Doctor of Chiropractic?

Off Topic
21

I graduate from Chiropractic college this August and might have some insight. Chiropractic school is an up to four year program after one receives a four year degree. The first two years are focused on hard science which then builds to clinical practice and finally to where I am working in the school clinic full time.

Chiropractic students take four rounds of licensing boards which follow the trend of classes, starting with general science, then associated clinical studies, then finishing off with a large standardized practical board exam (I took this one last weekend). We are also required to complete PT boards in order to perform physiotherapy.

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.

Chiropractic has a poor reputation for several reasons. The first is that the dinosaurs of industry continue to propagate false information to the public and make outrageous claims. This problem appears to be resolving due to younger, more informed doctors coming out of schools. It is also a little known fact that the AMA launched a campaign to destroy Chiropractic in which they were found guilty of illegal practices.

This is largely why Chiropractors are often referred as quacks. We are also held to a different standard from other health care practitioners. If someone goes to a bad MD they think that it was a bad MD and move to the next. When someone goes to a bad DC they think all DCs are bad.

Chiropractic efficacy isn’t well documented because we do not have a large governing body like the AMA to fund research. It should also be noted that based on my short experience working as an intern, I have personally witnessed near immediate reduction of symptoms, sometimes to pain free status.

I’m sure I didn’t address some other questions or concerns but would be happy to if asked directly.

TL;DR:
Chiropractic deserves a chance as a conservative care method. I attempt to dispel some myths.

22

[quote]EyeDentist wrote:

[quote]sandos wrote:
Now, if you want to go to a Chiropractor and get a back rub or your neck cracked and it feels good, go ahead. There is no harm in that. [/quote]

Actually, high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) cervical manipulation (ie, having one’s neck cracked) is associated with a small-but-nonzero risk of CVA secondary to vertebrobasilar artery dissection, carotid dissection, or mobilization of carotid plaque:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/chiropractic-strokes-again-an-update/[/quote]

Probably not so bad when compared to risk of some popular pharmaceuticals that are administered by MD’s for various and sundry things.

23

In my experience, Chiropractors are like Asian women or red heads.
Either you love em or you hate em.

24

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.[/quote]

Oh come on, who is going to admit to being a medical school reject? Even if it was true, most top professionals in any field have at least a little pride. It wouldn’t be long before the person identified with being a good chiro rather than their failure to get into medical school 3+ years prior.

I do not use the term “reject” literally. Most medical school “rejects” don’t actually get a rejection letter from medical school - they never apply because they know they are going to get rejected. They take a practice MCAT, score a 27, and next thing they know they’re off to chiropractor school.

Even if you truly wanted to do holistic, chiropractor-esque things, being a DC makes no sense if you have the ability to get into a more competitive school. Why on earth would you not try to at least become a doctor of osteopathy? You would be able to do all the stuff you could do as a chiropractor while being able to take more types of insurance, write orders for scans and bloodwork, and prescribe medication. You’d also get paid 2-3x as much money and have much better job security. Tell me why again anyone who could get into DO school would be a chiro? Alternatively, why not become a Physiatrist? Even better pay and you get to do even more cool stuff.

There are only 3 plausible scenarios where someone would choose to become a chiropractor over being a DO or physiatrist. The first would be if one’s parents owned a successful chiropractor’s practice and you were working in the family business. The second option is that they just don’t know any better. The final, and most common option, is that they know they can’t get into DO or med school. They might not necessarily get a rejection letter, but they didn’t apply because they knew they wouldn’t get in.

25

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.
You can become a doctor in any of these fields:
Philosophy
Education
Engineering
Theology
Sacred Theology
Science
Letters
Medicine (MD. Probably what you consider “a real doctor”)
Dental Surgery
Dental Medicine
Ministry
Business Administration
Strategic Leadership
Public Administration
Social Work
Biblical Studies
Practical Theology
Professional Studies
Etc. etc. etc.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.

26

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.
You can become a doctor in any of these fields:
Philosophy
Education
Engineering
Theology
Sacred Theology
Science
Letters
Medicine (MD. Probably what you consider “a real doctor”)
Dental Surgery
Dental Medicine
Ministry
Business Administration
Strategic Leadership
Public Administration
Social Work
Biblical Studies
Practical Theology
Professional Studies
Etc. etc. etc.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

I almost pursued a Ph.D. in accounting…ACCOUNTING!!

