What Kind of Training Do Chiropractors Need?
Many people wonder what kind of training a chiropractor needs in order to start legally practicing. It may surprise you to know that it is probably a lot more than what most people think. The amount of training required is very similar to that of a medical doctor.
A chiropractor candidate will need to have at least two or three years of undergraduate work before going to a specialized school. Some of them will require that four years of college be completed before being accepted.
Different schools will have different requirements, so when someone is thinking about making a career as a chiropractor, it is a very good idea to look at possible schools and then determine their course of action. Some schools will require that a candidate have an undergraduate degree in a related field, and some may require that the person be an assistant to a chiropractor for a specified period of time.
Chiropractic schools usually take four years to complete. Upon completion, the graduate is given a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree. A state license will be needed to practice. While in school, they will extensively study the neuromusculoskeletal system, which includes the muscles, bones, ligaments, nerves, and tendons. Because they deal with the entire body, they are also trained to diagnose and deal with problems throughout the entire human body. They also learn preventive medicine.
When a chiropractic student reaches the fourth year, they are expected to enter into a clinical internship. This will usually be for about 1,000 hours. They learn through hands-on experience after watching for so long.
The projections for chiropractors are very good. The Bureau of Labor Relations predicts a 15 percent growth between 2012 and 2022. This is largely because of a growing interest in more natural methods, and chiropractors do not use either surgery or drugs.
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