chiropractor calling himself a physican????

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

dominate

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2008
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
I overheard a chiropractor introducing himself as a chiropractic Physician....is the accurate?? I am not trying to criticise chiropractors I just did not think they could call themselves a physician.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Who gives a ****? I doubt hes writing scripts and doing surgery.
 
I overheard a chiropractor introducing himself as a chiropractic Physician....is the accurate?? I am not trying to criticise chiropractors I just did not think they could call themselves a physician.

Counting down the seconds until 'facetguy' posts ....

Yes it is wrong. In what capacity is he a physician?? Can he operate (in my state your license says 'physician and surgeon' and surgery is defined as any cutting of skin)?? Does he have full script rights?? What is his DEA number??? Etc. There are probably some bull**** states that refer to them as chiropractic physicians or whatever ... but they are chriopractors, period. Nothing wrong with it ... they just aren't physicians.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
thanks for the responses... i realized it was a dumb post pretty soon after i posted it. If a moderator reads this..then feel free to close it.
 
Yes, I am used to chiropractors calling themselves 'Chiropractic Physicians'. Naturopaths also refer to themselves as 'Naturopathic Physicians'. So don't get surprised when you hear that reference either.

I can't recall any other groups that refer to themselves as physicians... but who knows, maybe the DNP will someday.
 
I can't recall any other groups that refer to themselves as physicians... but who knows, maybe the DNP will someday.

That day is only a matter of time....🙄
 
Yes, I am used to chiropractors calling themselves 'Chiropractic Physicians'. Naturopaths also refer to themselves as 'Naturopathic Physicians'. So don't get surprised when you hear that reference either.

I can't recall any other groups that refer to themselves as physicians... but who knows, maybe the DNP will someday.

Well NDs are pushing for residencies now so ... christ.
 
It is completely inaccurate for Chiropractors to call themselves physicians. A quick search on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website gives a definition as to whom is licensed to call themselves physicians....

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos074.htm

This may seem like a tedious argument....however with the current healthcare climate we are in (i.e. midlevels trying to practice without physician supervision) we should be aware and stand up for our future profession. I sure as h@#! don't want all of my hard work and sacrifices to be in vain....👍
 
It is completely inaccurate for Chiropractors to call themselves physicians. A quick search on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website gives a definition as to whom is licensed to call themselves physicians....

Whether they 'should' or not is one matter, but the reality is that they do. For example, here is a webpage on the state government level, in which chiropractors refer to themselves as 'chiropractic physicians'. They have their own chiropractic physicians' board. So it's widespread.

http://chirobd.nv.gov/

This is just one example; do a google search of 'chiropractic physicians' and you'll see the term is used widely by chiropractic associations and private offices.

However, while some states permit the use of 'chiropractic physician', here is one that pulled that plug:

http://www.chirobase.org/08Legal/kansas.html
 
Last edited:
Jaggs, sorry I'm late on this one!! D.C. title varies by state. I see no issue with 'chiropractic physician', and in fact the 'chiropractic' part must be present or it's inappropriate. Take a deep breath everyone; the public will not confuse D.C.s with M.D.s and D.O.s.🙂
 
pods call themselves physicians. In the pod forum right now there are a ton of threads about a degree change from DPM to MD as welll :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
 
pods call themselves physicians. In the pod forum right now there are a ton of threads about a degree change from DPM to MD as welll :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Easy on that one buddy. They do some pretty complex surgeries. I don't agree with changing it to MD, but they certainly go through many of the same rigors as other physicians. It is almost like direct entry into a speciality more than anything else. If I injure my foot or have diabetes then I would almost always choose a DPM over the alternatives for wound care and surgery (of any type) of my foot and ankle.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Easy on that one buddy. They do some pretty complex surgeries. I don't agree with changing it to MD, but they certainly go through many of the same rigors as other physicians. It is almost like direct entry into a speciality more than anything else. If I injure my foot or have diabetes then I would almost always choose a DPM over the alternatives for wound care and surgery (of any type) of my foot and ankle.

DPMs surpass nowhere near the rigors requisite of claiming the title of "physician," and any argument to change the degree from DPM to MD COMPLETELY ignores the fact their education is nothing like that of MDs and DOs.

They spend the first 2 yrs in classes with MDs/DOs...big deal...so do PAs, and it's not every single class. From 3rd yr onward, and many instances 2nd year onward, it's strictly podiatry: foot and ankle medicine.

Inherent to the title of MD is the explicit acceptance that one is a physician trained in all the necessary diagnostic & treatment schemes tested on the USMLE, and has spent sufficient time studying the BODY, not the FOOT. DPM education comes nowhere near that.

Furthermore, chiropractors calling themselves “physicians” is a joke. PTs are not Physical Therapist Physicians, NPs are not Nurse Practitioner Physicians, and simply having a 4 yr post-baccalaureate degree doesn’t automatically confer the title of “physician” because one is in the health field.
 
Since it came up, does anyone know what a Naturopath is?
 
DPMs surpass nowhere near the rigors requisite of claiming the title of "physician," and any argument to change the degree from DPM to MD COMPLETELY ignores the fact their education is nothing like that of MDs and DOs.

They spend the first 2 yrs in classes with MDs/DOs...big deal...so do PAs, and it's not every single class. From 3rd yr onward, and many instances 2nd year onward, it's strictly podiatry: foot and ankle medicine.

Inherent to the title of MD is the explicit acceptance that one is a physician trained in all the necessary diagnostic & treatment schemes tested on the USMLE, and has spent sufficient time studying the BODY, not the FOOT. DPM education comes nowhere near that.

Your right. DPMs are only limited to Foot and Ankle surgery and soft tissue up to the mid calf (below the knee in some states). They are required to go through a 3 year surgical residency program in order to practice and, if they choose, can go into a Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Fellowship. They aren't physicians because they do everything limited to the foot and ankle. 😀
 
I overheard a chiropractor introducing himself as a chiropractic Physician....is the accurate?? I am not trying to criticise chiropractors I just did not think they could call themselves a physician.


And the nerve of those darn Tree Surgeons! I'd sure like to give them a piece of my mind! Should we start a petition?
(Lighten up gang...it's Friday:laugh:)
 
DPMs surpass nowhere near the rigors requisite of claiming the title of "physician," and any argument to change the degree from DPM to MD COMPLETELY ignores the fact their education is nothing like that of MDs and DOs.

They spend the first 2 yrs in classes with MDs/DOs...big deal...so do PAs, and it's not every single class. From 3rd yr onward, and many instances 2nd year onward, it's strictly podiatry: foot and ankle medicine.

Inherent to the title of MD is the explicit acceptance that one is a physician trained in all the necessary diagnostic & treatment schemes tested on the USMLE, and has spent sufficient time studying the BODY, not the FOOT. DPM education comes nowhere near that.

Furthermore, chiropractors calling themselves “physicians” is a joke. PTs are not Physical Therapist Physicians, NPs are not Nurse Practitioner Physicians, and simply having a 4 yr post-baccalaureate degree doesn’t automatically confer the title of “physician” because one is in the health field.

I lost respect for people going to POD school when I saw some of their 'what are my chances' threads. People with 3.0 and 21 on MCAT were being told they were 'alright' and I overheard stories of people getting in with LOW, low MCAT. Scary. I'm sure they will, like everyone else, push for more and more practice rights too.
 
Jaggs, sorry I'm late on this one!!

Don't let it happen again ... 😉


D.C. title varies by state. I see no issue with 'chiropractic physician', and in fact the 'chiropractic' part must be present or it's inappropriate. Take a deep breath everyone; the public will not confuse D.C.s with M.D.s and D.O.s.🙂

I just don't see how they are physicians. I'm really not trying to be offensive, but besides earning a doctorate ... what makes them a 'chiropractic physician' and not a 'chiropractor??' I mean, I get why a DO is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and not an osteopath - full license rights, full script rights, practice in any field, work in any hospital etc - but what makes a chiropractor a physician in any sense??
 
Don't let it happen again ... 😉




I just don't see how they are physicians. I'm really not trying to be offensive, but besides earning a doctorate ... what makes them a 'chiropractic physician' and not a 'chiropractor??' I mean, I get why a DO is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and not an osteopath - full license rights, full script rights, practice in any field, work in any hospital etc - but what makes a chiropractor a physician in any sense??



Global sense of entitlement, inferiority complex, etc.

(I'm only half-kidding)
 
I lost respect for people going to POD school when I saw some of their 'what are my chances' threads. People with 3.0 and 21 on MCAT were being told they were 'alright' and I overheard stories of people getting in with LOW, low MCAT. Scary. I'm sure they will, like everyone else, push for more and more practice rights too.

I don't lose respect for anyone. People do what they can, are capable of doing. I'm glade we have pod docs. Thus, I don't have to deal with feet. Granted I would probably look into nursing before podiatry, but everybody has to make their own decision for their career.
 
I don't lose respect for anyone. People do what they can, are capable of doing. I'm glade we have pod docs. Thus, I don't have to deal with feet. Granted I would probably look into nursing before podiatry, but everybody has to make their own decision for their career.

I'm glad you don't lose respect for anyone ??? However, when people want to walk around, boasting they are physicians, that they should convert DPM -> MD, they do 'basically the same thing for pod school as med school' etc, but get a ****ing 20 on the MCAT ... I loose some respect.
 
I'm glad you don't lose respect for anyone ??? However, when people want to walk around, boasting they are physicians, that they should convert DPM -> MD, they do 'basically the same thing for pod school as med school' etc, but get a ****ing 20 on the MCAT ... I loose some respect.

Drop out rates in pod schools are in the 20%...many do not make it. Most of those with low gpa and mcat will not make it.

And the DPM to MD bull. You are misrepresenting the thread. One person posted that and everyone else said it was dumb...
 
I'm glad you don't lose respect for anyone ??? However, when people want to walk around, boasting they are physicians, that they should convert DPM -> MD, they do 'basically the same thing for pod school as med school' etc, but get a ****ing 20 on the MCAT ... I loose some respect.



I have a buddy who took the MCAT and got a 19 the first time and was told (by a prospective podiatry school) that he'd probably be ok, but he took it again and got a 21 "just to be safe."
 
I have a buddy who took the MCAT and got a 19 the first time and was told (by a prospective podiatry school) that he'd probably be ok, but he took it again and got a 21 "just to be safe."

LOL, this is so funny. LOL.
 
I'm glad you don't lose respect for anyone ??? However, when people want to walk around, boasting they are physicians, that they should convert DPM -> MD, they do 'basically the same thing for pod school as med school' etc, but get a ****ing 20 on the MCAT ... I loose some respect.


So your going to base your opinion on a profession based on what some pod student posted on a thread in SDN....please who gives a flying crap. If they scored a 21 or a 31 on there MCAT you don’t earn your stripes until you step into that hospital and respect should not be lost or given prematurely.
 
they should convert DPM -> MD, they do 'basically the same thing for pod school as med school' etc, but get a ****ing 20 on the MCAT ... I loose some respect.

Interesting some MDs may say DOs do the same thing.........
 
Don't let it happen again ... 😉

I must be slippin'!


I just don't see how they are physicians. I'm really not trying to be offensive, but besides earning a doctorate ... what makes them a 'chiropractic physician' and not a 'chiropractor??' I mean, I get why a DO is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and not an osteopath - full license rights, full script rights, practice in any field, work in any hospital etc - but what makes a chiropractor a physician in any sense??

Truth is, it's been this way for many years and nobody cares. Perhaps you're too sensitive. Let it go. If it makes you feel any better, I introduce myself as a chiropractor.
 
In this side of the country, chiropractors are given permission to perform physicals for high/middle school kids.

I met a podiatrist that constantly referred to himself as a surgeon and felt the need to pimp me.

Hell, social workers around here all wear long white coats.

In a way it makes me feel good that despite all the stress of med school and residencies, someone out there still wants to be me.😀
 
In this side of the country, chiropractors are given permission to perform physicals for high/middle school kids.

Because physicals are so mentally demanding and require years of medical school and residency training to do properly.

I met a podiatrist that constantly referred to himself as a surgeon and felt the need to pimp me.

Yeah surgeons are all ego maniacs...I once broke my finger and this orthopedic doc kept on referring to himself as a surgeon! 🙄

Hell, social workers around here all wear long white coats.

In a way it makes me feel good that despite all the stress of med school and residencies, someone out there still wants to be me.😀

I'm sure all of these people wanted to become a med student and wear short white coats (im sorry if I offend pharm, optometry, vet, pod, etc. students who also wear white coats).
 
Interesting some MDs may say DOs do the same thing.........

The DO to MD gap is small and closing rapidly ... no one is getting into any medical school in the US with a 20/3.0 ... nobody.
 
Drop out rates in pod schools are in the 20%...many do not make it. Most of those with low gpa and mcat will not make it.

Does that indicate difficultly in the program or lack of quality in students?? US med schools have drop out rates of like 2%, however ... Caribbean med schools have high drop out rates and much lower admission standards. Implication: drop out rates generally say more about students, not the program.

And the DPM to MD bull. You are misrepresenting the thread. One person posted that and everyone else said it was dumb...

Well I'm glad everyone else thought it was dumb, I only read it for 2 seconds and mentioned it here. I'm not trying to bash pods or start some weird ass hybrid DO vs DPM battle.
 
