As a Chiropractor who has been working in Singapore for the past 4 years, I often hear a few repeating things from my patients ranging from, “That was damn shiok (the Adjustment)” to “How do you know exactly where that sore spot is?” and “How do I become a Chiropractor, this feels awesome!”.

What the patient sees is a smooth and structured exam process, detailed history, and a specific Chiropractic Adjustment, but most don’t understand what it takes to get to this professional skill level.

There is an estimated 40 Chiropractic colleges worldwide, with 20 of them in the U.S.A. There are no Chiropractic schools in Singapore, so I would advise finding a school that is accredited by the Council of Chiropractic Education (CCE-I) which regulates Chiropractic training programmes. I will be sharing my perspective as a U.S.A. graduated Doctor of Chiropractic, since each country has different requirements and regulations.

chiropractor singapore

Chiropractic Degree Requirements – The Nuts and Bolts

For most schools, they require at least 3 years of an undergraduate degree (90 semester hours) with at least 24 hours in lecture and lab-work for the physical sciences prior to applying. In my class at Palmer College of Chiropractic – Florida Campus, most had completed their B.S. or B.A. before entering Chiropractic, as I did with my Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Central Florida.

The application process is fairly easy, since there is no Medical College Admission Test (M.C.A.T.) and scrutiny is placed on your previous undergraduate classes, GPA (3.0 minimum on average), references (make sure to shadow a few Chiropractors and get letters of recommendation) and face-to-face interview with the admission representative.

How Long is Chiropractic Education?

After your separate 90 semester hours in undergraduate work, a Chiropractic degree in the United States of America (U.S.A.) will involve an average of 4,200 theory and practical teaching hours and 1,000 hours of supervised clinical training. The unique part of having a Chiropractic education in the U.S. versus in Europe, Australia, or New Zealand, is that the time you spend in school is “shorter” at about 3.25 years as compared to 4-5 years elsewhere. The major difference is there are a lot more hours squished into our years, and the intensity of the multiple classes can be much more demanding.

Check out a sample curriculum at Palmer Chiropractic here.

What Is It Like in a Chiropractic Program?

Thankfully for my experience, everything was a great balance of serious professionalism, specialised and tough classes, led by good natured and kind professors, and helpful classmates. As the first year can be overwhelming with the heavy hours of Anatomy and Physiology, it’s nicely balanced with a few hours a week of “hands on” study of palpation and Chiropractic Adjustment set ups (“No thrust!”) to build up your psycho-motor skills.

At Palmer Florida, we had access to a cadaver lab on campus which was not only utilised as a teaching lab, but also as a testing lab where colored pins would be placed into certain anatomical structures for you to identify and answer any physiological questions regarding the area. Not all schools have access to this, but this was an excellent way for me personally to cement in the textbook knowledge to the physical body. Often we would spend extra hours after school in the “Lab” to review for tests and reinforce anatomical markers.

Class photo before Student Olympics

Every school and class is different, but your classmates will become your extended family. You will be seeing them 7:30 am to 4:30 pm every day, studying with them, working with them, working on them, and everyone shares their ups and downs. While you will have more time to yourself in the later years of education (after 9th quarter), most of those hours will be spent studying for Part 3 and Part 4 board certification.

You will take extremely difficult classes (with a higher failure rate) like Neurology of Spine and Peripheral Nervous System 1 and 2, Advanced Neurology, Pathology, and Radiology Diagnosis 1 and 2. You will also take easier classes like Health Psychology, X-Ray Physics, Normal Aging and Development. Although the amount of in-school hours are heavy, they also do not reflect the vast amount of time studying outside of school. For this reason, taking up a part time job is usually not advised the first two years.

So When Do You Start Adjusting?

Most schools start adjusting after their second year of education, but Palmer uniquely starts at 5th quarter. In regards to adjusting, your first year is all about building up your psycho-motor skills, palpation technique, adjusting set ups, diagnostics, and building proper body control and ergonomics.

Your very first adjustment is done on your willing and eager classmate (after all, the whole class has been setting up and saying “thrust” for the past year). Some students find adjusting skills very difficult to “get” or to “master”. Patience, repetition, and practice under specialised instruction is always key. As noted in other articles on Align Chiropractic, the Chiropractic Adjustment is incredible safe when there has been a proper examination, history, and is performed by a qualified Chiropractor.

