Chiropractic
Chiropractic physicians treat disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems through non-drug, non-surgical means. Chiropractic is a hands-on profession involving manipulation of the spine, among various other therapeutic and diagnostic techniques, to restore mobility to an injured client and relieve pain in the back, neck, and joints of the arms or legs. The chiropractic field is fast-growing because of an increasing demand in alternative health care.
General Information
Chiropractic programs are an average length of four to five years. Chiropractic students undergo a rigorous course of study similar to that of medical students, but focusing largely on the healing sciences. A significant portion of the program consists of studying clinical subjects.
As part of professional training, the student must complete a minimum one year of clinical study, then pass a national board examination to become a licensed chiropractor. Chiropractic colleges offer post-graduate programs in specialty fields, including sports injury, occupational health, and neurology.
Application Process
There is no centralized application service for students intending to apply to chiropractic school. Each program must be applied to individually. To ensure that you send all of the required documents to each program, create a checklist and check off each document as you send it.
Chiropractic schools often require a letter of evaluation from a pre-health advisory committee, rather than several individual letters. Each applicant who seeks a committee letter of evaluation will be interviewed by several members of the Stonehill Pre-Health Professions Advisory Committee, who will then condense the comments of science faculty, non-science faculty, and employers, which you will have previously gathered, into a single letter of evaluation to be submitted to chiropractic schools.
If a chiropractic school is seriously considering you for admission, they will most likely request a personal interview.
Entrance Exam
The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners has launched a diagnostic test similar to the MCAT called the Chiropractic College Assessment Test, or CCAT. Visit NBCE website for updated information.
Subjects Covered - Mathematics Biology Chemistry Physics
Type of Exam - Computer 100 Multiple Choice
Exam Length - 1 hr 30 min
When Given - Varies by appointment
Where Taken - Varies by appointment
Contact Info to Register - Contact the enrollment office at a chiropractic college in order to arrange your assessment
Test Prep - Visit www.nbce.org for more information
Cost of Exam - N/A
Obtaining Scores - Score report provided upon assessment completion
Reporting Scores - Automatically sent to the college which arranged your assessment
Score Record -N/A
Notes - NBCE CCAT Info
Suggested Coursework
The following is a list of undergraduate courses that typically satisfy the prerequisites for chiropractic programs:
- Chemistry with lab (1 year)
- Organic Chemistry with lab (1 semester)
- Biology with lab (1 year)
- Physics with lab (1 year)
- Psychology (1 semester)
- English (1 year)
- Social Sciences/Humanities (2 years)
Resources