Chiropractic Education

Many people are not aware of the level of education required to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. Doctors of Chiropractic undergo a demanding professional education in order to obtain the status of "primary care provider." Several years of prerequisite undergraduate education are required, and then they spend nearly as many classroom hours at an accredited Chiropractic College as MD's do in medical school. Student doctors are thoroughly trained in the appropriate diagnosis of back pain and the usage of sophisticated analytical equipment, including x-ray. Before they can practice, all Doctors of Chiropractic must pass a series of 4 national boards, as well as a licensing exam for the state in which they choose to practice. From there doctors must take annual continuing education courses.

Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools

Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools

Source for both above charts: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc., Washington, DC. Personal communication of 1995 unpublished data from Meredith Gonyea, PhD.