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Graduates of a college of chiropractic from any of the 16 chiropractic
colleges accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education must
take a licensing examination in all 50 States. There are 50 different
legislative bodies involved in the licensing process of chiropractic
physicians, creating a variety of testing and licensing procedures
and a variation in scope of practice from State to State.
Admissions requirements of chiropractic colleges are influenced by CCE Standards and chiropractic licensing board requirements. A minimum of 2 years of undergraduate education are required, however, two colleges currently require 75 semester units and one requires 90 semester units. Four colleges will soon require a bachelor's degree for admission. Currently, six State Licensing Boards require a bachelor’s degree in addition to the doctor of chiropractic degree for licensure. After completing the pre-chiropractic training, the chiropractic
program consists of 4 academic years of professional education
averaging a total of 4,822 hours, and ranging from 4,400 hours
to 5,220 hours. This includes an average of 1,975 hours in clinical
sciences and 1,405 hours of clinical clerkship. The minimum hours
for accreditation by the Council on Chiropractic Education is 4,200
hours.
On average, 70 percent of the program is composed of clinical education. Chiropractic schools devote an average of 3,380 contact hours to clinical education: 1,975 hours (58 percent) are spent in chiropractic clinical sciences and the remaining 1,405 hours (42 percent) are spent in clinical clerkships. These contact hours are in lectures, laboratories, and clinics. The following table shows the clinical subjects required.
 Do
chiropractic physicians (like MDs) take national board exams? State
board exams?
The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), established in 1963, functions similarly to the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). Part I of the NBCE covers the basic sciences and may be taken after the first year of chiropractic college education. Part II covers clinical sciences and is administered when a student is in his/her senior year of chiropractic college. Part III is a written clinical competency examination that requires an examinee to have passed Part I and be within 8 months of graduation (if taken while still in school). The optional NBCE Physiotherapy Examination may be taken following the completion of 120 hours of physiotherapy coursework. All States, except five, require passing scores on all or part
of the NBCE tests as well as on one State-administered test. The
content and format of the State-administered examinations vary
considerably. Approximately one in three States require one State-administered
evaluation. This may involve written questions regarding State
regulations and statutes, an interview, or a practical examination
covering diagnostic and management procedures.
Yes, chiropractic physicians’ practices include several characteristics
considered to be consistent with a primary care role. They are
directly accessed by patients, frequently coordinate care with
other providers, may obtain special studies, develop continuing
relationships with patients, and emphasize prevention strategies,
especially related to injury prevention. Chiropractic is licensed
and regulated in every State, and within these legal boundaries
individual practitioners may practice as they wish. Providing care
for musculoskeletal conditions using manipulation as a primary
intervention is within the legal scope of chiropractic practice
in all 50 States. The legal right to use other procedures including
modalities, myofascial work, acupuncture, and nutritional therapy
varies from State to State.
Yes, the practice of chiropractic is licensed and regulated in
all 50 of the United States and in over 30 countries worldwide.
Federal recognition of the Council on chiropractic Education (CCE)
as the accrediting body for chiropractic colleges in 1974 was a
landmark event in the history of chiropractic education. The CCE
regulates preprofessional requirements for admission to chiropractic
colleges as well as educational requirements for graduation from
chiropractic colleges.
The Federal Medicare program has provided chiropractic benefits
since 1972. The Medicare chiropractic benefit allows for 12 visits
annually and covers manipulation of the spine by a chiropractor.
More than 80 percent of American workers in conventional insurance
plans, preferred provider organizations, and point-of-service plans
now have health insurance that covers at least part of the cost
of chiropractic care . Overall, 75 percent of workers receive chiropractic
coverage under their plan. Automobile insurance and some types
of homeowners' insurance typically incorporate Personal injury
protection (PIP) insurance coverage. This form of insurance, in
most States, permits chiropractors access to reimbursement on par
with all other providers. Chiropractic physicians are explicitly
recognized by regulation or statute as "attending providers" (i.e.,
providers whom workers may access directly and who can oversee
management of the case) in the workers' compensation systems of
39 States and the District of Columbia.
In a 1996 study by Woodward et. al., published in the journal “Injury,” Chiropractic
treatment was able to help relieve the pain for 93% of patients
with chronic whiplash injuries. Chronic whiplash injuries are notoriously
resistant to any form of treatment, making their conclusions particularly
significant in the field of whiplash treatment. Guidelines published
by the Federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR)
concluded that spinal manipulation was one of only three treatments
for acute low back pain for which there was at least moderate research-based
evidence of effectiveness. In addition, patients seeking care for
back pain from chiropractic physicians tend to be more satisfied
than patients treated by medical doctors.
All States currently exclude prescribing drugs and performing major surgery from chiropractic practice. This is because chiropractic was developed to be a drugless healing art, and one of its objectives is to help patients avoid unnecessary drugs, if possible. Chiropractic is noninvasive, and emphasizes the patient's inherent recuperative abilities, also recognizing the dynamics between lifestyle and a return to health.
Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Inc. Voice: (619) 423-9867 or (619) 423-5475 |
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