It can take a long time to become a consistent, good adjuster with great post-adjusting checks (indicators showing positive nervous system adaptation to the adjustment, not just a decrease in pain). Every school has amazing and dedicated teachers and adjusting clubs on campus to help you progress and master the very difficult and varied techniques. At Palmer, we learn Diversified technique, Sacro-Occipital Technique, Gonstead, Thompson Drop Technique, Upper Cervical Toggle Technique, and many more. In addition, you will learn soft tissue (muscle and fascia) techniques, passive modalities (Ultrasound, E-Stim, Cold Laser) and Physiotherapy.

Accreditation and Licensing of Chiropractic Degree

During all of your hard work of school training, you will also have to manage studying and passing “Boards” which are 5 board certifications that are necessary to become licensed in the U.S.A.

During your second year (roughly 6th quarter) you have learned enough of the basic sciences, Anatomy and Physiology, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Pathology to sit for Part 1. They are delivered by National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (N.B.C.E.), are notoriously extremely difficult, can take 5 hours to complete each part, and cost about $685 each test.

Credit – Pexel.com

Along the way, you’ll also have to pass Part 2, Part 3, Physiotherapy, and Part 4.

Part 3 has an interesting difficulty level added to it, with 4 hours of testing for 110 questions and 10 case vignettes involving case history, neuro-muscular examination, diagnostic imaging, clinical laboratory and special studies. Part 4 is beast of a test involving 20 stations where you will have 2 minutes each station to view diagnostic images and answer 2 related questions, a Chiropractic Technique section where you will be critiqued on your Adjustment set up, and a last section of 20 stations where you will be asked to perform a full case history, physical examination, or orthopaedic testing or neurological testing, within 5 minutes. Whew.

Once you have completed all of your Chiropractic education and passed all 5 parts of the board certifications, you are now a registered Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.). If you want to practice inside of the U.S. you need to additionally take a licensing test for each individual state and take continuing education hours depending on state requirements.

What Is The State of Chiropractic In Singapore?

Currently, there are less than 150 Chiropractors in Singapore. Even though there are over 70,000 Chiropractors in the U.S. alone, Chiropractic is still very new to Southeast Asia. We are seeing that more and more people are looking for an alternative solution to their health problems, and seeking a way to help them “live healthier and better.“

As of now, Chiropractic is recognised and regulated in nearly every first world country except Singapore. Technically a foot reflexologist could open up a clinic and say they are a Chiropractor. When seeing a Chiropractic in Singapore always make sure to check if they have an education from an accredited school. We are hopeful that one day soon Singapore moves forward to regulate the profession, as this will benefit everyone. As a local Singaporean, you should only need to have your Chiropractic degree, but it would be advisable to attain all board certifications for any future licensing requirements in Singapore.

As an expat, to apply for an Employment Pass (E.P.) you will have to send all transcripts and degrees, and licensing in at least 1 state or country.

In My Opinion

Dr. Jason explaining Chiropractic at a Health Talk

I graduated from Palmer Chiropractic-Florida Campus following the traditional path (3.25 years, or 13 quarters after my B.S. Biology degree), although some classmates chose to take a slower approach extending their education time by taking less hours each quarter. I am happy to recommend Palmer Florida as it’s a well known for having one of the best blends of great medical training and still being very philosophically bound to Chiropractic.

Education everywhere is not cheap anymore, and typical costs of school for a full program are $120,000 USD. That does not include the cost of relocation, housing, food, textbooks, and transportation costs. Many Chiropractors end up with a debt of at least $150,000 USD. Given that the average Chiropractic salary in the U.S. is $68,640 USD, I advise not going into Chiropractic “for the money”. If you are truly looking to help people in a way that will substantially improve their lives, and not rely on the medical answer of drugs and surgery, then Chiropractic is the best profession to choose. I love being a Chiropractor. It is incredibly rewarding to help people and see amazing changes happen once their body becomes aligned.

We can see all of the poor posture, poor physical habits, aches and pains all around us, yet this dysfunction is becoming a part of our daily culture! Health and healing comes from the body, via a complex web of adaptation and homeostasis.

By specifically checking and adjusting the spine, Chiropractors are doing much more than eliminating pain. Chiropractic is designed to assess and correct Nervous System dysfunction at the root cause. Neurological health, and slowing down the slow wear and tear of the body (degeneration) is becoming a more popular and recognised health focus, and with the raising Chiropractic awareness I truly do see a happy and healthy future for the profession and our patients.

chiropractor course online

How To Do Chiropractic Adjustments: The Fundamentals

Learn How to Adjust the Spine With Accuracy and EffectivenessBestsellerRating: 4.8 out of 54.8 (90 ratings)324 studentsCreated by Dan Perez, DC

What you’ll learn

• Understand chiropractic theory and how chiropractic is used to treat musculoskeletal conditions and improve health.
• Evaluate the spine and identify problem areas: what to test, how to test and what to look for.
• Prescribe and explain the nature of a chiropractic treatment plan to a patient.
• Develop the biomechanics of adjusting the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions of the spine.
• Effectively communicate chiropractic to a new patient in a way that brings clarity to the patient and increase treatment compliance and outcomes.
• Know the only two practice development resources I recommend.

Requirements

• You will need a firm chiropractic bench. Do not try these adjustments on anything else such as a bed or sofa.
• A comfortable, quiet room with no distractions is needed to practice the adjustments.
• A large monitor; the bigger the better, to view the adjusting videos. Project your laptop to a larger external monitor or cast your browser to your smart TV. Set up your monitor close to the adjusting table in a position where you can see clearly as you practice the body positioning (yours and your patient’s) for adjustments.
• A person in good health who has agreed to let you practice the adjustments on.
• Someone with the proper qualifications to observe is highly advised.
• A reflex hammer and plastic pinwheel to practice the ortho-neuro testing.

Description

Are you interested in learning chiropractic?   Then this course is for you!    

After completing it, you will understand the theory behind chiropractic; how to assess the spinal column to determine what bones to adjust; how to formulate a typical chiropractic treatment plan; how to adjust the neck, mid back and lower back; and tips for managing a new patient.   

This course is designed for chiropractic students, new and experienced chiropractors and those who are considering a chiropractic career.   Manual therapy and fitness specialists like physical therapists, kinesiologists, physiatrists, massage therapists and athletic trainers who are interested in chiropractic can especially benefit from this course since they already are familiar with treating/ improving the human body with their hands.  

This course is laid out in a procedure-progressive sequence:  

Introduction

This video summarizes the entire course.  In it, I explain that while the course obviously does not intend to replace formal chiropractic education, it condenses the practice of chiropractic– its core elements– to provide a clear picture of the profession to those who are interested in pursuing a career in chiropractic; or incorporating chiropractic treatment into their practice or services.  

The course touches on chiropractic theory, exam techniques, adjusting (spinal manipulation) techniques and the basics of new patient handling– all the things a chiropractor deals with every day in practice.

Section 1, Principles of Chiropractic 

This video explains chiropractic theory; i.e. its unique approach to healthcare.  After completing it, you will understand the rationale behind chiropractic adjustments: why chiropractors do adjustments to the spine; what happens when you correct an abnormally aligned vertebral segment; and the resulting health benefits.

The video is highly visual and makes the concepts easy to grasp.  When you understand them, it will benefit your clinical skills: you will diagnose conditions better; be better able to “connect the dots” in all your cases; be a better adjuster; and devise and prescribe better treatment plans.

Section 2, Spinal Evaluation  

Posture:  In this video I teach you how to develop a “chiropractic eye” for subtle, postural deviations.   A person’s posture outwardly reveals his spine’s alignment inside, so it is naturally the first thing a chiropractor should check on a patient.  After completing this lecture, you will be able to determine which areas of a person’s spine are out of alignment with just a brief check of his posture. 

Static Palpation:  Palpation is the diagnostic skill of assessing the body through touch.  With reference to chiropractic, static palpation means feeling for abnormal joint movement while the patient’s spine is in a static, neutral position.  This information is correlated with the patient’s symptoms and complaints, and other tests to narrow down the problem area.

Static palpation is used to locate body landmarks to precisely locate individual vertebra for adjusting; feel for areas of edema and heat; feel for tenderness; assess muscle tone, and other abnormalities that can be detected by touch.  It is the second procedure done in a typical chiropractic spinal exam (posture, static palpation, motion palpation).

