The Melbourne woman, who moved to Bathurst in January, had her life changed by a chance encounter with a chiropractor and so is a passionate advocate for the profession.

"I was quite sick growing up," she said. "I had chronic fatigue syndrome for five years [from about the age of 14] and I was in chronic pain.

"I was in and out of hospital, on Endone. I was misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well and I was never really healthy.

"I met a lady who was a chiropractor and she introduced me to her way and it was just a very vitalistic and holistic approach, very patient-centred.

"I started getting regular treatment and I didn't realise what it meant to be truly healthy.

"My pain went away and I started thriving and healing and adapting better to my environment. And it was just really exciting to be healthy again."

Between the pain and the medication, Ms Shekelton said she had been quite foggy, but with regular treatment from her chiropractor, the fog cleared and her mind became clearer.

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"And that was really cool," she said.

"It was nice to get back to where I was before I got sick. I didn't think I could ever get back to that state of health."

Ms Shekelton comes to Bathurst with a a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in chiropractic, a Bachelor of Health Science and a Bachelor of Psychology from RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology).

And her impressions?

"Coming to a small town, everyone's so friendly and so nice and very welcoming," she said.

"It's just really nice to serve."

Having had her own health changed, Ms Shekelton hopes to do the same for others as a chiropractor.

"I want to make a difference to people's health around here. It's a nice profession to be in," she said.

According to Dr Ben Purcell of Bathurst Chiropractic, Ms Shekelton is the only female chiropractor in Bathurst.

"I met a lady recently and she said I just can't imagine you, a tiny person, adjusting [a chiropractic term] someone," Ms Shekelton said.

"And I thought that's really interesting that people have that point of view - that you have to be a big, buff person to be able to adjust someone. It's not that at all.

"I'm quite gentle with my approach and it's more about the speed than anything.

"It's not about the force you put on the person; you don't have to be heavy-handed."

Dr Purcell said another misconception is that being a chiropractor is all about back pain.

"But it also helps people work and live and function in a much higher capacity," he said.

Ms Shekelton enjoys yoga and being in nature, but admitted that one of her main hobbies is her profession.

"It makes you more passionate when you love what you do," she said.