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Chiropractor Career and Licensure
Chiropractor Career, Licensure and School Overview
Find Chiropractic Schools | Natural Healers Career Resource Center
| | Chiropractors, also known as doctors of chiropractic (DC) or chiropractic physicians, diagnose and treat patients whose health problems are associated with the body's muscular, nervous and skeletal systems—especially the spine. Chiropractors believe interference with these systems impairs normal functions and lowers resistance to disease. They also hold that spinal or vertebral dysfunction alters many important body functions by affecting the nervous system, and that skeletal imbalance through joint or articular dysfunction, can cause pain. |
The chiropractic approach to health care is holistic, stressing the patient's overall well-being. It recognizes that many factors affect health, including exercise, diet, rest, environment and heredity. Chiropractors use natural, drugless, non-surgical health treatments, and rely on the body's inherent recuperative abilities. They also may recommend lifestyle changes to their patients (regarding eating, exercise, and sleeping habits, for example). When appropriate, chiropractors consult with and refer patients to other health practitioners.
Chiropractor Job Duties
Like other health practitioners, chiropractors follow a standard routine to secure the information needed for diagnosis and treatment. They take the patient's medical history, conduct physical, neurological, and orthopedic examinations, and may order laboratory tests. X-rays and other diagnostic images are important tools because of the emphasis on the spine and its proper function. Chiropractors also employ a postural and spinal analysis common to chiropractic diagnosis.
In cases in which difficulties can be traced to involvement of musculoskeletal structures, chiropractors manually manipulate or adjust the spinal column. Many chiropractors also use water, light, massage, ultrasound, electric and heat therapy and may apply supports such as straps, tapes and braces. They may also counsel patients about wellness concepts such as nutrition, exercise, lifestyle changes, and stress management, but do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery.
Some chiropractors specialize in sports injuries, neurology, orthopedics, nutrition, internal disorders or diagnostic imaging.
Many chiropractors are solo or group practitioners who also have the administrative responsibilities of running a practice. Learn more about chiropractor careers and education.
Careers in Chiropractic Medicine
Chiropractor Work Environments
Approximately 70 percent of active chiropractors are in solo practice. The remainder are in group practice or work for other chiropractors. A small number teach, conduct research at chiropractic institutions, or work in hospitals and clinics.
Discover how the ancient art of the chiropractic profession has changed over the years.
Career Opportunities for Chiropractors
Job prospects are expected to be good for persons who enter the practice of chiropractic. Employment of chiropractors is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2008 as consumer demand for alternative medicine grows. Chiropractors emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyles and do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. As a result, chiropractic care is appealing to many health-conscious Americans. Chiropractic treatment of back, neck, extremities, and other joint damage has become more accepted as a result of recent research and changing attitudes about alternative health care practices.The rapidly expanding older population, with their increased likelihood of mechanical and structural problems, will also increase demand.
Read an interview with a professional chiropractor.
Chiropractor Career and School Resources
Chiropractor Financial Aid
Now that you know more about chiropractor careers, you may be wondering about chiropractor school funding options. Traditional chiropractic financial aid is available at all the U.S. chiropractic colleges, including most applicable state and federal programs such as the Stafford Loans. The Canadian college participates in Canadian student loan programs. Many colleges also offer scholarships funded by private endowments.
Chiropractic Laws and Licensure
All 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States regulate the practice of chiropractic and grant licenses to chiropractors who meet educational requirements of the State and pass a State approved board examination.
For licensure, most state boards recognize either all or part of the four-part test administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. State examinations may supplement the National Board tests, depending on state requirements. All state boards recognize academic training in chiropractic programs and institutions accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (see below for further educational requirements).
To maintain licensure, almost all states require completion of a specified number of hours of continuing education each year. Continuing education programs are offered by accredited chiropractic programs and institutions, and chiropractic associations. Special councils within some chiropractic associations also offer programs leading to clinical specialty certification, called "diplomate" certification, in areas such as orthopedics, neurology, sports injuries, occupational and industrial health, nutrition, diagnostic imaging, thermography and internal disorders.
Learn more about chiropractic licensure.
Chiropractor Licensure Prerequisites
It is recommended that students have earned a baccalaureate degree in the arts or sciences from an accredited college or university, completed with minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale. Most chiropractic schools require applicants to have at least 60 semester hours in English, the social sciences or humanities, organic and inorganic chemistry, biology, physics, and psychology as part of their undergraduate studies. Check with the chiropractor school to make sure that you have enough hours in each discipline. Several American chiropractic colleges now offer a BS degree for students interested in career in chiropractic medicine.
States That Require Both a Bachelor's Degree and a DC Degree to Practice Chiropractic
Florida, Kansas, Montana, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and the U.S. Virgin Islands all require DCs to have a bachelor's degree as well as the chiropractic degree. Most chiropractic colleges now recommend getting a bachelor's degree either before or concurrently with the DC degree.
Requirements to Study Chiropractic Medicine in Canada
The Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College has the same prerequisite as most of the American colleges (it's also accredited by the same organization, the CCE). They require three years of undergraduate work including a set number of hours in the sciences, but recommend that students get a BA or BS degree before entering.
An additional consideration would be the stiff competition to get into the Canadian college. Admission often closes early, and simply having the prerequisites may not be enough to gain admittance—admission requirements should be seen as the minimum needed. If there's a lot of competition for space, you may need more than the minimum to get into the school. The Canadian college recommends that applications be sent approximately one year prior to the desired admission date. The college admits one class a year in September.
Graduating From a Canadian Chiropractic School and Practicing in the U.S. Without CCE Accreditation
CMCC, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, had a reciprocal accreditation agreement with the CCE so their students could meet U.S. requirements. Obviously, if practicing in the U.S. is the your prime concern, ask the career counselor at the college how many graduates are licensed in the United States and ask if you can contact any of these graduates.
Due to the large number of chiropractic colleges in the U.S., it might be easier to go to a chiropractic college in the country where you intend to practice. If you lack the undergraduate credits necessary to enter a U.S. college, you may be able to enter as a BS candidate at the college (not all schools offer undergraduate degrees) and then enter the DC program once the undergraduate credits are satisfied. The U.S. programs also qualify for a variety of federal and state aid programs, which may make attending a U.S. school more affordable than you thought.
Read an interview with a chiropractic college professor.
Educational & Career Opportunities in Alternative Medicine, 2007
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010
JobEmploymentGuide.com, 2008
Salary.com, 2010
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