Become a Chiropractor

By Michael Dorausch, D.C.

Last week I noticed an advertisement online for a chiropractic school located in the state of California. The ad suggested that the school was an accredited college that offered a balanced approach to techniques and philosophy. Some thoughts…

As far as I know, all of the 18 chiropractic schools in the United States have accreditation with the Chiropractic Council on Education (CCE). With that in mind, when an individual at a chiropractic school wants you to select their school because they are accredited, you may want to ask if they can tell you which schools are not accredited.

In my opinion, teaching one chiropractic technique and offering almost no chiropractic philosophy, is not a balanced approach to chiropractic education. Others may disagree, but I would advise heavily to attend a school that teaches at least three different methods of hands-on chiropractic adjusting. Nearly all schools have clubs and after-hours workshops (on and off campus) where other chiropractic techniques are taught. Personally, I just don’t think that’s enough to ensure you’re getting a good education in chiropractic adjustive technique. If a school officially teaches only one technique ask the representatives to explain why. For those schools that teach multiple techniques, ask representatives why the techniques they teach were the ones included into the curriculum. I’d hate to think that some chiropractic schools are teaching certain techniques for the financial gain of the techniques creator, yet that is certainly something that should be addressed. If an individual or group has lobbied for a school to teach a particular technique, and they will potentially profit from students learning that technique (for example instrument adjusting), that information should be made public.

Philosophy is important in chiropractic education, but maybe not in the way people think it is. There’s plenty of time after graduation from chiropractic school to study historical perspectives and learn more about chiropractic philosophy. In my experience, the most important thing to get grounded on while you’re in chiropractic college is the why you are becoming a chiropractor. It’s important to differentiate why YOU want to become a chiropractor versus what anybody else thinks. There are as many reasons to become a chiropractor as there are chiropractors. The only thing that’s going to matter for you, is your reason.

Successful chiropractors know why they do what they do. They have their own reasons for doing what they do. Some share similar reasons with others, that’s basically how we develop different groups of chiropractors. We discover basic principles we share in common and it strengthens the bonds between us. In the same fashion, those that may have graduated from chiropractic school but never made it to that first day of chiropractic practice, or quit after six months, will likely find things they have in common with others who have given up. They also form groups through their similarities and thinking, simply because it feels good to know others have had the same experience as you. You get to make a conscious choice as to which group you’d like to be in, if any.

Don’t waste your time thinking about groups and being accepted. Focus on what you want, what you desire, why you want to be a chiropractor (or not), and move forward. No one’s going to determine your level of success in life, but you.