27

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:
I graduate from Chiropractic college this August and might have some insight. Chiropractic school is an up to four year program after one receives a four year degree. The first two years are focused on hard science which then builds to clinical practice and finally to where I am working in the school clinic full time.

Chiropractic students take four rounds of licensing boards which follow the trend of classes, starting with general science, then associated clinical studies, then finishing off with a large standardized practical board exam (I took this one last weekend). We are also required to complete PT boards in order to perform physiotherapy.

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.[/quote]

This is a red herring argument. This would be like saying “I have a degree in Alchemy. It’s legit because I took the same chemistry and other hard science classes as the chemistry and chemical engineering students.” This doesn’t mean anything because taking “the same classes” as students studying legitimate fields of chemistry doesn’t make Alchemy a real science. Much like Alchemy, chiropractic has never met its burden of proving that it cures anything. The subluxation does not exist. If anyone actually had a subluxation in their spine, they would also likely have a broken vertebra.

As someone with a bad back, I have read extensively about chiropractors and their training. The science classes taught in chiro school are watered down and spread out over a longer period to make them easier. Chiros are, in fact, med school rejects.

[quote]Chiropractic has a poor reputation for several reasons. The first is that the dinosaurs of industry continue to propagate false information to the public and make outrageous claims. This problem appears to be resolving due to younger, more informed doctors coming out of schools. It is also a little known fact that the AMA launched a campaign to destroy Chiropractic in which they were found guilty of illegal practices.

This is largely why Chiropractors are often referred as quacks. We are also held to a different standard from other health care practitioners. If someone goes to a bad MD they think that it was a bad MD and move to the next. When someone goes to a bad DC they think all DCs are bad.[/quote]

DCs have a bad rep because it has never been proven that a subluxation is a real condition. There is no scientific evidence supporting what they do.

Again, we go back to the fact that a subluxation is what is known as a non-existent lesion. Your anecdotal evidence is just that - anecdotal. To be fair, there has been some research showing that spinal manipulation excites the surrounding nerves which results in a temporary feeling of being pain free. But it is just that - temporary. DCs do not actually fix anything. At best, they provide temporary relief from pain just like taking pain medication.

28

[quote]challer1 wrote:

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.[/quote]

Oh come on, who is going to admit to being a medical school reject? Even if it was true, most top professionals in any field have at least a little pride. It wouldn’t be long before the person identified with being a good chiro rather than their failure to get into medical school 3+ years prior.

I do not use the term “reject” literally. Most medical school “rejects” don’t actually get a rejection letter from medical school - they never apply because they know they are going to get rejected. They take a practice MCAT, score a 27, and next thing they know they’re off to chiropractor school.

Even if you truly wanted to do holistic, chiropractor-esque things, being a DC makes no sense if you have the ability to get into a more competitive school. Why on earth would you not try to at least become a doctor of osteopathy? You would be able to do all the stuff you could do as a chiropractor while being able to take more types of insurance, write orders for scans and bloodwork, and prescribe medication. You’d also get paid 2-3x as much money and have much better job security. Tell me why again anyone who could get into DO school would be a chiro? Alternatively, why not become a Physiatrist? Even better pay and you get to do even more cool stuff.

There are only 3 plausible scenarios where someone would choose to become a chiropractor over being a DO or physiatrist. The first would be if one’s parents owned a successful chiropractor’s practice and you were working in the family business. The second option is that they just don’t know any better. The final, and most common option, is that they know they can’t get into DO or med school. They might not necessarily get a rejection letter, but they didn’t apply because they knew they wouldn’t get in.[/quote]

I chose to become a DC based on my own research after college and after shadowing a doctor. It was between that and veterinary medicine. Most people at my school, including myself, aren’t interested in prescribing pharmaceuticals or performing surgery. If I feel someone needs pain medication I will happily refer them to a medical doctor. I don’t know what cool stuff you’re talking about in regard to physiatrists either. Furthermore, I don’t understand why you chose to single out that specific sentence from my response. It is clear you have an aversion to Chiropractic, but conjecture and bias aside, people choose this career path.

