While some negative stereotypes surround certain holistic health care approaches, chiropractic therapy is among the most regulated practices in the industry. Additionally, to become a certified and licensed chiropractic practitioner, you must undergo stringent educational and licensing requirements. However, this shouldn’t be too shocking, as chiropractors deal with one of the most sensitive and vital parts of human anatomy, the spine. Therefore, to eliminate the bias and stereotypes, it becomes necessary to understand the great lengths that chiropractic practitioners go through to become licensed and certified.
Education Requirements
The educational requirements for chiropractors are similar, especially in classroom time, to doctors who complete allopathic and osteopathic degrees from medical schools. Additionally, a chiropractor or applicant to a chiropractic college has completed all their necessary pre-medical course work through a bachelor’s program before moving into the four to five more years of professional study, meaning that a typical chiropractor has completed somewhere between eight and nine years of coursework and professional training before becoming a licensed practitioner. While the road to a medical degree for chiropractors is similar to professional MDs, a student of chiropractic medicine has to complete 4,200 hours of classroom, clinical and laboratory work with an increased focus in several key areas including:
- Nutrition
- Public health
- Physiology
- Anatomy
- Rehabilitation
The course work that future chiropractors take is deemed necessary and essential to their ability to diagnose conditions, create treatment plans and perform spinal and cervical manipulations safely. The programs are regulated by the Council on Chiropractic Education as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Licensure and Certification
While the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners handles the licensure and accreditation of chiropractors, each state has specific requirements that must be met before a license can be granted. Many municipalities require chiropractors to submit to annual continuing education coursework to keep their license. Additionally, only those chiropractors who have graduated from an accredited chiropractic college will be permitted to sit for the NBCE board exams.
Designation
While many patients may not be aware of the official designation of chiropractors, most states recognize chiropractic practitioners as physician-level care providers. This designation means that the majority of insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid, view chiropractors as primary care physicians, meaning that you do not need a referral to see them.
Chiropractors must undergo rigorous training and educational requirements before even being allowed to sit for a licensing exam, and these requirements are comparable to any other medical and health care profession. If you are in need of chiropractic care or need an auto accident doctor , like one from Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab and Chiropractic, then contact a local licensed and board-certified chiropractor in your area today.