Motion palpation is an evaluation technique that involves palpating spinal joints while they are in motion (rotation, flexion, extension, or side bending) to assess for any movement restrictions in any plane, which would indicate vertebral misalignment and/or fixation.  It is the third procedure done in a typical chiropractic spinal exam (posture, static palpation, motion palpation).

Orthopedic and Neurological Testing:  In this video I explain how to do several standard orthopedic & neurological tests.  Chiropractors use orthopedic and nerve testing to further narrow down the location, nature and extent of the patient’s condition.  

Section 3, Treatment Fundamentals  

Once you know how to identify a spinal problem, the next important decision is what to recommend to the patient — how many treatments to prescribe; what modalities are appropriate; and how long before improvement is expected.  

I explain the logic behind a typical chiropractic treatment plan (prescription) so that you can explain it with confidence to a patient, and increase compliance.

Section 4, Six Important Skills of Adjusting

Before you start adjusting patients, you must understand these six, important fundamentals.  Chiropractic adjusting is a unique combination of fine motor dexterity and biomechanically-advantaged force generation.  When done right, it is actually comfortable; but when done wrong, it can be uncomfortable to the patient, and even painful.   

Doing adjustments wrong may also cause injury to you, the chiropractor, as well and shorten your career.  It is a very physical occupation that is tough on your back and joints.  Learn what to do with your body; and more importantly, what not to do when you are adjusting.

Section 5, Spinal Adjusting  

In this section, I go to great lengths to explain the fine details of adjusting the spine so that students “get it.” 

One cannot expect to learn how to adjust the spine simply by observing a chiropractic adjustment itself.  While it may look simple in casual observation, what you can’t see are the force vectors the chiropractor uses– the angles and amplitudes needed to move the vertebra, and the subtle things the chiropractor does to stabilize the spine before delivering the thrust.    

Therefore, to truly learn how to do an adjustment properly, the procedure needs to be dissected into its individual parts.  In all the videos, I point out the key steps of the technique at the precise moment they occur, freeze-framing the step and explaining how it is done, with screen annotations to make sure you understand.  Not knowing how to do just one of these things will render the adjustment ineffective!                                             

The three videos are:

How to Adjust the Cervical Spine (Neck):  I demonstrate how to adjust an occiput fixation, a C-1 fixation, and a C4 fixation.    

How to Adjust the Thoracic Spine: I demonstrate how to adjust a thoracic segment using three, different techniques.  

How to Adjust the Lumbar Spine:  I demonstrate how to adjust the lower and upper lumbar segments using two, different techniques.  

Section 6, Tips for Managing a New Patient  

Most practice consultants will tell you that patient communication—what to say and what not to say; how you say it and when you say it– are absolutely critical to the success of a chiropractic practice.  

In this video, I will explain the proper mindset needed when communicating with a new patient.  You want your patient to feel confident in you so that she will comply with treatment, get the best results and refer her friends to your office.  The way to accomplish this is through effective communication.  Many chiropractors mess this opportunity up by saying the wrong things and scaring the patient away; never to return, never to refer.  I’ll reveal the items you must address and the things you should leave out in order to get the best results– clinically and for business.

Section 7, Chiropractic Resources:  I have provided key resources to get you started in your practice.  I also reveal two individuals who I believe are the best in the business for helping chiropractors get their practices going.

Who this course is for:

• Anyone who is considering a career in chiropractic; chiropractic students and chiropractors
• Manual therapy specialists who wish to learn chiropractic techniques such as physical therapists, massage therapists, athletic trainers, kinesiologists, posture specialists and acupuncturists.

Double your Chiropractic Practice in 60 Days

Learn how to double your chiropractic practice in 60 days or less with industry proven marketing secretsRating: 3.9 out of 53.9 (33 ratings)143 studentsCreated by Greg Haitz

What you’ll learn

• Implement a patient re-activation program
• By the end of this course you will know exactly how to explode your practice with new patients
• Use the latest marketing secrets

Requirements

• Simple Internet Connection – Pen and Paper for Notes

Description

Would you like to have a busier practice? Would you like to see more patients and help more people and make more money in the process? Who wouldn’t? Unfortunately it’s never as simple as we thought it would be and we certainly didn’t learn much about this in school. In this program your will learn how to double your chiropractic practice in 60 days or less with proven industry marketing secrets. I will show you how to implement a plan to double your practice using new patient marketing secrets, reactivation events and office procedures that are used by the busiest practices out there. Whether you are new in practice or a seasoned practitioner, you can blow the doors off of your practice with this field tested, proven program.

