Curriculum Overview

Degrees offered

Program length

10 trimesters (seven 15-week and three 17-week trimesters)
Completion time for doctor of chiropractic program typically 3 1/2 years

Program schedule, credits and contact hours

Full-time day program, classes held Monday through Friday
More than 220 trimester credits and 4,300 contact hours

Program admission

Review admission requirements
New students admitted in January, May, and September

Observation

Immediate clinical exposure. Trimesters 1-5 Starting your first trimester, you observe doctors of chiropractic treating patients in their private practices and at Northwestern’s public clinics. You start learning to think like a doctor of chiropractic through your observation experiences.

Clerkships

Increased clinical skill-building. Trimesters 4-6 Moving beyond observation, you now begin to assist doctors of chiropractic. You watch and are directly mentored by these clinicians who guide you through all aspects of patient care.

Internships

Bringing it all together. Trimesters 7-10 You take on increasing levels of responsibility caring for patients, becoming more technically proficient, interpersonally competent and capable of managing your own practice. You train in established practices, caring for a variety of patients with a range of clinical problems. You actively participate in an array of clinical environments, honing your clinical skills and learning additional chiropractic techniques. In Trimester 10, you have the opportunity to intern at clinics in the U.S. and around the world.

What is Chiropractic?

Doctors of chiropractic are healthcare professionals who view health and illness from a holistic perspective. Musculoskeletal structures, body function and the nervous system are closely interrelated – disturbances in one system can impact the others, affecting health and well-being.

They believe the human body possesses an inherent ability to heal itself. By using non-drug, non-surgical treatment methods, body function can be restored or rehabilitated – and further disability can be prevented.

For the benefit of their patients, doctors of chiropractic consult with, co-manage and refer to other healthcare providers.

Doctors of chiropractic are primary contact providers who:

Evaluate, treat and prevent neuromusculoskeletal system disorders
Adjust and manually manipulate the spine and other joints
Treat soft tissue structures with manual therapies
May incorporate mechanical methods such as activator, Gonstead and laser therapy
Provide health and wellness assessments
Care for patients in a variety of settings including group practices, health systems, and integrative medicine clinics

History of the Profession

In 1895, D. D. Palmer delivered the first chiropractic adjustment and two years later, founded the first chiropractic college. Palmer believed the body has an innate ability to heal itself and that structure and function are directly connected.

Chiropractic practice and education continued to expand along with the development of professional standards. In 1919, chiropractic became a licensed health care profession in Minnesota. Instruction in the basic sciences, combined with developing proficiency in chiropractic technique, became foundational elements in the curricula at chiropractic colleges.

The chiropractic profession continues to grow worldwide in scope and influence through the expansion of patient care and professional advocacy. Advances in education, clinical training and accreditation standards for chiropractic colleges continue to evolve – with Northwestern taking the lead in developing innovative, community-based clinical internship programs.

Growth of the Profession

More than 60,000 licensed doctors of chiropractic in all 50 states
Approximately 15,000 in the rest of the world – all 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and more than 40 other countries
Employment expected to jump 15% between 2012 and 2022 – faster than average for all occupations (Occupational Outlook Handbook – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Practice environments and career paths include solo practice, group practice and multidisciplinary settings

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