Become a Chiropractor: What to Expect in a Chiropractic Internship

One of the most exciting experiences you’ll have after deciding to become a chiropractor is when you begin applying the knowledge you’ve learned.

After the mid-point of the chiropractic program, you’ll find yourself advancing to the student clinic. There, you’ll enter the world of chiropractic internships, practicing diagnostic and treatment skills while being guided by faculty who are licensed chiropractors. The result of this “hands-on” experience? It’ll accelerate and re-affirm your desire to become a chiropractor!

How Student Clinic Helps You Become a Chiropractor

Those treated in the student clinic will be other students, plus parents, spouses, and children of other chiropractic students. The interactions you’ll have will mirror a chiropractor-patient relationship as closely as possible.

Each chiropractic intern in the student clinic is assigned a clinician – a licensed chiropractor – who will evaluate all aspects of each student’s approach to care plus approve the recommended treatment plan.

• In your chiropractic internship at the student clinic, the experience covers:
• How to perform a new patient exam, develop a complete patient care plan, and to re-examine patients for improvement
• The importance of HIPAA rules and how to establish a trusted relationship with patients
• Getting the medical information needed for you to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan
• Using and updating EHRs – electronic health records
• Communicating with patients the benefits of the chiropractic approach
• Taking X-rays, writing an X-ray report, and using other chiropractic tools and equipment
• Performing spinal adjustments indicated by the exam when approved by the supervising clinician
• When and how to make suggestions for changes in lifestyle, posture, or nutrition

It’s this broad exposure to chiropractic care in the student clinic that will motivate you for the remainder of your chiropractic education.

Maximizing Your Student Clinic Experience

Remember, your time in the student clinic prepares you for working as an intern with patients in an on-campus public clinic or perhaps completing an internship at an established chiropractic practice.

Want to get a head start? Check out these recommendations from students who’ve been through the student clinic experience:

• “Gather the items you’ll need: a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, thermometer, reflex hammer, and a bag to carry them in. Also recommended: a clipboard, black or blue ink pens, and a 3-ring binder for notes and information.”
• “Before you start in the student clinic, ask for a tour of the facility and to be introduced to key staff members. If you can, ask to shadow an intern.”
• “Practice and know multiple adjustment techniques. Every patient is different.”
• “Be humble and absorb as much information as you can.”
• “Spend more time than you might think necessary in how to communicate effectively with patients – it’s a crucial skill.”

Chiropractic Internships at CUKC

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit, healthcare focused-university located in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Since 1922, the University’s College of Chiropractic has been a national leader for those who want to become a chiropractor.

CUKC is the first U.S. chiropractic college to have two Force Sensing Tables in the adjusting laboratory on campus, which is helping students to gain chiropractic adjustment skills and confidence. More than one of every 10 chiropractors is a Cleveland graduate.

Students in the Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree program at Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) begin their studies with classroom and lab instruction, then move into chiropractic internships. First comes a student clinic setting, then students advance to CUKC’s open-to-the-public Chiropractic Health Center.

Eager to know more? Connect with an admissions advisor now or get answers to how to become a chiropractor by downloading this FREE ebook: Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession.