Postgraduate Training Opportunities for Chiropractors: A Description of United States Programs
SOURCE: J Chiropractic Education 2024 (Mar 4); 38 (1): 104–114Samuel M Schut
Chiropractic resident at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System
50 Campbell Ave,
West Haven, CT 06516
Samuel M Schut
Chiropractic resident at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System
50 Campbell Ave,
West Haven, CT 06516
Objective: The objective of this study was to describe and compare the current postgraduate training opportunities (PTOs) in the United States (US) for which doctors of chiropractic are eligible, namely, residencies, fellowships, and board certifications.
Methods: An internet search of publicly available English-language websites on Google.com was executed using a cache-cleared private browser and key search phrases. Following webpage data extraction, e-mail and telephone follow-up were completed with officials from institutions offering doctor of chiropractic programs possessing accreditation by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) in the US. Additional programs identified were annotated and incorporated into the data set if they met the inclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics were generated following data aggregation.
Results: Three-hundred internet search results were screened, 70 of which were assessed for eligibility and 47 included for descriptive analysis. Among the 16 CCE-accredited institutions solicited, 13 returned correspondence (81.3% response rate), resulting in the addition of 2 programs to the data set ascertained by the initial web search. There were 49 PTOs for chiropractors. Of programs available, residencies represented 49.0% (24/49) of programs, and fellowships represented 12.2% (6/49) of programs. There were 19 board specialty diplomate programs, constituting 38.8% of PTOs.
Conclusion: This work details preliminary descriptive information on the current state of US-based PTOs for chiropractors.
Keywords: Chiropractic; Education; Fellowships and Scholarships; Internship and Residency.
From the FULL TEXT Article:
INTRODUCTION
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As with any health care profession, the field of chiropractic is constantly evolving, which has culminated in the expansion of numerous postgraduate training opportunities (PTOs) over the past decade. [1–5] Residencies and fellowships are 2 forms of postgraduate training in the United States (US) that provide education beyond what is traditionally afforded in professional degree programs. [6] These educational pursuits may be unfamiliar or entirely obscure to both new chiropractic graduates and practicing chiropractors, given that they are a relatively recent trend in postgraduate chiropractic pedagogy (the exception being diagnostic imaging residencies). [7–9] Nevertheless, they appear to be valued by contemporary chiropractic students and clinicians, in the US and abroad, being viewed as critical for the advancement of the profession. [9–11]
A
residency is a supervised educational activity consisting of serial clinical and/or other learning experiences resulting in the attainment of higher-level competencies. [12, 13] A fellowship is a type of advanced educational program, generally following a primary specialization or residency, that supports development in a particular field or subspecialty and may revolve around pedagogical, clinical, and/or research aims. [13] Both direct and indirect costs associated with fellowship programs are traditionally funded by a specific organization, association, institution, or government office for a predetermined duration. [140] Postdoctoral, or “postdoc,” training programs may be represented under the auspices of a fellowship (depending on the country and institution) and are research focused, in domains such as health policy, health care administration, and human services. [15]
residency (or postdoctoral diplomate certifications) constitute additional PTOs for chiropractors and stand distinct from the series of examinations by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners that most graduates of a US chiropractic program are required to pass to qualify for individual state licensure. [16–20]
Specialty board certifications indicate an advanced level of competence following supplementary education in a specific discipline (eg, pediatrics, neurology, or sports medicine) and are generally recognized by state boards, public agencies, and insurance companies. [17, 21] Following certification, a chiropractor qualifies for advertisement of advanced practice status and is referred to as a diplomate of the respective board. The American Board of Chiropractic Specialties (ABCS) and the International Board of Chiropractic Specialties (IBCS) collaborate with the specialty boards and councils of professional associations to maintain quality and standards for diplomate certifications.
All PTOs are not necessarily created equal, as accreditation plays a vital role in ensuring the quality of these programs through an impartial evaluation of compliance to established standards in a discipline. Since 1974, the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) has been nationally recognized as the programmatic accrediting agency for doctor of chiropractic programs (DCPs) by the US Department of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation, providing a guarantee of meeting strict standards for academic quality, transparency, accountability, structure, and organization. [22] More recently, CCE has accredited chiropractic residency programs as well. [12]
There is currently a paucity of descriptive research in the area of PTOs for chiropractors. The chiropractic profession in the US possesses no centralized clearinghouse with respect to residencies, fellowships, and diplomate certifications. Information on program characteristics, geographic distribution, and sponsoring institutions are scattered across individual webpages, making it difficult for interested applicants to compare opportunities in a time-efficient manner. This study seeks to begin filling this void by providing a quantitative analysis of residencies, fellowships, and board certifications eligible for chiropractors in the US.
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