Trying to figure out your best role in today’s healthcare landscape? According to the article How to Choose a Healthcare Career That Perfectly Fits You, the process demands asking the right questions, fully exploring the healthcare industry, and getting information from reputable sources. Among the 200-plus healthcare choices are earning a doctor of chiropractic degree. One way to get a complete picture of this profession is to look at data collected from the 2020 Practice Analysis of Chiropractic report.
The 150+ page Practice Analysis report is published by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE). The NBCE establishes and maintains the standards of excellence required in the chiropractic profession and chiropractic education.
For chiropractic students, the NBCE scores the standardized exams that assess knowledge, higher-level cognitive abilities, and problem-solving in basic science and clinical science subjects. Chiropractic college students take various parts of the exam during their time in school.
Data gathered via the NBCE report is designed “to provide an overview of chiropractic and its growing importance and effectiveness as a healthcare profession.”
Defining the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree
Chiropractors approach patient care in a way that’s very much like conventional medicine. Chiropractors first review the patient’s health history, perform a comprehensive examination, initiate tests if conditions indicate, and develop a working diagnosis. They then recommend therapies to maintain and restore function or reduce or eliminate pain from the source.
Chiropractic colleges focus on patient assessment and diagnosis and teaching students conservative, non-pharmaceutical solutions. These solutions may include manual treatments to address biomechanical dysfunction, constructive exercise, nutrition and lifestyle changes, posture improvements, and wellness counseling.
Although chiropractors most often treat problems related to the musculoskeletal system, they refer patients to other healthcare professionals when symptoms or conditions indicate it’s best for the patient.
The Practice Analysis report is full of intriguing data about the chiropractic profession. When choosing the “right fit” for a healthcare career, examining these facts and figures should help any interested in a healthcare career make a better decision.
Here are 13 key takeaways from the NBCE’s 2020 Practice Analysis report:
ClevelandUniversity-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit, chiropractic and health sciences university in Overland Park, Kansas, a large suburban city within the Kansas City metro. Through our full-year trimester schedule, most students earn their Doctor of Chiropractic degree (D.C.) in 3.3 years.
Features of the CUKC College of Chiropractic:
Request information on our Doctor of Chiropractic degree here and get this free eBook: Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession.