How to Become a Chiropractor: Today’s Spinal Specialist

UPDATED OCT. 2, 2020

When people develop a medical problem, they want a doctor who knows the most about it. What to do when facing chronic back pain or a lingering condition related to the back, neck, or joint? Many people turn to those who’ve become a chiropractor, a specialist in addressing musculoskeletal conditions which are often the source of pain or discomfort felt elsewhere.

Chiropractors: Specialists in How the Human Body Functions 

If that’s surprising to you, think about your body this way: Those who have become a chiropractor know that human function is neurologically integrated. What’s more, biomechanical and neuro-biological functions can often be restored or improved through appropriate, conservative diagnostic assessment and the resulting recommended chiropractic care.

Become a doctor of chiropractic, and you’re a specialist who uses non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical treatments, rather than prescription medications that may or may not help resolve root causes.

Research-based Evidence Supports Chiropractic 

Ongoing research-based evidence validates chiropractic care, showing that it is an effective first-choice option for healthcare. In 2017, the American College of Physicians (ACP) issued new pain management guidelines consistent with the chiropractic approach.

Benefits of chiropractic care include:

Excellent patient-reported outcomes – A survey from patients seeing chiropractors shows that 97% of past-year patients say they would return for neck and back pain treatments.

Direct access, Insurance coverage – Typically, no referral is needed to see a chiropractor, and more than 80% of today’s health insurance plans have coverage for chiropractic treatments, just like that for a dentist or optometrist. There are more than 70,000 chiropractors in the United States, practicing in small towns and cities.

An affordable first option – According to a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee study of past patient data, doctor of chiropractic-initiated episodes of care could have saved the organization $2.3 million each year. The study was reported in Chiropractic: A Safe and Cost Effective Approach to Health.

Four major medical journals have acknowledged the benefits of conservative approaches to pain management, including:

• Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
• Spine
• Annals of Internal Medicine
• Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

In 2015, the nonprofit Joint Commission, which evaluates and accredits more than 22,000 healthcare organizations in the U.S., updated its pain management standard to include chiropractic services.

Chiropractic Colleges Provide a Comprehensive Healthcare Education

Healthcare-career-minded students who compare curriculums are finding chiropractic colleges devote more time to the basic and clinical sciences than medical schools. A doctor of chiropractic education includes at least 4,200 hours of classroom and skills lab time.

Plus, when students choose to become a chiropractor, their chiropractic college education includes four terms of clinical experience. Students who obtain the status as chiropractic interns see patients in a public clinic setting, guided by faculty who are licensed chiropractors and have first-hand patient experience in a group or solo practice.

Admission Requirements to Become a Chiropractor

Chiropractic college admission requirements are set by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). The minimum for acceptance is at least 90 semester hours of college credit.

Many students who have completed their undergraduate degrees before applying to chiropractic colleges have majors such as biology/human biology, exercise science, and kinesiology.

Overall, the typical admission requirements include:

• 3.00 cumulative college GPA
• At least 90 semester hours
  • 6 hours of English or communications-related courses
  • 3 hours of psychology
  • 12 hours of humanities or social science classes
  • 24 hours of life and physical sciences, at least 50% of these with laboratory components
• Biology, anatomy, and physiology
• 8 hours of general and organic chemistry.

Time to be a Spinal Specialist? Learn to Become a Chiropractor at CUKC

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of the Kansas City metro. The 15-county metro area has a population of 2.3 million.

Our history at the forefront of chiropractic education began when the College of Chiropractic was founded in 1922. More than 11,000 doctors of chiropractic in the U.S. have earned their degrees from the CUKC College of Chiropractic.

The Doctor of Chiropractic degree can be completed in 3.3 years (10 trimesters). A concurrent B.S./D.C. degree program option also is available.

CUKC points of distinction:

• CUKC has four force-sensing tables and a Cox 8 table for Flexion-Distraction technique in the on-campus Chiropractic Technique Lab, which increases student confidence in their chiropractic adjustment skills.
• CUKC students begin hands-on classes as early as the first trimester. CUKC chiropractic students intern in the on-campus student chiropractic clinic, then advance to the on-campus public Chiropractic Health Center.
• On-campus human cadaver and histology labs, and physical therapy training facilities. Students also learn the latest in Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
• Chiropractic students enter the program in spring, summer, and fall of each year.

The journey to become a chiropractor – a spinal specialist – begins here. Request information by clicking here and by downloading this free eBook: Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession today!