VA Integrated Clinical Practice Chiropractic Residencies

The Mission of the KCVA Integrated Clinical Practice Chiropractic Residency is to prepare recent chiropractic graduates for clinical practice in hospitals or other medical settings, and/or academia, through hospital-based clinical training, interprofessional education, and scholarly activities. The following areas of focus are the foundational components to achieve this Mission.  

1. Advancement in comptency of direct patient care through consistent clinical encounters supervised by experienced faculty utilizing standard evaluation and teaching methods. Frequent exposure to an assortment of complex/multimorbid patients will promote awareness and confidence in the resident’s ability to handle these situations in future clinical settings.
2. Engagement in interprofessional experiences with relevant medical, surgical, and associated health specialties. In completing these educational opportunities, the resident will expand their understanding, appreciation, and expectation of both themselves and their colleagues that comprise the larger healthcare team. The anticipated consequence is greater collegial and collaborative relationships leading to improved clinical outcomes in patient-care.
3. Participation in varied scholarly activities to gain experience relevant to integrated practice and academia. This will be accomplished by completing online didactic courses and group assignments with other VA chiropractic residents; creating and delivering clinical presentations; participating in reviews of relevant clinical research; receiving training on curriculum development and effective clinical teaching. 

The primary objective for the KCVA Integrated Clinical Practice Chiropractic Residency is to develop licensed independent providers (LIPs) that will excel within a multi-disciplinary/hospital based chiropractic clinic, specifically within any VHA facility and setting. 

Essential rotations to develop a fully integrated LIP are planned throughout the enitire academic year and will occur in the following areas:

• Rehab Med/Physiatry/Interventional Pain
• PT/OT (inpatient and outpatient)
• Adaptive Seating/Community Mobility/Amputee
• Speech Pathology/TBI
• Multidisciplinary Integrated Pain including clinical pain psychology and acupuncture
• Primary Care and Clinical Pain Pharmacy
• Neurosciences (Neurosurgery, Neurology, EMG/NCV diagnostic evaluation)
• Medical Subspecialties (Orthopedics, Bariatrics, and Emergency Med)
• A single clinical rotation in Geriatrics is planned for Quarter 4 of the residency academic year

Additionally, the Resident will have opportunity to participate with chiropractic clinical faculty at the Academic Affiiliate, Cleveland University-Kansas City (CU-KC). Resident participation in each rotation will advance on a graduated scheduled in proportion to their achievements within the curriculum and assessment metrics, allowing increased degrees of involvement and responsibility over the course of the academic year. 

Ultimately, the purpose is to produce high-quality, evidenced-based, and forward-thinking chiropractic professionals that possess advanced proficiency in patient care regardless of the clinical practice setting. 

The core chiropractic faculty members are each full-time staff providers employed by KCVAMC.

Residency Program Director: Clinton O. Gowan, III, DC

Dr. Gowan has over 30-years of clinical experience. He achieved a BS degree from University of Houston (1991) and DC degree from Cleveland Chiropractic College (1995). In 2013 he completed a Diplomate with the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. He has professional experience in both clinical and academic settings in a variety of roles. Dr. Gowan remains passionate about clinical academic work. He utilizes various learning methods including components of Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism models. 

In 2005, Dr. Gowan was hired as the first staff chiropractor at KCVAMC, where he developed processes for integrating clinical services and interprofessional education. In 2006, Dr. Gowan created the KCVA-CUKC Chiropractic Clinical Clerkship. Also in 2006, he was appointed to the inaugural National VA Chiropractic Field Advisory Committee and has served on several local facility-based committees. Dr. Gowan was an appointed member of the VA National Chiropractic Professional Standards Board (PSB) serving as Secretary from 2016-2022 and then Chair from 2022 until the PSB was sunset in 2024. He currently serves as a designated Subject Matter Expert providing interpretation and opinion of the National Chiropractic Qualifications Standards when asked by various VA facility/VISN Human Resource personnel.

In 2003, Dr. Gowan represented CU-KC as Team Leader in establishing the first hospital-based academic chiropractic clinic in Kansas City at Truman Medical Center (TMC). He maintained staff privileges at TMC until 2009 when his last faculty contract with CU-KC expired. From 2008-2013, he was a Guest Lecturer for UMKC Medical School (4th Year CAM Therapy course). In 2018, CU-KC appointed him rank of Adjunct Clinical Professor.

Assistant Residency Program Director and Attending Faculty: Brian R. Heere, DC

Dr. Brian Heere has been with KCVA for over 2 years. In 2017 Dr. Heere achieved his DC degree from Cleveland University-Kansas City having completed the KCVA Clinical Clerkship with Dr. Gowan. He will serve as the Residency Assistant Program Director (APD) and Attending Clinical Faculty assisting weekly clinical assessments of the Resident. Additionally, Dr. Heere will provide didactic instruction focused on soft-tissue therapy, BFA, and dry-needling.

• Certifications in dry-needling, acupuncture (100-hour), BFA
• Advanced Certification Active Release Technique (ART) manual therapy.
• Faculty rank of Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor with CU-KC

Attending Faculty and Chiropractic Clinical Clerkship Director: Morgan J. Baldridge, DC

Dr. Morgan Baldridge has been with the KCVA since 2018. A US Army veteran, Dr. Baldridge achieved his DC degree in 2011 from Life University. He completed a selective 6-month student clinical “preceptorship” (equivalent to many VA student clerkship programs) at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. Additionally, Dr. Baldridge achieved a Diplomate with the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians.

He will serve as an Attending Clinical Faculty and provide didactic instruction focused on Chronic Pain. Additionally, Dr. Baldridge will continue his role as Program Director for the CU-KC chiropractic student clerkship at KCVA.

• 2013-2018 worked at US Army Medical Command at Brooke Army Medical Center, developing protocols that advanced the chiropractic service into a fully integrated component of the acute and chronic MSK care team
• US Air Force’s Wounded Warrior national sports program clinical and “side-line” provider and event support at Wounded Warrior national sports competitions
• Certifications in dry-needling and battle-field acupuncture (BFA)
• Co-author of “The Spine Handbook” published by Oxford University Press
• Faculty rank of Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor with CU-KC

Attending Faculty: Robert T. Ray, DC

Dr. Ray has been with the KCVA since 2021. A US Army veteran, Dr. Ray achieved his DC degree from Cleveland University-Kansas City in 2017 having completed the KCVA Clinical Clerkship with Dr. Gowan. He will serve as Attending Clinical Faculty for extra chiropractic rotations at the Shawnee CBOC facility and provide didactic instruction focused on Rehab Exercise. He holds a faculty rank of Adjunct Clinical Instructor with CU-KC.

Supplemental Faculty: Bryan Kendall Payne, DC

Dr. Kendall Payne currently serves as the fee-basis contract coverage doctor (up to 1.0 FTE). He will provide didactic instruction focused on State Governance, Documentation, Coding.

• 2001 DC graduate CU-KC
• Payne Chiropractic (private practice) 2001-present
• Consultant and Instructor Primary Spine Physician Network/Spine Care Partners
• Nationally Registered Certified Medical Examiner
• Kansas Chiropractic Association (KCA) Leadership Roles
• KC Metro District President 2007-2008
• KCA Secretary/Treasurer 2009-2010
• KCA Vice President 2011-2012
• KCA President 2013-2014
• Kansas Board of Healing Arts – Chiropractic Review Committee 2015-2023
• 2016-2017 CU-KC Director of Clinical Operations

The primary clinical experience will occur at the Main Campus of the KCVA Medical Center (KCVAMC) located at 4800 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO, 64128. The Main Campus is located approximately 5-miles from downtown Kansas City, MO. 

The KCVAMC (complexity group 1b) is part of VISN15 and serves as a referral center for Eastern Kansas HCS, Wichita VAMC, and Columbia VAMC. The Main Campus houses both inpatient and outpatient clinic services as well as facility administrative offices. The KCVA Chiropractic Service is administratively aligned within the Geriatric and Extended Care Service Line which includes PM&R, HBPC, and Geriatrics. 

The Resident will have six to twelve full-day clinic rotations at the Honor Annex located approximately 4-miles from KCVAMC as well as three to six full-day clinic rotations at the Shawnee CBOC approximately 19-miles from KCVAMC. Additionally, the Resident will complete weekly supplemental off-site academic rotations at CU-KC academic and clinical campus located approximately12-miles from KCVAMC. 