29

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
I almost pursued a Ph.D. in accounting…ACCOUNTING!![/quote]

I refined the question later, but I see where what I wrote could be misunderstood. Let me ask again: are the rigors of obtaining a D.C. the same as that of obtaining a Ph.D.?

30

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

I almost pursued a Ph.D. in accounting…ACCOUNTING!![/quote]

I refined the question later, but I see where what I wrote could be misunderstood. Let me ask again: are the rigors of obtaining a D.C. the same as that of obtaining a Ph.D.?[/quote]

I think we’re both just busting your balls Gambit.

31

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:
I graduate from Chiropractic college this August and might have some insight. Chiropractic school is an up to four year program after one receives a four year degree. The first two years are focused on hard science which then builds to clinical practice and finally to where I am working in the school clinic full time.

Chiropractic students take four rounds of licensing boards which follow the trend of classes, starting with general science, then associated clinical studies, then finishing off with a large standardized practical board exam (I took this one last weekend). We are also required to complete PT boards in order to perform physiotherapy.

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.

Chiropractic has a poor reputation for several reasons. The first is that the dinosaurs of industry continue to propagate false information to the public and make outrageous claims. This problem appears to be resolving due to younger, more informed doctors coming out of schools. It is also a little known fact that the AMA launched a campaign to destroy Chiropractic in which they were found guilty of illegal practices.

This is largely why Chiropractors are often referred as quacks. We are also held to a different standard from other health care practitioners. If someone goes to a bad MD they think that it was a bad MD and move to the next. When someone goes to a bad DC they think all DCs are bad.

Chiropractic efficacy isn’t well documented because we do not have a large governing body like the AMA to fund research. It should also be noted that based on my short experience working as an intern, I have personally witnessed near immediate reduction of symptoms, sometimes to pain free status.

I’m sure I didn’t address some other questions or concerns but would be happy to if asked directly.

TL;DR:
Chiropractic deserves a chance as a conservative care method. I attempt to dispel some myths.
[/quote]

Thanks for the post and your time. I do have some questions:

1a) In your studies, how much did you “get into” food/diets?

1b) In your professional opinion, are chiropractors properly educated/qualified to be giving medical advice? (re: the breast cancer scenario I wrote above)

  1. Do you, personally/professionally, believe that “proper diet” could produce have the same outcomes as a double mastectomy?

  2. What is an equivalent degree to yours? An M.S.? An M.A.? A Ph.D.? Are the rigors of study equivalent?

  3. Is it ethical for a D.C. to label themselves as “Dr. Smith” when giving dietary and/or medical advice/opinion?

    What I mean by this last question is, I have given nutrition advice to a lot of my friends/family, but I have NEVER claimed to be a qualified doctor. A good friend of mine is a Ph.D. in English. If she were to go by “Dr. Smith” and give nutrition advice, I would find that difficult to accept, ethically speaking. Should I hold the same standards for a D.C.?

32

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

I think we’re both just busting your balls Gambit. [/quote]

lol, that’s what I get for posting while still groggy from a lunch-nap

33

[quote]MikeTheBear wrote:

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:
I graduate from Chiropractic college this August and might have some insight. Chiropractic school is an up to four year program after one receives a four year degree. The first two years are focused on hard science which then builds to clinical practice and finally to where I am working in the school clinic full time.

Chiropractic students take four rounds of licensing boards which follow the trend of classes, starting with general science, then associated clinical studies, then finishing off with a large standardized practical board exam (I took this one last weekend). We are also required to complete PT boards in order to perform physiotherapy.

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.[/quote]

This is a red herring argument. This would be like saying “I have a degree in Alchemy. It’s legit because I took the same chemistry and other hard science classes as the chemistry and chemical engineering students.” This doesn’t mean anything because taking “the same classes” as students studying legitimate fields of chemistry doesn’t make Alchemy a real science. Much like Alchemy, chiropractic has never met its burden of proving that it cures anything. The subluxation does not exist. If anyone actually had a subluxation in their spine, they would also likely have a broken vertebra.

As someone with a bad back, I have read extensively about chiropractors and their training. The science classes taught in chiro school are watered down and spread out over a longer period to make them easier. Chiros are, in fact, med school rejects.

[quote]Chiropractic has a poor reputation for several reasons. The first is that the dinosaurs of industry continue to propagate false information to the public and make outrageous claims. This problem appears to be resolving due to younger, more informed doctors coming out of schools. It is also a little known fact that the AMA launched a campaign to destroy Chiropractic in which they were found guilty of illegal practices.

This is largely why Chiropractors are often referred as quacks. We are also held to a different standard from other health care practitioners. If someone goes to a bad MD they think that it was a bad MD and move to the next. When someone goes to a bad DC they think all DCs are bad.[/quote]

DCs have a bad rep because it has never been proven that a subluxation is a real condition. There is no scientific evidence supporting what they do.

Again, we go back to the fact that a subluxation is what is known as a non-existent lesion. Your anecdotal evidence is just that - anecdotal. To be fair, there has been some research showing that spinal manipulation excites the surrounding nerves which results in a temporary feeling of being pain free. But it is just that - temporary. DCs do not actually fix anything. At best, they provide temporary relief from pain just like taking pain medication.

[/quote]

I was just offering background of how our school is laid out. I never sought to compare my education to medical school. The subluxation complex is one of the antiquated ideas I was referring to which damage the reputation of Chiropractic. I will never tell a patient I am moving a bone back into place. In fact, there isn’t a uniting theory in Chiropractic–anyone who tells you there is, is misrepresenting the profession. We have a very large scope and some seek to push the limits of it, however, if anyone came to me personally I highly doubt they would leave thinking I don’t know what I’m doing or am some sort of nutjob.

Some, if given the option, would take conservative management over medication. Let me know if I can address any other concerns you have.

34

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.
You can become a doctor in any of these fields:
Philosophy
Education
Engineering
Theology
Sacred Theology
Science
Letters
Medicine (MD. Probably what you consider “a real doctor”)
Dental Surgery
Dental Medicine
Ministry
Business Administration
Strategic Leadership
Public Administration
Social Work
Biblical Studies
Practical Theology
Professional Studies
Etc. etc. etc.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

A “dental surgeon” is a “medical doctor”. They go to med school for that.

Other than that it looks like you copied and pasted that from some site without reading it first.

35

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:

Thanks for the post and your time. I do have some questions:

1a) In your studies, how much did you “get into” food/diets?

1b) In your professional opinion, are chiropractors properly educated/qualified to be giving medical advice? (re: the breast cancer scenario I wrote above)

  1. Do you, personally/professionally, believe that “proper diet” could produce have the same outcomes as a double mastectomy?

  2. What is an equivalent degree to yours? An M.S.? An M.A.? A Ph.D.? Are the rigors of study equivalent?

  3. Is it ethical for a D.C. to label themselves as “Dr. Smith” when giving dietary and/or medical advice/opinion?

    What I mean by this last question is, I have given nutrition advice to a lot of my friends/family, but I have NEVER claimed to be a qualified doctor. A good friend of mine is a Ph.D. in English. If she were to go by “Dr. Smith” and give nutrition advice, I would find that difficult to accept, ethically speaking. Should I hold the same standards for a D.C.?

[/quote]

1a) We take biochemistry 1 and 2, nutrition, and clinical nutrition. All together they were pretty poor. Kind of a side note, much of what a doctor does in their practice is learned from seminars outside of school. Some choose to focus on nutrition, which seems to be your scenario. Not my cup of tea, however.

1b) I kind of have to be careful on this one because it is tricky. AJ did not have breast cancer, just a high chance of developing it. I personally don’t think it would be okay to advise a patient one way or another, but it would be the DCs duty to educate the patient if capable. In my opinion, with most visceral issues it is always best to defer to an MD. i.e. We are not allowed to take a patient off blood pressure medication, but we are allowed to suggest to them to talk to their doctor about it–but once again, not my cup of tea.

  1. Diet may be one of the largest influencing factors on whether or not a patient develops cancer. I believe this is over a lifetime though. This is difficult again though, because she didn’t actually have cancer if I recall. This DC seems to have been making a pretty extraordinary claim nevertheless.

  2. I will have a doctorate degree. I don’t really know what to compare it to. People will call me Dr. and I won’t feel bad about it. We average about 25 hours per trimester (10-12 to graduate) and then have to meet certain numbers in clinic before we may graduate. Watered down or not, it is an extremely large time commitment for 4 years.

  3. Eh, it’s not unethical. They should probably state they are a Chiropractor though. Some Chiros are on the cutting edge of nutrition, some should keep their advice to themselves. Keep in mind, it is within the scope of practice for a DC to offer nutritional advice. Although, when a doctor creates a situation in which one can reasonably assume a Dr./patient relationship (i.e. your example: “I’m a Dr. do this”) they are thereafter liable for all consequences of their advice. So if guy says don’t get a mastectomy just eat blah blah and the girl gets breast cancer, then he can expect a call from a lawyer.

36

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:

[quote]challer1 wrote:

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.[/quote]

Oh come on, who is going to admit to being a medical school reject? Even if it was true, most top professionals in any field have at least a little pride. It wouldn’t be long before the person identified with being a good chiro rather than their failure to get into medical school 3+ years prior.

I do not use the term “reject” literally. Most medical school “rejects” don’t actually get a rejection letter from medical school - they never apply because they know they are going to get rejected. They take a practice MCAT, score a 27, and next thing they know they’re off to chiropractor school.

Even if you truly wanted to do holistic, chiropractor-esque things, being a DC makes no sense if you have the ability to get into a more competitive school. Why on earth would you not try to at least become a doctor of osteopathy? You would be able to do all the stuff you could do as a chiropractor while being able to take more types of insurance, write orders for scans and bloodwork, and prescribe medication. You’d also get paid 2-3x as much money and have much better job security. Tell me why again anyone who could get into DO school would be a chiro? Alternatively, why not become a Physiatrist? Even better pay and you get to do even more cool stuff.

There are only 3 plausible scenarios where someone would choose to become a chiropractor over being a DO or physiatrist. The first would be if one’s parents owned a successful chiropractor’s practice and you were working in the family business. The second option is that they just don’t know any better. The final, and most common option, is that they know they can’t get into DO or med school. They might not necessarily get a rejection letter, but they didn’t apply because they knew they wouldn’t get in.[/quote]

I chose to become a DC based on my own research after college and after shadowing a doctor. It was between that and veterinary medicine. Most people at my school, including myself, aren’t interested in prescribing pharmaceuticals or performing surgery. If I feel someone needs pain medication I will happily refer them to a medical doctor. I don’t know what cool stuff you’re talking about in regard to physiatrists either. Furthermore, I don’t understand why you chose to single out that specific sentence from my response. It is clear you have an aversion to Chiropractic, but conjecture and bias aside, people choose this career path.[/quote]

What did your research indicate to you were the advantages of being a chiro? I certainly don’t see any other than it’s easier to get into school. I don’t have an aversion to Chiropractic, I am just looking at the situation realistically: what advantage does being a Chiro have over a doctor of osteopathy?

I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to be able to prescribe pharmaceuticals or run bloodwork. What if you had a chronic pain patient with type 2 diabetes who was overweight and struggling to lose weight? Wouldn’t you want to test their thyroid and be able to prescribe levothyroxine if the blood work indicated that? Why would you NOT want to have this ability?

37

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.
You can become a doctor in any of these fields:
Philosophy
Education
Engineering
Theology
Sacred Theology
Science
Letters
Medicine (MD. Probably what you consider “a real doctor”)
Dental Surgery
Dental Medicine
Ministry
Business Administration
Strategic Leadership
Public Administration
Social Work
Biblical Studies
Practical Theology
Professional Studies
Etc. etc. etc.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

A “dental surgeon” is a “medical doctor”. They go to med school for that.

Other than that it looks like you copied and pasted that from some site without reading it first.[/quote]
So a DDS is the same thing as a MD?
Please stop being butthurt.
I didn’t insult your job.
Nothing I wrote was incorrect.

38

[quote]challer1 wrote:

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:

[quote]challer1 wrote:

[quote]CroatianRage wrote:

From my experience, very few of the students at my school are med school rejects. The majority have wanted to be Chiropractors since they were young and had a positive experience with one. Several more are second and third generation.[/quote]

Oh come on, who is going to admit to being a medical school reject? Even if it was true, most top professionals in any field have at least a little pride. It wouldn’t be long before the person identified with being a good chiro rather than their failure to get into medical school 3+ years prior.

