All doctors of chiropractic must complete a rigorous and detailed education. After completing the necessary pre-med coursework, they begin a four-year program at an accredited college of chiropractic. The chiropractic curriculum includes detailed studies of: anatomy, physiology, X-ray, clinical sciences, spinal biomechanics and adjusting, preventative health care, and many other related topics. By the time of graduation, the average doctor of chiropractic has completed 4,485 classroom hours, compared to 4,248 classroom hours completed by a medical doctor.
Training Comparison: Chiropractic School vs. Medical School
| Anatomy |
570 |
386 |
| Biochemistry |
150 |
120 |
| Microbiology |
120 |
120 |
| Public Health |
70 |
289 |
| Physiology |
305 |
142 |
| Pathology |
205 |
162 |
| Clinical Sciences |
3,406 |
3,467 |
| Total Hours |
4,826 |
4,667 |
Sources:
- Centre for studies in health policy, inc., Washington, D. C.
- World Health organisation (2005). "WHO guidelines on basic training and safety in Chiropratic."
- Council on Chiropractic education. Educational standards for Chiropractic colleges. Scottsdale, AZ
- Coulter. I, Adams. A, Coggan. P, Wilkes. M., Gonyea. M. A., A comparative study of Chiropractic and medical education
- Chiropractic in the United States: training, Practic and research. AHCPR Publication No 98-N002 |
