Become a Doctor of Chiropractic. You’ll Like Where it Leads You

Are you drawn to a career that helps people improve their lives? Want to make a long-term difference in the community where you live? You’re probably looking at a health care career, and one great option is to become a doctor of chiropractic (D.C.)

Want to be Part of Something Great? Become a Chiropractor

Not everyone understands the allure of “giving back” to a community, but you do. You want to bring better health and well-being to as many people as you can.

Deciding to become a chiropractor has some impressive advantages:

• D.C.s understand the importance of proper spinal and extremity joint function, the effect joint function has on nervous system function, and the body’s ability to regulate and maintain health.
• Back and neck pain is common worldwide and is a major contributor to the use of prescribed opioids in America. Studies continue to demonstrate that drug-free approaches are far safer and deliver better patient outcomes for managing chronic musculoskeletal pain.
• Since 2015, the Joint Commission, the organization accrediting more than 20,000 health care systems in the U.S. (including every major hospital), recognized the value of non-drug approaches when it added chiropractic to its pain management guidelines.
• Chiropractors typically own their practices, can set their hours, and enjoy genuine gratitude from patients whose lives they change through chiropractic care.

What D.C.s Do

Doctors of chiropractic are healthcare professionals for the care and prevention of disorders of the spine and other parts of the musculoskeletal system. They focus on maintaining the patient’s proper spinal function, its relationship to the neurological system, and good health.

Students learn how to optimize patient health through

• Good nutrition
• Constructive exercise
• Healthful behaviors
• Good posture
• Restoring proper spinal and extremity joint biomechanics.

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Become a Chiropractor

Because of evidence gained through research and outcome-effectiveness studies, the chiropractic profession has earned broad acceptance as part of the national healthcare system and the public. Today, doctors of chiropractic compose the third-largest physician-level independent health profession in the Western world.

The employment of chiropractors is projected to grow 11% from 2020 to 2030. This rate of increase is fueled by people living longer, using chiropractic care to stay active, and by the expanding integration of chiropractic into interdisciplinary care clinics and workplace wellness initiatives across the nation.

The benefits of chiropractic care are documented in major medical journals, including

• Spine
• Annals of Internal Medicine, and
• The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Today, healthcare organizations are prioritizing non-invasive, non-drug approaches to musculoskeletal pain relief. Research continues to reinforce the value of chiropractic care as safe and cost-effective.

How to Become a Doctor of Chiropractic

A chiropractic college curriculum encompasses at least 4,200 hours of class time, learning in various hands-on labs, and mastering patient care skills in student and public clinics.

In a typical chiropractic college, most students graduate within 3.5 years through a rigorous academic curriculum.

To become a chiropractor, students must pass several competency exams. These exams, administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), assess knowledge, higher-level cognitive abilities, and problem-solving abilities in basic science and clinical science subjects.

Outstanding Career Outlook

According to Salary.com, the median annual compensation for chiropractors with established practices can be more than $100,000 per year. Typically, this means salary plus bonuses, profit sharing, or both. Chiropractors usually work a 40-hour workweek and report high levels of job satisfaction.

For chiropractors, it’s just as common to have a rewarding career in a small town or rural community as in a big city. The need for chiropractic care occurs just as often in corporate offices, small family businesses,  factories, labor-intensive industries, and on athletic fields.

You Can Become a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) at CUKC

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit university specializing in chiropractic and the health sciences. Our campus is in Overland Park, Kansas, a Kansas City area suburb of 190,000 people. Overland Park regularly wins awards for family-friendliness and livability. Note: To connect quickly with an admissions advisor, click here.

Our chiropractic history began in 1922. Today, more than one of 10 chiropractors in the United States are CUKC graduates.

Some students choose to become a chiropractor straight out of high school by enrolling in our combined B.S./D.C. program that can reduce the total time to become a chiropractor by up to a year.

Deciding to become a chiropractor will demand your best effort, and the reward is a fulfilling career. You’ll have questions, so you’ll want to get this free eBook: Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession.