CASA Student Member of the Month for June 2022

JUNE 2022

Good day!
My name is Hlengiwe Nyawo, a second year Master of
Health Sciences candidate in the Chiropractic programme at
the University of Johannesburg.
I would like to offer my appreciation to the Chiropractic
Association of South Africa for awarding me this opportunity
to share my chiropractic journey! It is such an honour.
I was born and bred in the Kingdom of Eswatini. I went
to Ka-Zakhali Private School located in Manzini, Eswatini,
where I matriculated in 2014.
I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field. I knew I
wanted to be a medical doctor and passionately help people
with my acquired knowledge and skills one day. My ambition
was to train as a doctor and specialize in orthopedic surgery. But I feel God had a
different plan for me. This resulted in a shift to becoming a chiropractor rather than a
medical doctor!
As expected, a freshly matriculated candidate would approach several tertiary institutions
for prospective tertiary education, this was when I learnt about the chiropractic field. This
profession caught my attention, it looked really interesting, and I went for it and applied.
Prior to securing a spot for this program, I met two Chiropractors who were based in
Eswatini, we had a chat about the profession, which gave me interesting insights about it,
that was when I knew that this was indeed the rightful career path for me.
Studying chiropractic has afforded me with many experiences and opportunities, with
some hurdles associated with inevitable sleepless nights accompanied by tears. Now that I
practice the theoretically acquired skills at the University of Johannesburg Chiropractic Day
Clinic, treating patients, I look back and I am grateful for the tough and challenging days,
as they were necessary preparations and hence equipping me to be a better chiropractor.
In 2021, I started my clinical training. It was
challenging in the beginning, especially as
it was during the peak of the COVID-19
pandemic, but thanks to the dedication of the
head of department, lecturers, and clinicians,
who made the whole induction process
seamless. In these few months, I’ve learnt
to integrate all the knowledge I’ve acquired
over the past years and put it into practice.
Treating patients and seeing an improvement
and/or resolution of their symptoms and
quality of life, is one of the greatest joys.

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JUNE 2022
Thanks to the Student Chiropractic Sports Council (SCSC)
and the World Congress of Chiropractic Students (WCCS)
University of Johannesburg Chapter for organizing seminars
and workshops that cover a variety of topics especially
sports related chiropractic care. I’ve acquired substantial
knowledge in this field, and they’ve helped me to understand
the importance of continued professional development.
Knowledge is never ending, there’s always a gap for
improvement and assimilation of new developments and/or
theories.
In March 2022, I had the
opportunity to be part of the
Chirosport SA team that worked
at the ABSA Cape Epic, the
most televised mountain bike
race in the world and the only eight-day mountain bike
stage race classed as hors catégorie by the Union Cycliste
Internationale. It was an epic experience indeed! It grew my
love and interest towards “sports chiropractic”, and I am
looking forward to completing the International Certificate in
Sports Chiropractic (ICSC) program through the International
Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS) to become a certified
chiropractic sports practitioner.
Being a few months away
from qualifying as a doctor of
chiropractic, I am excited and
looking forward to what the future holds for me. I hope to
make an impact and difference through chiropractic by
providing patients with the best care for optimal health.
Thank you.

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