In this side of the country, chiropractors are given permission to perform physicals for high/middle school kids.

I met a podiatrist that constantly referred to himself as a surgeon and felt the need to pimp me.

Hell, social workers around here all wear long white coats.

In a way it makes me feel good that despite all the stress of med school and residencies, someone out there still wants to be me.😀


News Flash, not everyone is trying to be like us, some people actually get into a profession because they like it.
 
Truth is, it's been this way for many years and nobody cares. Perhaps you're too sensitive. Let it go. If it makes you feel any better, I introduce myself as a chiropractor.

Hahah, I'll sleep much better tonight. Truthfully, I really don't care. It's obvious that I'm biased. Had bad experience with multiple chiropractors all trying to fix the same problem, don't believe in what they do, really wouldn't want the types of people who worked on me to misrepresent themselves as somone who went to med school and completed a residency. I'll drop it though, because I don't care as much as it probably seems.
 
News Flash, not everyone is trying to be like us, some people actually get into a profession because they like it.

True, but it's hard to argue this point when every health profession in existence is lobbying for independent practice rights, there are now Doctorate programs in nursing, people slap 'physician' behind their respective training, every single person in the hospital from the techs to the nurses walks around in white coats, etc.
 
Bigger thing to worry about today is the DNP programs online. They're offering doctorates to nurses who take their online course, giving them prescribing rights and making the primary care providers. This is most worrisome.
 
Bigger thing to worry about today is the DNP programs online. They're offering doctorates to nurses who take their online course, giving them prescribing rights and making the primary care providers. This is most worrisome.

Any online medical program is worrisome
 
Last edited:
I don't even want to bring the URM side of things into it - if this is what you're implying. Whole other argument there.

Excuse my ignorance, but whats wrong with Moorehouse and what does URM mean?
 
Does that indicate difficultly in the program or lack of quality in students?? US med schools have drop out rates of like 2%, however ... Caribbean med schools have high drop out rates and much lower admission standards. Implication: drop out rates generally say more about students, not the program.

A lack of quality students who are let into a difficult program is the recipe for high drop out. Just because someone with a 3.0/18 gets into podiatry does not mean they finish. The stats of incoming students do not reflect the difficulty of the program but instead is directly correlated to the popularity of the program vs. spots in program...hence why vet school is harder to get into than med school.
 
Bigger thing to worry about today is the DNP programs online. They're offering doctorates to nurses who take their online course, giving them prescribing rights and making the primary care providers. This is most worrisome.

Its worse than this, they're lobbying for full autonomy. This is a VERY big problem in our future.
 
A lack of quality students who are let into a difficult program is the recipe for high drop out. Just because someone with a 3.0/18 gets into podiatry does not mean they finish. The stats of incoming students do not reflect the difficulty of the program but instead is directly correlated to the popularity of the program vs. spots in program...hence why vet school is harder to get into than med school.

Ok, so what you are saying is that podiatry is not popular? I mean, I think thats what you just said.


Vet school is hard to get into because there are few schools. Don't try to compare incoming Podiatry grades with incoming Vet grades. Why? Because that equals fail.
 
Ok, so what you are saying is that podiatry is not popular? I mean, I think thats what you just said.


Vet school is hard to get into because there are few schools. Don't try to compare incoming Podiatry grades with incoming Vet grades. Why? Because that equals fail.



I REALLY wish people would stop using "fail" as a noun. It'll go the way of the Macarena soon, I'm hoping.

Anyway, what he/she was saying was simply a reiteration of "supply and demand" which you apparently unwittingly supported with your comments. If people with 4.0/35 stats were furiously applying to podiatry school, a lot less of those 3.0/20 students would be getting in (obviously this would dilute the MD/DO application pool some, but that's not pertinent here). The number of spots in podiatry school (which is an extension of the number of podiatry schools) nationwide is MORE than accommodating to qualified applicants, to the point where seemingly "unqualified' (I hesitate to use that word) students are accepted to fill the spots that would otherwise go unfilled.

You even agreed that with Vet school, it's competitive because there are so few schools (and thus so few spots). It has the opposite problem Pod schools do.
 
News Flash, not everyone is trying to be like us, some people actually get into a profession because they like it.
👍 I totally agree with you. That is what makes the world go round. Don't fool yourself into thinking that the most highly qualified applicants always want Medical School. My friend scored a 30 on the MCAT and then decided to be an Engineer. I will add one more thing though, I think that more and more "health professionals" are wanting more practice rights, which in my opinion = something for nothing! That my friends is what I call scary.
 
Top