Chiropractic schools

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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.

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[edit] Australia

Chiropractic education in Australia 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.

  • Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) [2]
  • Maquarie University [3]

[edit] Canada

Canadian chiropractic institutions espouse that the Doctor of Chiropractic is a neuromusculoskeletal specialist. Chiropractic education in Canada is offered at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) in Toronto, Ontario, and at l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) in the French-speaking province of Quebec. Both programs are accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education of Canada. Chiropractic students undergo a rigorous course of study similar to that of other doctoral-level health care professionals, including medicine, optometry and dentistry. Entrance requirements are also similar amongst these programs. Students are required to complete a minimum of three years of university before they are eligible for admission to the CMCC Doctorate of Chiropractic Degree program. Approximately 90 per cent of students entering the CMCC program have completed a baccalaureate or graduate university degree.

The CMCC program is a privately funded institution and requires four years of full-time study, including a 12-month clinical internship. In August 2005, CMCC became the first private institution in Ontario to be granted the privilege of offering a professional health care degree under the Post-secondary Education Choice and Excellence Act. Now, chiropractors graduating from Canadian chiropractic colleges have at least 7-8 years of university level education which will facilitate the acceptance of credits if they choose to further their education at the post graduate level. [1] CMCC also offers chiropractic graduate studies in sport sciences, clinical sciences, and radiology following the 4 year Doctor of Chiropractic Degree [2]. In contrast, the UQTR doctor of chiropractic degree is publically funded and is a five-year program following graduation from CÉGEP.

In addition to the academic program, chiropractic education requires hands-on clinical experience under faculity supervision. This experience includes clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and referral protocols. The multi-disciplinary faculty at both CMCC and UQTR have diverse backgrounds including MD's and PhD's that offer students a wide range of expertise in the medical and clinical sciences. Both the CMCC and the UQTR programs include courses in anatomy, neuroanatomy, neurodiagnosis, neuroscience, biochemistry, physiology, orthopaedics, diagnosis and symptomotalogy, laboratory diagnosis, embryology, principles of chiropractic, radiology, immunology, microbiology, pathology, clinical nutrition and other basic and clinical medical sciences. Additionally, 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.

[edit] France

There is only one chiropractic school in France. It is established between two cities : Ivry-Sur-Seine near Paris and Toulouse in the south-west of France, near Spain. IFEC is recognized by ECCE (European Council of Chiropratic Education)

[edit] New Zealand

[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.

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) and recently regained full accreditation with the GCC following a period of deaccreditation[[7]]

[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 usually enter chiropractic school with a Bachelor's degree or higher. However, in 2005 only one chiropractic college required a baccalaureate degree as an admission requirement. [8] 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.

The naturopathic/metaphysical divide within the profession has seen a move away from the word "chiropractic" by several colleges, embracing a more generic "health" appelation instead of the traditional chiropractic nomenclature. The "naturopathic" schools de-emphasize traditional chiropractic metaphysics, adopting a pluralistic complimentary alternative medicine paradigm (applied kinesiology, acupuncture, Oriental herbalism, Taoism, Rolfing, nutriceuticals, phytochemicals, general manipulation, etc.), while the "metaphysical" schools emphasize B. J. Palmer's philosophy of Innate Intelligence channeled though the vertebral column to the extremities, where the Neuro-Vertebral-Subluxation Hypothesis of Dis-ease is putated to exist, and limits the practice of chiropractic to adjustments of the spine to restore neuro-cybernetic homeostasis, which restores the body's ability to transmit Innate Intelligence through the spine to the viscera, tissues, and cells. Course programs at the respective schools mark each school's orientation, and several schools adopt an eclectic hybridization. Both orientations differ widely from allopathy's neurology, orthopeadics, nutrition, physiatry, and rehabilitation.

Five of today's chiropractic schools were founded to support their Founder's promotional business development and marketing efforts. Both Life Chiropractic Colleges (GA,CA) were established by promoter Sid William's "practice management" motives, where doctors of chiropractic learned the skills to sell chiropractic to the masses. Parker College of Chiropractic (TX) was founded to aid the "practice development" of its promoter and founder James Parker's "practice-deveopment seminars" to build financial independence for chiropractic graduates. The University of Bridgeport is Reverend Sun Myung Moon's (Moonies) effort to promote his Unificationists' proselytizing of his Church through higher education. The Murdock University of Chiropractic in Australia is only tangentially-related to the Media Mogul Ruppert Murdock.

[edit] See also

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