The Education of a Doctor of Chiropractic

Today's Doctors of Chiropractic are very well educated, not only with regard to the spine, but with the human body as a whole. Chiropractors in the United States (and many other countries as well) are considered Primary Care Physicians. This means that any patient can go to the chiropractor directly, regardless of the ailment. The chiropractor is very well qualified to perform the exam and diagnose the patient, and then either treat or refer the patient, depending on the diagnosis.

The typical training of a doctor of chiropractic includes: a minimum of six (usually eight) years of graduate level education, a year of supervised clinical practice, a four-part national board examination, and a state examination for individual state licensure.

Below is a comparison of the typical education of a doctor of chiropractic (DC) and a medical doctor (MD). -Information based on schools in the state of Oregon.

Chiropractic Physician
Western States Chiropractic College 1988-90

Course Title & Class Hours
Gross Anatomy I , II , III	288
Histology I , II	144
Biochemistry	120
Physiology I , II	132
Embryology	24
Nueroanatomy	96
Nutrition	48
Clinical Nutrition	36
Physical Diagnosis I , II	144
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Clinical Psychology	36
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General Pathology	120
Genetics	48
CPR / Emergency Care	24
Microbiology & Public Health	84
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Clinical Microbiol.& Public Health	84
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Toxicology & Pharmacology	48
Dermatology & Infectious Disease	24
Clinical Lab	60
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Neurophysiology	72
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Gastroenterology Diagn./Trtment.	48
Cardiorespiratory Diagn./Trtment.	24
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Clinical Pathology	36
Genitourinary Survey	60
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Jurisprudence & Ethics	24
Radiological Interpretation I - V	120
Radiographic Anatomy I - III	84
Roentgenometrics I , II	24
Soft Tissue Radiograph. Interp. I, II	48
Radiographic Technique I , II	120
Minor Surgery/Proctology	24
Obstetrics	36
Patient/Practice Management I - IV	108
Adustive Technique I - IX	396
Clinical Pediatrics	24
Clinical Geriatrics	24
Spinal Anatomy	24
Biomechanics & Palpation	264
Neuromusculoskel. DX/TX I - IV	276
Correlative & Differential Diagn.	48
Physiotherapy I , II	120
Narrative Report Writing	24
Clinical Research Methodol. I , II	60
Principles of Chiro. Philos. I - IV	120
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TOTAL CLASS HOURS	3,768
Clinic Observation I , II , III	72
Clinic Phase I , II , III - A, B, C, D	822
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TOTAL CLINIC HOURS	894
TOTAL D.C. REQUIREMENTS	4,662
Optional hours not included in totals

Medical Physician
Oregon Health Sciences University 1988-90

Course Title & Class Hours
Gross Anatomy	190
Histology	84
Medical Biochemistry	145
Human Physiology	149
Developmental Biology	40
Neuroanatomy	84
Nutrition	20
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Opthalmology	36
Otolaryngology	72
Medical Psychology	49
Introduction to Psychiatry	43
General Pathology	68
Medical Genetics	32
Cardipulmonary Resuscitation
Intro. to Medical Microbiology	90
Introduction to Public Health	26
Public Health and Epidemiology	40
Immunology	35
Pharmacology	72
Pathophys. of Skin, Bone & C.T.	69
Blood/Reticuloendoth. Pathophys.	117
Pathophys. of the CNS/Muscle and
Special Sensory Organs	158
Neurology and Neurosurgery	216
Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology	123
Respiratory Pathophysiology	79
Cardiovascular Pathophysiology	117
Endocrine Pathophysiology	43
Reproductive Pathophysiology	55
Renal Pathophysiology	117
Law and Medicine	24
Radiographic Diagnosis	24
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Child health (CON 620, lecture)	48
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TOTAL CLASS HOURS	2,465
Patient Evaluation	192
Third Year Medicine	432
Child Health	384
Psychiatry Clinical Clerkship	216
Obstetrics and Gynecology	216
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Surgery	432
Special Programmed Instruction	540
TOTAL HOSPITAL HOURS	2,412
TOTAL M.D. REQUIREMENTS	4,877
Optional hours not included in totals