Education

Chiropractic Education

Rarely a week goes by that someone doesn't ask me about the education required to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. Sometimes they want to know about the length of time a D.C. has attended college, other times they wonder about the types of courses. I can only speak for myself, as with many other professions, the path to a degree can be a simple or complex road.

I attended college with classmates who had received Bachelor's Degrees, Master's Degrees, PhD's, and MD's. Some people had previous experience in completely opposites fields, and some were just beginning their college experience. To clarify a few things, I thought I would take a moment to breakdown the minimum amount of hours in each field of study to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. This will be contrasted with a medical degree
Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools

Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools

Just like any path to a degree, the type of college you attend can have a major impact on how well trained you are. My father, Darrell, graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1974, while my sister, Sarah, and I graduated with our Chiropractic degrees from Life Chiropractic College West in 1999 and 2001. Since my father's time there have been a number of chiropractic colleges that have opened up, and now there are 17 Chiropractic Colleges in the United States, 4 in Great Britain, 2 in Canada, 2 in Australia, 2 in South Africa, 1 in France, Denmark, Brazil, New Zealand, Korea, and Japan.

My experience meeting Chiropractors from other schools, as well as patients who have transferred to our office from other countries, has shown me how different a persons experience can be with each Chiropractic graduate. I loved my own college experience at Life Chiropractic College West, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is weighing the options between schools. I felt it gave me a clear understanding of health, a firm base in diagnosis, and the skill set required to care for people in a way that makes people fall in love with Chiropractic.

If you would like to see a directory of available Chiropractic colleges please click here: Chiropractic College Directory.