Chiropractic Education

In 1897, D.D. Palmer opened the Palmer Infirmary and Chiropractic Institute in Davenport, Iowa. Just over a century later, there are more than 20 chiropractic colleges in the United States and in six other countries.

Although more tightly focused, chiropractic education is just as comprehensive as a medical education. To enter chiropractic college, students must have two years of undergraduate work with a heavy emphasis on basic sciences, and many schools now require a bachelors degree.

The four-year course of chiropractic study includes classroom and lab work, as well as an internship to give students practical experience caring for patients under the close supervision of instructors.

A great portion of a medical education is devoted to disease diagnosis and pharmacology. Since chiropractic does not involve the use of drugs, the chiropractic student’s time is devoted to health-related topics such as anatomy, neurology, X-ray techniques, orthopedics, and analysis and correction of vertebral subluxation.

After students have acquired the 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 degrees, all students must complete approximately 900 hours of work in the clinic setting.

After students graduate, they must then pass a state license exam. Most graduates also take the National Board of Chiropractic Examination which tests the doctors' knowledge in many areas. These particular tests are so comprehensive that most states now accept them as the state license exam.