All three KCVAMC chiropractic clinic locations have adequate office space and at least two dedicated rooms fully equipped for patient care. The resident will be issued a GFE laptop equipped with PIV card reader allowing both direct and remote connectivity. Individual workstations are available with either a docking station or desktop computer, monitors, network printers, copiers and access to electronic resources through the VHA National Library as well as VALU-TMS database. The Resident will have dedicated space to accomplish all tasks to successfully complete the didactic and clinical requirements.

While there is a shuttle that runs throughout the day between the KCVAMC and Honor Annex, it is highly recommended that the Resident have independent transportation available. There are no direct public transportation options available between the various locations.

The KCVA Integrated Clinical Practice Chiropractic Residency has four foundational cornerstones designed to develop and enhance clinical skills and experience. Residents are expected to advance in the proficiency and application of these components.

1. Manual Therapy Skills: the Resident will be directly exposed to and allowed to hone various evidence-based spinal manipulative techniques including HVLA, LVLA, drop-assisted, and instrument assisted CMT as well as spinal and extraspinal joint mobilization techniques. Additional therapies involving soft-tissue treatment including manual and mechanical myofascial release, dry-needling, Battlefield Acupuncture, and rehabilitative active home exercise will be demonstrated and opportunity given to the Resident to enhance their clinical toolbox for effective treatment strategies.
2. Clinical Reasoning/Diagnostic Skills: the Resident will be using established protocols that promote consistent critical decision patterns. These skills will primarily focus on musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions that dominate the typical VA chiropractic clinic but also include non-MSK conditions that might present as part of the complex pain conditions and co-morbidities existing in veteran populations including TBI, PTSD,  and poly-substance addiction/abuse.
3. Communication Strategies: specific focus on utilizing the VHA Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), structured history intake strategies, and empathetic communication skills that are proven to enhance patient interactions. Additionally, the Resident will have opportunity to participate in collegial presentations and professional grand rounds monthly.
4. Academic/Scholarly Development: the Resident will work directly with KCVA program faculty and clinical academicians from CU-KC in formulating curriculum, learning teaching methodologies such as revised Bloom’s taxonomy and Competency-Based Education, and perform clinical skills assessments on chiropractic students participating in KCVA Chiropractic Clinical Clerkship program.

This one-year duration academic and clinical residency program begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th the following year. This is a full-time (40 hours/week) commitment with a minimum of 60% dedicated time for direct patient care and up to 20% dedicated to scholarly work and 20% dedicated to other training activities. The KCVA Integrated Clinical Practice Chiropractic Residency has a singular trainee position each year.

After the ChiroMatch process is completed and resident placements are revealed, the KCVA Chiropractic Residency Program Director will be communicating with the incoming Resident to discuss preparatory work and expectations. Additionally, there will be opportunities for the incoming resident to interact with KCVA program faculty prior to the start of the academic year.

The resident salary for academic year 2026-27 is $48,480 distributed on the routine pay cycle of 26 periods (every 2-weeks). While there is a slight variation between residency sites on this compensation figure, Kansas City is known for its very reasonable cost of living. Additionally, the Resident has Federal holiday leave, accrues vacation and sick leave, and is eligible for life and health insurance through the Federal Employee Health Benefits program.

Upon satisfactory completion of program requirements, the graduate will receive an official Certificate of Residency, and records will be maintained at the Kansas City VA Medical Center and the VHA Chiropractic National Program Office. The KCVA Chiropractic Residency Program Director will maintain an ongoing mentorship support program with the graduate.

Applicants must hold or be scheduled to receive a DC degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 from a CCE-accredited school prior to the start of the residency program. Applicants must be eligible for, or hold a current, full, active, and unrestricted chiropractic license in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the US, or in the District of Columbia. Applicants must meet all VA employment requirements including US citizenship, and Selective Service registration when applicable.

Selection is through a competitive process considering factors such as academic background, relevant experience, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and interview by video call (Teams or Zoom link will be provided). The KCVA Integrated Clinical Practice Chiropractic Residency participates in the ChiroMatch process.

Applications are only accepted during the open call. The ChiroMatch website link is www.natmatch.com/chiro and should be accessible using any internet browser.

In 2026, the KCVA Chiropractic Residency has been granted a “pending” status and will be initiating the process for attaining full programmatic accreditation with The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE).

The Council on Chiropractic Education, 8049 North 85th Way, Scottsdale, AZ, 85258-4321, Phone: 480-443-8877 Website: www.cce-usa.org.