Chiropractic schools

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A chiropractic school is an institution involved in the education of future chiropractic practitioners (chiropractors). The entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature of chiropractic programs offered at chiropractic schools vary considerably around the world.

1 Australia
2 Canada
3 New Zealand
4 United Kingdom
5 United States
6 See also

[edit] Australia

Australian chiropractic education is recognised worldwide as cutting edge and is proof of the mainstream position chiropractic holds within the Australian healthcare sector. Chiropractic education is only conducted within government universities and student fees are subsidised through government tertiary education funding. All three courses are five years long with the RMIT and Maquarie programs consisting of a three year bachelors degree followed by a two year masters degree, while the Murdoch course is a five year double bachelor degree.

Murdoch University [1]

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) [2]

Maquarie University [3]

[edit] Canada

Canada is renowned for the high level of contribution it has made to Chiropractic research. Four Canadian public universities currently have government-funded Canada Research Chairs in Chiropractic, with plans to have at least one in each of Canada's 10 provinces in the near future. Chiropractic education in Canada is offered at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) in Toronto, and at l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) in French-speaking Quebec. Both programs are fully accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education of Canada that has adopted standards similar to those of the Council on Chiropractic Education in the United States which is, in turn, recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Chiropractic students undergo a rigorous course of study similar to that of other health care professionals. Entrance requirements are also similar. Students are required to complete a minimum of three years of university before they are eligible for admission to the CMCC accredited program. Approximately 90 per cent of students entering the CMCC program have completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree.

The CMCC program requires four years of full-time study, including a 12-month internship in CMCC’s clinics. In Quebec, the UQTR has a five-year program following graduation from CÉGEP.

In addition to the academic program, chiropractic education requires hands-on clinical experience under the supervision of highly-qualified faculty. This experience includes clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and referral protocols. The multi-disciplinary faculty at both CMCC and UQTR have diverse backgrounds and offer students a wide range of expertise. Faculty come from such disciplines as biological sciences, pathology, medicine and psychology, as well as chiropractic. Both the CMCC and the UQTR programs include courses in anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, neurology, embryology, principles of chiropractic, radiology, immunology, microbiology, pathology, nutrition, and clinical sciences specifically relating to diagnosis.

In particular, chiropractors receive training in radiology that covers a range of topics from radiation biophysics and protection to clinical X-ray interpretation and diagnosis. Radiology training consists of more than 360 contact hours followed by application during clinical internship.

Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College [4]
Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres, Departement de Chiropratique [5]

[edit] New Zealand

New Zealand College of Chiropractic

[edit] United Kingdom

There are three UK chiropractic colleges with chiropractic courses recognised by the General Chiropractic Council, the statutory governmental body responsible for the regulation of chiropractic in the UK. These are the Anglo European College of Chiropractic (AECC), a faculty of Bournemouth University, the McTimoney College of Chiropractic (MCC), validated by the University of Wales, and the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic (WIOC) a faculty of Glamorgan University. The AECC graduates chiropractors with both a Bachelor of Science and an undergraduate Masters degree. The WIOC graduate chiropractors with a Bachelor of Science (Hon). The MCC graduates chiropractors with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Chiropractic requiring a minimum of 6000 hours of learning.

It is a legal requirement that all chiropractors in the UK register with the GCC to practice. A minimum of 30 hrs per annum Continuing Professional Development is required to retain registration.

Anglo-European College of Chiropractic
McTimoney College of Chiropractic
Welsh Institute of Chiropractic, University of Glamorgan
[6]General Chiropractic Council

[edit] United States

The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) sets minimum guidelines for chiropractic colleges, but additional requirements may be needed for a license depending on the jurisdiction where a chiropractor chooses to practice. Currently, all 19 chiropractic institutions are accredited by the CCE. In 1991, University of Bridgeport established its College of Chiropractic, becoming the first chiropractic school in the United States affiliated with a university.

Students often enter chiropractic school with a Bachelor's degree, or with three years of post-secondary education in the sciences and other appropriate coursework. However, in 2005 only one chiropractic college required a baccalaureate degree as an admission requirement. [7] The minimum prerequisite for enrollment in a chiropractic college set forth by the CCE is 90 semester hours, and the minimum cumulative GPA for a student entering is 2.50. Commonly required classes include: psychology, biology, organic and inorganic chemistry, and physics. Other common medical classes are: anatomy or embryology, physiology, microbiology, diagnosis, neurology, x-ray, orthopedics, obstetrics/gynecology, histology, and pathology.

Chiropractic programs require at least 4,200 hours (four years) of combined classroom, laboratory, and clinical experience. The last 2 years stress courses in manipulation and spinal adjustment and provide clinical experience in physical and laboratory diagnosis, orthopedics, neurology, geriatrics, physiotherapy, and nutrition.

To qualify for licensure, graduates must pass all four examinations from the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and satisify other State specific requirements. Most State boards require at least 2 years of undergraduate education, and an increasing number require a 4-year bachelor’s degree. All boards require the completion of a 4-year program at an accredited college leading to the DC degree.

Once licensed, most States require chiropractors to attend 12-48 hours of continuing education annually. Chiropractic colleges also offer postdoctoral training in neurology, orthopedics, sports injuries, nutrition, rehabilitation, industrial consulting, radiology, family practice, pediatrics, and applied chiropractic sciences. After such training, chiropractors may take exams leading to "diplomate" status in a given specialty including orthopedics, neurology and radiology.