Chiropractic
What do Chiropractors do?
Typical duties include:
- Assess a patient's medical condition by reviewing their medical history, listening to the patient's concerns, and performing a physical examination
- Analyze the patient's posture, spine, and reflexes
- Conduct tests, including evaluating a patient's posture and taking x rays
- Provide neuromusculoskeletal therapy, which involves adjusting a patient's spinal column and other joints by hand
- Give additional treatments, such as applying heat or cold to a patient's injured areas
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Pre-Chiropractic Requirements
Prerequisites: Association of Chiropractic Colleges Academic Requirements
Application: Chiropractic College Application Service (ChiroCAS)
Entrance Exam: Depends on program
Chiropractic Education
Degree: Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree—a postgraduate professional degree
Years of Study: Typically 4 years to complete
Chiropractic education consists of classroom work in anatomy, physiology, biology, and similar subjects. Chiropractic students also get supervised clinical experience, in which they train in spinal assessment, spinal adjustment techniques, and diagnosis. These programs provide additional training in specialty areas, such as orthopedics and pediatrics, and classes are taken at chiropractic colleges.