Chiro school admission

I'll probably spark a flame war here:

I would guess that most premeds don't even consider chiro. an option as the field tends to hide below the surface of publicity/hype. Most chiro schools will let any person with a 2.9GPA and a degree into their program. Dentistry, Podiatry and Optometry are legitimate backup plans, but I highly suggest you read up on the profession before making any decisions relating to chiro. Some schools offer minimal clinical training, and frankly, I don't believe there is any science involved in their practice.

Here's a fascinating link to support my point:
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chiro.html

Someone define how a subluxation can be scientifically categorized and I may change my mind.

 

A few years back, after getting rejected for dental school I ran into an admissions counselor from an Illinois Chiropractic school (to remain nameless). Speaing to her, I told her I didn;t know what do for the next year (until i reapplied). She suggested that I look into chiropractic medicine. After telling her my GPA, and talking to her, she Accepted me ON THE SPOT!! Unofficially, that is. She said with my GPA, and volunteer experience etc.., I was guaranteed a spot in their May starting class. They start 3 classes a year, May, Sept, Jan, with May getting the least number of applicants, so I can;t say I would have had a shot for their September starting class. But needless to say I had an exam their first day of class (they start really early May), and decided I still wanted to go to dental school.
Oh ya, she waived the application fee for me too, but I never filled it out, something about teeth kept calling me.

 

I've considered a career in Chiropractic many times. The pre-requirements for Chiro are almost identical to Med schools. However, unlike med schools Chiropractic colleges are much easier to get into; the standards are changing though. IF you decide to go in this direction, however, I would consider going to a science-based Chiro college (e.g. Western state, Southern California Health Sciences, Logan etc.). These schools concentrate on scientific research and cooperation with other health institutions and physicians. Hope this helps.

 

How do most chiros do financially? It seems like a lot of them do well.

 

chiros do very, very well if you practice in certain areas (near metropolitan regions, etc). I had one friend from high school who went into chiro. after leaving his job as an eng. Went to Life college in atlanta. Took him 3.5 years to finish (trimester system). He then came back to NYC and is pulling down low 6 figures. He works hard and has a lot of patient responsibility but he loves it. I don't know much about subluxation techniques but he is always telling me about the wonders it does for his patients. Placebo? Or it could be that some of it does actually work.

I think if you like the field, chiro. is a very sensible alternative to med school. Pay is good, hours are ok, it's much easier to get in (my friend: SUNY school, low 3 GPA, ??? standardized exams) and its shorter in terms of overall training. Downsides: you're generally seen as 2nd class allied health by physicans (my friend remarks how he gets stiffed a lot at ortho conferences) but that may be more a bruise to the ego rather than a concrete negative.

 

I graduated from optometry school in 2000. Most schools are cautious NOT to accept people who had optometry as a "back-up" plan. They were more interested in people who chose optometry as their first choice. The first question at every interview is "why optometry?" If you answer was "I didn't get into med school" your application probably went into the garbage 10 seconds after you left the room.

 

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If you answered why optometry with "because I didn't get into medical school," they wouldn't accept you because you were stupid not because you had optometry as a backup.

 

I'm a podiatrist and I'm reapplying to med school for next year.

Of course, this is only my opinion, but I wouldn't get near chiropractic medicine as a career. I feel like many other posters in that the theory behind chiropractic medicine is pretty suspect.

I was interested in the mid 80's and did some research. I visited the Cleveland College of Chiropractic Medicine in Los Angeles (go figure) and spoke to some administrators. Despite the fact that I hadn't even earned my AA degree (I was at a JC at the time) they wanted to accept me! It was that coupled with the knowledge that "making it" in this field has everything to do with entrepeneurial fortitude and little to do with expertise that prompted me to run away. Having said that, I know that the admissions standards have risen a bit and they probably won't allow anyone in without a bachelors. But who knows? I know one thing. The standards are even lower than podiatry school, which has almost no standards these days.

Recently, the largest chiro school in the country, Palmer, has gotten themselves into a lot of hot water. They lost their accreditation and the students who are in the school right now have nothing to graduate from. I'm not sure of the specifics, but the school is really suffering.

Beyond that, the "science" behind the theory is a little bizzare for my thinking. It has a lot to do with manipulating the musculoskeletal system to allow normal nerve and circulatory conduction, which will help the body in combatting and healing such disparate illnesses as cancer, MS, headaches, etc. Kind of a stretch if you ask me.

But, I think the worst part of chiro is that when you finally graduate, you are completely on your own. This is why so many fail. If you don't have an excellent business sense, you're going to wither and die.

There's a website that lists types of physicians/dentists/pods and chiros, etc. and the percentage who have defaulted on their HEAL loans. I think it's something like www.defaulteddocs.hhs.gov
Chiros are at the bottom of the list in terms of default rate. That should tell you something.

 

Are you smoking something? Chiropractic is a sensible alternative to medical school in the same way digging ditches is a sensible alternative to engineering. Oh, except ditch-diggers are employed at a useful profession which gives good value for the money payed them.

Second class? More like fourth or fifth class. They actually let chiropractors into orthopeadic conferences?

Remember, many chiropractors still dismiss that outlandish "germ theory" of disease as primative and wrong-headed. Additionally, their primary treatment modality is based on an as yet unproven pathological condition, the "subluxation." I say "unproven" to be charitable. In fact, it has been "disproven" by evidence based medicine.

In short, chiropractors, like faith-healers and purveyors of aromatherapy, are the snake-oil salesmen of our times. Why not just buckle down and study a little harder to get into one of the respectable a"allied health fields" like optometry or podiatry?

 

Some DO's have mentioned that this is in their training as well...

Not that Howard Stern ever makes any sense, but this is something that he likes to rant about....

How MD's are at the top, then DO's, then [fill in the rest], and then chiros at the bottom of the heap. Not that *I* believe in what he says, but it's something that he brings up often...

 

Correction: I meant to say Life College, not Palmer.

 

I don't believe we are being entirely fair to science-based Chiropractic medicine. Many Chiro's that I've met focus entirely on musculoskeletal dysfunctions and allow the other healing arts to be managed by MD/DO's. At least give the bennefit of the doubt that many work side by side with MD/DO's in clinics which offer a wide variety of treatments to the patient. As the face of health care changes I believe the "quacks" in Chiropractic will fade and science based practice will surface. Just my opinion.

 

As a student of osteopathic medicine, I believe i can bring some insight into this thread...
First of all, some of you are correct. Some chiropractors are garbage, and they can do a lot of harm. On the other hand, some actually can be quite effective.
Second,..... OMM (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine). For those of you who aren't privy to the facts about it, I can honestly say that i've experienced it first hand, and i've seen it many times and am currently learning how to do it now. It works. It is not the end all be all cure of cancer or heart disease. It IS however, a great supplement to all of the other tools we all learn in medical school and can be quite effective in treating common ailments. Think about it... what are the two most common complaints when your average joe comes into a doctors office??? 1. "doc, my head hurts" 2. "doc, my back hurts". These are two very prominent ailments that OMM proves very effacacious in treating. It also is proven to help with more advanced ailments. It is only another alternative to offer or a supplement to other treatments for these ailments. In my opinion, the more options you have, the better.
Here's where chiropractors come in. There are some good ones, and they do practice something very similar, but not exactly like OMM. The difference is that Chiro's usually do a lot more high velocity thrusting, and this, in my opinion, and many other DO's opinions can be dangerous. The chiro's who are not trained in a more scientific sense can do a lot of damage. The fact is, however, that if every DO out there emphasized OMM a lot more, then there would be no need for chiropractors. Since, there are not enough DO's to go around... not yet anyway, chiropratic practitioners can work cooperatively with medically trained DO's and MD's, and can be quite effective if they know their limits, and have received proper training including a strong scientific foundation.
As far as chiro school being a back up for DO/MD school.... i think that if you want to be a physician, in the traditional sense of being a doctor.... then you should look into the osteopathic/allopathic route, you will be dissapointed if you have to settle for anything that isn't in that vision. If you have a modified view of that vision, then you can be very happy as a chiropractor, and many of them are, and are living very well.

 

Thanks for the positive comments on chiropractic. I am a chiropractor who is currently applying to PA school. Please keep an open mind for things you don't understand, for your sake and your patients and family. Know that chiropractic works, I know we get alot of bad press. We are grouped as a profession, only when negative news is heard. When one of us does something good, that is marked as the exception to the rule (or some external luck). There is good and bad in everything.

You can't see what your not looking for.

I have been out of school for 2 years and own my business, which made 250k profit last year, and helped alot of people. My decision to return to school is not about the money (couldn't tell me different when I was in school last time). It is about finding more freedom to treat, and learning more about how I can help my patients.
There is always room for growth and knowledge. I do not regret my chiropractic education, I love what I do. I try to remember that everyone has a right to their own opinions. Just expressing mine from the battlefront.

Know your purpose, and let it drive you.

 

Not to deter you or anything but before you get in too deep you should check this website out. http://chirotalk.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=exdcs I was a first year student in good standing with all A's and B's but left for many reasons. If you still considering DC school might as well check it out.

 

Not to deter you or anything but before you get in too deep you should check this website out. http://chirotalk.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=exdcs I was a first year student in good standing with all A's and B's but left for many reasons. If you still considering DC school might as well check it out.

 

sorry didnt mean to post twice

 

there was no need to bump a 6 year old thread.

 

Do you realize this thread is from 2002? I doubt he is still considering, he's probably practicing it by now...

Check the dates people.