Have you ever wondered how the awesome doctors at Kaizo Health decided to become chiropractors? Do you see all the amazing benefits of chiropractic care and think you might like to be a part of this industry? If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to become a chiropractor, we are going to break down the basics for you. We are also going to talk to our doctors and hear why they are so passionate about their work and helping people live pain-free lives! 

What Are the Educational Requirements for a Chiropractor? 

A chiropractor  is required to have a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree—a postgraduate professional degree that typically takes 4 years to complete. Three years of undergraduate courses are required to apply to schools of chiropractic, but most students complete their undergraduate degrees before enrolling in their postgraduate program.  

A Doctor of Chiropractic program includes classwork in anatomy, physiology, biology, and similar subjects. As one of our doctors put it, “be prepared to learn everything about the body.” Chiropractic students also get supervised clinical experience in which they train in diagnosing injuries and conditions, spinal assessment, manipulations/adjustments, and other treatment techniques. 

All states and the District of Columbia require chiropractors to be licensed. Although specific requirements vary by state, all require the completion of an accredited Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree program and passing all four parts of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exam. 

Undergoing Chiropractic Preceptorship 

After a student completes all chiropractic college requirements, a preceptorship can serve to expand and enhance the student’s clinical education. 

In a preceptorship, a chiropractic student partners with a doctor of chiropractic in the chiropractic college who serves as a preceptor – an instructor. The length of a preceptorship can vary, but often it is a minimum of 28 hours per week and lasts from four to 12 weeks. 

Here at Kaizo Health, we are proud to offer a wonderful preceptorship program that allows students to come in and not only learn from the best but gain real-world experience. Students learn about our innovative and holistic approach of combining chiropractic care and rehabilitative exercises and get to learn skills in our state-of-the-art facilities. You can learn more about preceptorship opportunities at Kaizo Health in this video, here. 

5 Tips for Chiropractic Students 

Our doctors know how much hard work it takes to get into chiropractic school and to complete your degree. Here are a few tips from our doctors to help you become the best student and chiropractor: 

• Get involved. When applying to chiropractic schools, admissions counselors like to see well-rounded students who not only excelled in their studies but also gave back to their schools and communities. In addition, it’s important to become involved once you start your postgraduate program. Chiropractic students can get involved in clubs and organizations both on-campus and online.  
• Research your desired chiropractic schools and work with your advisor to make sure all of their admission requirements are met. Admission requirements vary by school so it’s important to know which classes you need to be taking.  

• Build proper study habits. There is an incredible amount of information to learn during chiropractic school and building good study habits early on will help ensure success from the beginning.  
• Learn effective time management strategies. Developing good time management strategies will allow you to be able to put in the time with your studies that is required to do well as well as allowing you time to enjoy some down time and make sure you are practicing good self-care. Our doctors also recommend finding a good core group of friends and study partners that you can lean on during the many challenges you will face during your postgraduate program.  
• Begin talking to other practicing doctors early. Decide how you would like to practice (what techniques, what patient demographic, location, what type of practice, etc.) and start scouting possible preceptorship positions. Also, shadowing other clinics is a great way to see what you like and do not like so you know what to look for in the future. This was one of the most mentioned tips among our doctors and should be a huge focus for you during your time in chiropractic school. Remember, you can never have too many connections.  

Why Become a Chiropractor? 

You might be wondering why someone would consider becoming a chiropractor when it seems like the possibilities to go into healthcare are endless. When you become a chiropractor, you are given the opportunity to change people’s lives. You help relieve them from chronic or acute pain that they may be unable to heal with other types of remedies, such as surgery or medication or before they would need to go down those roads all together. 

Another benefit is that you are helping heal people in a natural and holistic way. It’s no secret that this country is currently facing an opioid epidemic. Many times, opioid addictions begin when a person is prescribed pain medication for an injury. When someone becomes a chiropractor, they give people a chance at healing without risking future health issues, such as addictions or drug-dependencies. A chiropractor gets to the root cause of their patients’ pain and can help people live overall healthier lives.  

Why Our Doctors Chose to Become Chiropractors 

When asked about his “why” for becoming a chiropractor, Dr. Berch Fritz, said, “I grew up seeing my family members struggle with health issues. Unhealthy lifestyles and opioid addiction were present in my family and I knew I wanted to help others without the need for prescription medication.”  

This is also very similar to what our CEO and founder, Dr. Jay Greenstein had to say about one of the reasons he became a chiropractor. He said, “I saw the amount of medication my mom was having to take without any results. Once she started to go see a chiropractor, she had amazing results and I knew I wanted to be a part of that.”  

Other reasons why our doctors chose chiropractic include flexible hours and scheduling, more autonomy in treating patients than similar professions (I.e., athletic trainers, physical therapists), and learning how to read imaging studies and shoot x-rays. Another one of our doctors, Dr. Sheldon Stuckart, originally believed he wanted to work in strength and conditioning training but quickly realized during his internships that he could have more of an impact in helping athletes heal their injuries with chiropractic.  

Get Treated at Kaizo Health  

Our goal at Kaizo Health is to always get you back to feeling 100%. Not only will our doctors provide treatment to help you be pain-free, but we also have a dedicated team that will work with you and your insurance to make sure you get the most from your benefits so that you can experience relief for as little cost to you as possible. If you are ready to experience relief from the pain, make an appointment to see us now.  

At Kaizo Health, our world-class team of chiropractors in Rockville, MD; Landover, MD; Fort Washington, MD; and Fairfax, VA, practices an evidence-based approach combining chiropractic care and guided, individualized rehabilitative exercises prescription. We provide the treatment and resources you need to recover your health and strength as best-in-class, state-of-the-art chiropractors. We are here to help! In the meantime, make sure that you check out our blog for more information on the chiropractic field, as well as our free virtual self-assessment chiropractic web app here.