Educational Requirements

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Chiropractic Physician Educational Requirements

Have you every wondered how much education a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is required to have compared to a Medical Doctor (MD)? Look at these basic educational requirements for graduates of both chiropractic colleges and medical schools. Each has its own specialties, but the hours of classroom instruction are about the same. Doctors of Chiropractic must satisfy a demanding academic course load that leads to a doctorate degree requiring eight academic years of study: four years of undergraduate preparatory and four years of professional school.

Chiropractic physicians must meet stringent educational requirements, including approximately six hundred hours of internship, which qualify them for licensure in all 50 states. Chiropractic physicians are required to pass stringent national board examinations as a prerequisite for licensure in all states. And the Doctor of Chiropractic must stay abreast of the latest health care techniques by attending seminars and fulfilling continuing education credits in order to maintain their licensure.

BASIC SCIENCE COMPARISONS:

*CHIROPRACTIC HOURS (minimum)**	SUBJECT	MEDICAL HOURS" (minimum)
456	Anatomy/Embryology	215
243	Physiology	174
296	Pathology	507**
161	Chemistry	100
145	Microbiology	145
408	Diagnosis	113**
149	Neurology	171
271	X-Ray	13
56	Psychology and Psychiatry	323
66	Obstetrics and Gynecology	284
168	Orthopedics	2
2,419	TOTAL	2047

* The class hours for basic science comparisons were compiled and averaged following a review of curricula of 18 chiropractic colleges and 22 medical schools, based on the 1988-1989 Association of American Medical College Curriculum Directory (AAMC), Vickie Ahari, Editor, and the Chiropractic College Admissions and Curriculum Directory 1988-1989, K. Magarian and K. McNamee, editors.

** Pathology includes Geriatrics and Pediatrics

*** Includes EENT and Dermatology

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