A Chiropractor's Education

      Two years after discovering the benefit of chiropractic care, D.D. Palmer opened the first chiropractic college. It was 1897 in Davenport, Iowa, when the Palmer Infirmary and Chiropractic Institute opened its doors. Less than a century later, there are 18 chiropractic colleges in the US and eigh in six different countries.

      Chiropractic Education is every bit as comprehensive as is medical education. Before being accepted by a chiropractic college, students must have completed a minimum of two years of undergraduate work with a heavy emphasis on basic sciences.

      Once in chiropractic college, the four-year course of study is longer than that required of most medical students. In addition to classroom and labwork, each student chiropractor must complete a period of internship during which students care for patients under the close supervision of instructors. This is often followed by an ex-ternship program during which students assist field chiropractors in their offices. Since these students dont yet have degrees and licenses, they dont adjust spines. They are there to assist, observe, and learn.

      This comparison chart is based on the review of curriculum catalogues from eleven chiropractic colleges and twenty-two medical schools in the United States. It clearly shows that chiropractors are among the best trained health practitioners you can find. Please note that chiropractic schools study both geriatrics and pediatrics, while eye, ear, nose, throat and dermatology are combined with diagnosis.

      After students have acquired necessary foundation of knowledge during the early part of their schooling, they later focus on specialized subjects, including chiropractic philosophy and practice, along with chiropractic diagnosis and adjusting techniques that aren't taught in any other health care field.

      Before obtaining their degree, all students must complete approximately nine-hundred hours of work in the clinic setting. Because chiropractic students don't have to spend time studying pharmacology or surgery as their medical counterparts do, they are given additional training in anatomy, nutrition, diagnosis, palpation, X-ray, and a variety of adjustment techniques. In fact, chiropractic students log more educational hours in these subjects than their medical counterparts.

      After new chiropractors have graduated, they must then pass a state license exam in any state where they wish to practice. Most graduates take the National Board of Chiropractic Examination which tests the doctor's knowledge in many areas. These particular tests are so comprehensive that most states now accept them as the state license exam. In addition, a Doctor of Chiropractic must also pass a practical exam and interview conducted by the Board State of Chiropractic Examiners in the state where they are seeking a license.