus of Life U and has a 26-year tenure at the practice. Dr. Lapham-Yaun has associated out of their practice for 13 years.

As a student, Dr. Lapham-Yaun conducted a personal exercise, drawing on paper her dream practice, what it might look like, feel like and its overall energy. She imagined many rows of tables and joyous children running around, a true representation of family life. Then she went to shadow Dr. Lieberman and found that her dream practice and his real-life practice matched pretty well, an open environment that encouraged communication and vitality.

The practice sees about 700-750 patients a week, so it’s in the high-volume range with many once-a-week patients. Dr. Lapham-Yaun enjoys getting to know patients over a long period of time, being trusted to care for different members of the same families and celebrating graduations, births, marriages and other milestones. Finding a like-minded business partner has worked out well for Dr. Lapham-Yaun and it’s a path that has afforded her some security as she has continued to grow professionally.

She noted that many wonderful chiropractors are in need of quality associates for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to expand their reach beyond what they can physically handle alone or ensuring a legacy and care in that area after retirement if there are no chiropractors in the family to continue the practice. Many students are contending with student loans out of the gate, so a guaranteed paycheck can alleviate much of that stress.

Advice from trusted mentors on what to look out for in searching for an associate position served Dr. Lapham-Yaun well. She was encouraged to ask direct questions and figure out how her career goals aligned with any practice she was looking into. She spoke with other employees and former associates who reported positive experiences that indicated practice growth in a family-oriented practice that aligned with her goal to find a place to grow deep roots.

Though Dr. Lapham-Yaun describes herself as someone working more “behind the scenes,” she has been recognized for her service to the community and in the chiropractic profession. Most recently, she was voted the 2022 Chiropractic of the Year for the Georgia Council of Chiropractic (GCC). She also serves as a Continuing Education Speaker for GCC, Florida Chiropractic Society (FCS) and Dynamic Essentials (DE) Seminar.