Chiropractic Education
In some recent
surveys it was surprising to note that some people were unaware of
the educational level
of a Doctor of Chiropractic. The basic question was, "Is the
education of a Doctor of Chiropractic at the same level as a
Medical Doctor?" The correct answer is, of course, yes. Doctors of
Chiropractic undergo a rigorous and demanding professional
education equivalent to any other primary care provider. To obtain
a Doctor of Chiropractic degree, they must complete several years
of prerequisite undergraduate education and spend nearly the same
number of classroom hours at a fully-accredited chiropractic
college as MDs do in medical schools. Student doctors are
thoroughly trained in the appropriate use of sophisticated
analytical equipment including X-rays, examination procedures, and
state of the art chiropractic investigative technologies. Before
they can practice, all Doctors of Chiropractic must pass a series
of National Boards, as well as a licensing exam for the state in
which they choose to practice. Even after all that, most states
require the doctors to attend clinical continuing education
programs for annual relicensure.
What
does it take to become a Chiropractor?
According to many sources Chiropractic
is the second largest health care profession. Some articles and
authors have referred to chiropractic as “alternative”. This
label may not fit in the face of the growing numbers of people
seeking chiropractic care. In the 1998 issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine is an article on chiropractic that makes a
profound statement, “Even to call chiropractic alternative is
problematic, in many ways it is distinctly mainstream.”
Even with all this growth and increased
usage, many people are unaware of the rigors of a chiropractic
education.
In order to become a “Doctor of
Chiropractic” chiropractic students must go through college and a
chiropractic program every bit as strenuous and in-depth as other
health care practitioners. To help demonstrate this better, the
following charts are given.
Comparison of Hours of Basic
Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools
|
Subject |
Chiropractic Schools |
Medical Schools |
|
|
Hours |
%
of Total |
Hours |
%
of Total |
|
Anatomy |
570 |
40 |
368 |
31 |
|
Biochemistry |
150 |
11 |
120 |
10 |
|
Microbiology |
120 |
8 |
120 |
10 |
|
Public Health |
70 |
5 |
289 |
24 |
|
Physiology |
305 |
21 |
142 |
12 |
|
Pathology |
205 |
14 |
162 |
14 |
|
Total Hours |
1,420 |
100 |
1,200 |
100 |
Comparisons of the Overall
Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools
|
|
Chiropractic Schools |
Medical Schools |
|
|
Mean |
Percentage |
Mean |
Percentage |
|
Basic science hours |
1416 |
29% |
1200 |
26% |
|
Clinical science hours |
3406 |
71% |
3467 |
74% |
|
Chiropractic science hours |
1975 |
41% |
0 |
0 |
|
Clerkship hours |
1405 |
29% |
3467 |
74% |
|
Total Contact Hours |
4822 |
100% |
4667 |
100% |
Source for both
above charts: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc.,
Washington, DC. Personal communication of 1995 unpublished data
from Meredith Gonyea, PhD.
For more complete
article on the web with this information, please click on the
following link.
http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/ahcpr/chapter3.htm
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