The relationship between structure — primarily the spine — and function — as coordinated by the nervous system — is central to the chiropractic profession’s approach to patient care, health, and well-being.
Doctors of Chiropractic acknowledge the importance of the nervous system in the control, coordination, and regulation of the body. Spinal or extremity joint dysfunction can adversely affect nerve function and the body’s ability to regulate and maintain health. Clearly, these are good reasons for a doctor of chiropractic career.
“The essential services provided by chiropractors,” according to data from the American Chiropractic Association, “represent a primary approach for the prevention, diagnosis, and conservative management of back pain and spinal disorders.”
Further, the ACA says those who become chiropractors “can often enable patients to reduce or avoid the need for riskier treatments, such as prescription opioid pain medications and surgery.”
According to the National Health Interview Survey, the number of chiropractic visits in the U.S. doubled from 1990 to 2017.
An emerging trend involving chiropractic is how employers across the country are taking a more direct approach to improving the health and well-being of their employees by providing access to on-site corporate health clinics.
As a result of the increasing volume of evidence-based outcomes research,
The inclusion of Doctors of Chiropractic as part of on-site health clinic services has become increasingly popular among employers and will likely influence many with a desire to work in healthcare to choose a chiropractic career.
Employer-funded on-site care programs providing chiropractic services include companies such as
This interest by the corporate community is driven by the favorable outcomes of research demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic care in managing the increasingly costly neuromusculoskeletal conditions that represent a common cause of long-term pain and physical disability in the workplace.
Chiropractic worksite services have been shown to reduce overall healthcare utilization, radiology procedures, and musculoskeletal medications in companies.
An initiative examining existing and future use and value of doctors of chiropractic as part of corporate, on-site health and wellness centers report included these core findings:
Someone who decides to become a chiropractor is well-trained to serve as a first contact, drug-free, and non-invasive approach for neuromusculoskeletal care and pain management.
Findings published in an issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine suggest that chiropractic services offered at on-site corporate health clinics, contrasted with off-site physical therapy services, resulted in lower costs of care and improved neuromusculoskeletal function.
On-site chiropractic services in the workplace were directly connected with lower use of radiology services, lower use of outpatient and emergency settings, and lower use of physical therapy.
In collaboration with the Sweere Center at Northwestern University of Health Sciences, a Henriksen and Wolner study completed a review of the reduction in workplace injuries through the inclusion of an employer-sponsored on-site chiropractic care program.
The evidence of the value of on-site chiropractic care in year-over-year cost comparisons of workplace sprain-strain and cumulative trauma injuries was demonstrated by
A key observation in this on-site chiropractic services model is that the employee is provided on-the-job access to chiropractic healthcare, focusing on injury and illness prevention and early intervention.
The benefit to the employer is the reduction in workplace injuries, the opportunity to control the cost of care, a decrease in absenteeism, and enhanced employee loyalty and retention. This model also eliminates a need for third-party reimbursement, creates significantly reduced overhead, and may be instituted at a minimal capital expense and a low liability risk.
Integrating D.C.s within the on-site corporate health clinic may be done in various ways, ranging from part-time to full-time practitioners to executive positions responsible for leading key internal departments.
According to a position paper by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, on-site corporate health clinics are evolving to meet the needs of employers of various sizes and industries, with a projected growth of 15 to 20% per year.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) should be on your list when desiring a healthcare profession. CUKC is a nonprofit, private, chiropractic and health sciences university in Overland Park, Kansas, within the Kansas City metro area. We’re now in our second century of educating and developing leaders in health promotion.
Today’s doctors of chiropractic are designated as physician-level providers in most state/federal Medicare programs. In addition, the essential services provided by chiropractors are available in national health delivery systems, such as Medicaid, the VA, and Defense departments, for federal employees, and federal and workers’ compensation programs.
What’s it take to plan your chiropractic career? Start by examining the academic requirements for our College of Chiropractic. Through our accelerated full-year schedule, you could become a chiropractor in fewer than four years.
Plus, our concurrent B.S./D.C. degree program reduces the time between high school and your professional degree by up to a year.
Points of distinction for the CUKC program:
Why not learn more about how to become a chiropractor and the benefits a chiropractic career delivers? Request information today so you can get our free eBook: Your Complete Guide to the Chiropractic Profession.
