Most of the complex questions are defying simple yes and no responses. One such question is, “Are chiropractors doctors?” Of course, the answer is ‘yes’ because you have good medical experience, know the advantages patients derive from chiropractic, and what evidence suggests. For others, the word doctor refers to a person with an M.D., which includes medical school, an internship, a residency, and a license since chiropractors don’t have an MD. Diploma, they’re not physicians. They are chiropractic doctors specialists who care about patients and devote themselves.
How Chiropractors Are Doctors
Chiropractors hold a doctor’s degree in Chiropractic (D.C.) from a college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the same body that grants medical school accreditations. Also, medical doctors and chiropractic doctors are similar because both are M.D. graduates. And … And D.C. Schools have:
- Given a degree with an emphasis on the sciences or a “pre-med” accent
- Earned a four-year degree in health care from an accredited college or university in healthcare
- Proved their skills in dealing with doctors
- Obtained the license required for practice bypassing an inspection
- Requirements for further education.
A Specialized Education, Extensive Clinical Experience
A chiropractic degree focuses on diagnosing, treating, and preventing spinal disorders and other parts of the musculoskeletal system. For this purpose, chiropractic school in anatomy, physiology, and human biology is intense. Chiropractic physicians study in-depth spinal anatomy and practice to treat disorders in the neuromusculoskeletal system. This depth of research is further evidence that doctors are becoming chiropractors.
A Bachelor’s degree, usually in science, is a good start to this career.
Students take on at least 4,200 hours of education after accepting to a chiropractic school, covering both classroom and laboratory time and clinical time with patients. Emphasizing hands-on techniques in chiropractic care requires extensive experience working with patients. Chiropractic students do additional work in laboratories, independent and group study projects, research studies, and patient care experience through internships or treatment facilities in the area.
Satisfaction: A Chiropractic Degree Delivers Results
Medical attention may be well known, but research continues to affirm the importance of chiropractic care as well:
- Chiropractic care was ranked number one “preferred treatment” for low back pain in June 2016 Consumer Reports.
- 2017 American College of Physicians’ recommendations advised ‘non-pharmacological care’ for low back pain, including ‘spinal manipulation therapy.’
- In a 2016 survey of those who had visited a chiropractor in the previous year, 95 percent said chiropractic care was successful, and 97 percent said they would recommend it to a friend.
