Many people have misconceptions about what kind of doctor chiropractors are or what kind of training they receive.  You may be surprised to know that they undergo extensive education and training that is similar to medical school.  Chiropractors are real doctors and make up the second largest health care profession with over 65,000 practitioners in the U.S.

Training


The training of chiropractors is conducted in professional education programs accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), the body recognized by the US Department of Education for those responsibilities. Seventeen North American programs and institutions are currently accredited (as of January 2006).Chiropractors complete several years of pre-chiropractic studies at colleges or universities.  Pre-professional education is required to be a minimum of 90 credits, with general education, emphasis on the biological sciences, and distributed hours in humanities and other areas required for admission to chiropractic programs.

The length of chiropractic education is a minimum of 4,200 hours, or approximately 5 academic years.  The first two years of chiropractic education is similar to medical school.   Both types of doctors are well-versed in the physical sciences, receive education in disease risk-factors, and are trained in radiology.  Like medical students, chiropractic students study the basic sciences as well as extensive time understanding anatomy, physiology and neurology.  However, medical students’ training greatly emphasizes pharmacology, whereas chiropractic students emphasize nutrition and natural alternatives to drugs.

After the first two years, training changes.  Medical doctors prepare for treating patients by completing rotations where they spend time in various specialties.  Chiropractors focus on learning how to properly adjust patients with their last year spend in a clinical internship.

Chiropractic colleges currently exist in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa in addition to the U.S. In most other countries these colleges are affiliated with universities, and there is a trend toward this in the U.S.

Licensing of Chiropractors

The scope of chiropractic practice is legally regulated and varies somewhat by individual state jurisdiction. Doctors of chiropractic are trained in, and held to the legal standards of differential diagnosis as a basis for clinical decision-making, treatment, or referral.

Current Distribution of Chiropractors

Approximately 65,000 practitioners exist in the United States. Doctors of chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Legal terms of description may include chiropractors, doctors of chiropractic (D.C.), or chiropractic physicians.

Internationally, the profession is established in approximately 65 countries. The practice of chiropractic is now recognized in all world regions. Regulation by legislation exists, for example, in Canada and the United States (North America), Mexico, Panama and Venezuela (Latin America), Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK (Europe), Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand, (Asia/Pacific), Cyprus, Jordan and Saudi Arabia (Eastern Mediterranean) and Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe (Africa). In many other countries where the profession is established, practice is recognized and legal under general law. Common features in all jurisdictions are:

• Primary care (direct contact with patient); and
• The right and duty to diagnose, including the right to use diagnostic x-ray and laboratory studies.