Chiropractic Education vs. Medical Education
Chiropractic Education
Doctors of Chiropractic complete 4 years of undergraduate school and 4 years of graduate school. They are required to pass National and State board examinations to obtain licensure. Once licensed, continuing post-graduate education is required for annual license renewal.
This table compares professional graduate school educations for the Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) and the Medical Doctor (M.D.).
Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools
|
Subject |
Chiropractic Schools |
Medical Schools |
||
|
|
Hours |
% of Total |
Hours |
% of Total |
| Anatomy |
570 |
40 |
368 |
31 |
| Biochemistry |
150 |
11 |
120 |
10 |
| Microbiology |
120 |
8 |
120 |
10 |
| Public Health |
70 |
5 |
289 |
24 |
| Physiology |
305 |
21 |
142 |
12 |
| Pathology |
205 |
14 |
162 |
14 |
| Total Hours |
1,420 |
100 |
1,200 |
100 |
Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools
|
Chiropractic Schools |
Medical Schools |
|||
|
Mean |
Percentage |
Mean |
Percentage |
|
| Basic science hours |
1416 |
29% |
1200 |
26% |
| Clinical science hours |
3406 |
71% |
3467 |
74% |
| Chiropractic science hours |
1975 |
41% |
0 |
0 |
| Clerkship hours |
1405 |
29% |
3467 |
74% |
| Total Contact Hours |
4822 |
100% |
4667 |
100% |
Source for both above charts: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc., Washington, DC. Personal communication of 1995 unpublished data from Meredith Gonyea, PhD.