Chiropractic practice is tricky and marketing your chiropractic practice can be even trickier. Don’t waste your money on advertising that doesn’t work or is less than effective. In this program I will show you what I did to double my practice and how to implement all of the strategies with ease. Grab a pen and paper and get ready to take some notes!

Who this course is for:

• Chiropractors
• Chiropractic Students
• New Patient Mavens
• Chiropractic Assistants

chiropractic short courses

This OMT Medical Acupuncture CPD Course is designed to introduce and fully train participants in the use of Medical Acupuncture for the purpose of muscular pain relief. This course is not designed to treat pathological conditions as taught to TCM Acupuncturist and will focus on full MSK applications. 

The training will look at the most effective techniques taken from both Traditional Chinese Acupuncture and current Medical Acupuncture, giving the students a sound background of knowledge and skill to fully use OMT Medical Acupuncture techniques within their own practice.

This course has been run for Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC, Arsenal FC, Crystal Palace FC, Memphis Grizzlies NBA and throughout the world.  

Techniques covered

• Cervical Spine 
• Thoracic Spine
• Lumbar Spine 
• Shoulders
• Glutes and Pelvis 
• Upper extremities 
• Lower extremities

Why join this course?

• Gain a safe, sound and effective background in the use of OMT Medical Acupuncture
• Discuss current research for the use of medical acupuncture
• Relate the use of medical acupuncture to the treatment of acute and chronic pain, and for a number of musculoskeletal conditions
• Gain a high level of safety, clinical competence and overall the confidence to use medical acupuncture
• Full certification 
• A copy of our internationally published book “Dry Needling for Manual Therapists” will be provided for each attendee 

Please note

• Course handbooks will be provided, and the content of the handbook will be underpinned by a structured PowerPoint presentation by the lecturers
• Students will be expected to take extra notes regarding areas and techniques that will require more specific explanation or detailed clarification
• The handbook and PowerPoint are solely to be used as an aide memoire; the lecturers will adapt the content of the course depending on the student’s backgrounds or therapeutic discipline
• Students are ADVISED to refresh their knowledge of relevant anatomy and physiology prior to attending the course. If students fail to show the required level of knowledge they may be asked to leave the course.

Upcoming courses

28 & 29 March 2020

Fees

£300

chiropractic courses in germany

Berlin Chiropraktoren’s Laura Groom is a fully accredited chiropraktor, having completed her studies at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She has practiced in Australia and Germany. Laura is a member of Chiropractic Association of Australia, the Deutsche Chiropraktoren Gesellshaft and the Deutsche Sport Chiropraktoren Gesellshaft. Berlin Chiropraktoren is the only Berlin-based chiropractic practice that has an international sports chiropractor accreditation.

A fully accredited chiropraktor has studied at an accredited University overseas and has achieved either a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic, USA) or M Chiro (Master of Chiropractic). The course required to be a qualified chiropractor consists of five-years of full-time study at an accredited University with 5000 hours of practice. In order to practice in Germany, a Chiropraktor must have also achieved the title of heilpraktiker or medical doctor.

A chirotherapeut is a German medical doctor, also known as a Manual Mediziner, who has undertaken a minimum of 320 hours further education in Chiropraktik.

A chiropraktiker is a heilpraktiker who has attended chiropractic seminars. There is no minimum on the required hours spent learning to manipulate the musculoskeletal system at the core of chiropractic medicine.

Chiropractors undergo a five to seven year university degree that is regulated in accordance with international standards and must adhere to World Health Organisation guidelines (WHO).

Chiropractors require five to seven years of training. After A levels (or equivalents), there is a preliminary two-year study programme that educates the students in the fundamentals of science. The main component of the degree lasts five years and is concluded with state exams. Finally, there is a minimum one-year period as an assistant.

Currently, no German university or higher education institution offers a degree to become a chiropractor. “Chiropraktiker” trained in Germany need never have visited a university. Their qualification cannot be compared with that of a chiropractor. Australia, Denmark, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and the USA, amongst other countries, all offer chiropractic degrees.