National University of Health Sciences has added a chiropractic clerkship at Scott Air Force Base to its growing list of clinical internship opportunities.  Scott Air Force Base is located approximately 20 miles east of St. Louis near historic Belleville, Illinois.

Matt Budavich and Dr. Charles Portwood

Dr. Charles Portwood, the chiropractic physician at Scott Air Force Base since 2008, oversees the clerkship.  The chiropractic clinic is part of a multidisciplinary environment within the 375th medical group. It evaluates 3-4 new patients each day, and treats 150 patient visits per week. Patients are drawn from all branches of active military.

DC student Matt Budavich, is the first intern from National University to participate in the clerkship program at Scott AFB.  “Active military engage in a lot of physical training and hard work, so many have back pain or other injuries,” says Matt. “It’s very rewarding to work with such an amazing group of patients.”

The schedule at Scott AFB is rigorous for Matt: “We work every day from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and then spend up to an hour afterwards looking at diagnostic images (X-rays or MRI) or practice with diagnostic ultrasound.”

Prone upper-thoracic combo adjustment

The clinic is in a hospital setting, which allows interns like Matt to receive experience in integrative medicine. “We treat patients referred from general medical doctors and the physical therapy clinic,” says Matt. “I feel National University prepared me well for the integrative environment. My education has helped me build the critical thinking and differential diagnosis needed for patient care here at Scott AFB.”

“This rotation has given me more confidence to treat patients on my own when I open my practice after graduation,” says Matt.

“National University offers a wealth of options when it comes to clinical internship experience for chiropractic students,” says NUHS Dean of Clinics Dr. Theodore Johnson. “We’re proud to add this clerkship at Scott AFB for those who want the unique experience of treating active military personnel.”