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It has been suggested that this article be merged into Chiropractic education. (Discuss) Proposed since December 2014.

Template:POV-title A chiropractor is a person who practices chiropractic, specialising in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health.

Currently, chiropractors practice in over 100 countries in all regions of the world, however chiropractors are most prevalent in North America, Australia and parts of Europe.

Training

Regardless of the model of education utilized, prospective chiropractors without prior health care education or experience must spend no less than 4200 student/teacher contact hours (or the equivalent) in four years of full‐time education. This includes a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised clinical training. Upon meeting all clinical and didactic requirements of chiropractic school, a degree in chiropractic is granted. However, in order to legally practice, chiropractors, like all self regulated health care professionals, must be licensed. All Chiropractic Examining Boards require candidates to complete a 12 month clinical internship to obtain licensure. Licensure is granted following successful completion of all state/provincial and national board exams so long as the chiropractor maintains malpractice insurance. Nonetheless, there are still some variations in educational standards internationally, depending on admission and graduation requirements. Chiropractic is regulated in North America by state/provincial statute, and also--to some extent--by the Business and Professions Code (e.g., in the state of California)--and the Case Law.. Further, it has been argued that, at least in some states (in the USA), that this license subsumed the previous "drugless practitioner" license, and includes--within its scope of practice--that of the previous discipline.

In some countries chiropractors earn a professional doctorate where training is entered after obtaining between 90 and 120 credit hours of university level work (see second entry degree) and in most cases after obtaining a bachelor's degree. The World Health Organization lists three potential educational paths involving full‐time chiropractic education around the globe. This includes: 1 – 4 years of pre-requisite training in basic sciences at university level followed by a 4 year full‐time doctorate program; DC. A 5 year integrated bachelor degree; BSc (Chiro). A 2 - 3 year Master's degree following the completion of a bachelor degree leads to the MSc (Chiro). In South Africa the Masters of Technology in Chiropractic (M.Tech Chiro) is granted following 6 years of university.

Career

The realistic median annual wage of salaried chiropractors in the United States was $66,160 in May 2012. According to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Chiropractic Student Loan Default Rates as a percentage of all total defaults for October 1999, May 2010, and January 2012 were 54%, 53.8%, and 52.8% respectively, which are much higher default rates than for other health professions, with over half the individuals having attended chiropractic colleges.

See also

• Chiropractic controversy and criticism

References

1. ^ World Health Organization (2005). "WHO guidelines on basic training and safety in chiropractic" (PDF). ISBN 92-4-159371-7. Retrieved 2008-02-29. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) Cite error: The named reference "WHO-guidelines" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
2. "The current status of the chiropractic profession" (PDF). World Federation of Chiropractic. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
3. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 January 2014: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/chiropractors.htm
4. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), January 2012: http://www.chirobase.org/03Edu/

• Articles to be merged from December 2014
• Chiropractic
• Doctoral degrees