I do not use the term “reject” literally. Most medical school “rejects” don’t actually get a rejection letter from medical school - they never apply because they know they are going to get rejected. They take a practice MCAT, score a 27, and next thing they know they’re off to chiropractor school.

Even if you truly wanted to do holistic, chiropractor-esque things, being a DC makes no sense if you have the ability to get into a more competitive school. Why on earth would you not try to at least become a doctor of osteopathy? You would be able to do all the stuff you could do as a chiropractor while being able to take more types of insurance, write orders for scans and bloodwork, and prescribe medication. You’d also get paid 2-3x as much money and have much better job security. Tell me why again anyone who could get into DO school would be a chiro? Alternatively, why not become a Physiatrist? Even better pay and you get to do even more cool stuff.

There are only 3 plausible scenarios where someone would choose to become a chiropractor over being a DO or physiatrist. The first would be if one’s parents owned a successful chiropractor’s practice and you were working in the family business. The second option is that they just don’t know any better. The final, and most common option, is that they know they can’t get into DO or med school. They might not necessarily get a rejection letter, but they didn’t apply because they knew they wouldn’t get in.[/quote]

I chose to become a DC based on my own research after college and after shadowing a doctor. It was between that and veterinary medicine. Most people at my school, including myself, aren’t interested in prescribing pharmaceuticals or performing surgery. If I feel someone needs pain medication I will happily refer them to a medical doctor. I don’t know what cool stuff you’re talking about in regard to physiatrists either. Furthermore, I don’t understand why you chose to single out that specific sentence from my response. It is clear you have an aversion to Chiropractic, but conjecture and bias aside, people choose this career path.[/quote]

What did your research indicate to you were the advantages of being a chiro? I certainly don’t see any other than it’s easier to get into school. I don’t have an aversion to Chiropractic, I am just looking at the situation realistically: what advantage does being a Chiro have over a doctor of osteopathy?

I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to be able to prescribe pharmaceuticals or run bloodwork. What if you had a chronic pain patient with type 2 diabetes who was overweight and struggling to lose weight? Wouldn’t you want to test their thyroid and be able to prescribe levothyroxine if the blood work indicated that? Why would you NOT want to have this ability?[/quote]
Just a thought but some people just don’t believe in taking medications.
It seems plausible that someone getting into the “holistic medicine” arena may have this sort of mindset.
It could be why someone might not be interested in writing scripts.
I’m not saying this is the case with CroationRage but it’s an idea.

39

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.
You can become a doctor in any of these fields:
Philosophy
Education
Engineering
Theology
Sacred Theology
Science
Letters
Medicine (MD. Probably what you consider “a real doctor”)
Dental Surgery
Dental Medicine
Ministry
Business Administration
Strategic Leadership
Public Administration
Social Work
Biblical Studies
Practical Theology
Professional Studies
Etc. etc. etc.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

A “dental surgeon” is a “medical doctor”. They go to med school for that.

Other than that it looks like you copied and pasted that from some site without reading it first.[/quote]
So a DDS is the same thing as a MD?
Please stop being butthurt.
I didn’t insult your job.
Nothing I wrote was incorrect.[/quote]

I didn’t say that. A DDS isn’t a “dental surgeon”.

40

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]Smashingweights wrote:

[quote]Gambit_Lost wrote:
-I’ve always thought Chiropractors were “not real doctors”…was I wrong? Is he appropriately labeling himself as “Dr. Smith”?
[/quote]
You’ve been here for 7 years and are just now realizing that the title doctor doesn’t make you a medical doctor? :slight_smile:
Anyone who has gone to school and earned a doctorate can call them selves a doctor.
You can become a doctor in any of these fields:
Philosophy
Education
Engineering
Theology
Sacred Theology
Science
Letters
Medicine (MD. Probably what you consider “a real doctor”)
Dental Surgery
Dental Medicine
Ministry
Business Administration
Strategic Leadership
Public Administration
Social Work
Biblical Studies
Practical Theology
Professional Studies
Etc. etc. etc.

There are a wide variety of “doctors” out there.
[/quote]

A “dental surgeon” is a “medical doctor”. They go to med school for that.

Other than that it looks like you copied and pasted that from some site without reading it first.[/quote]
So a DDS is the same thing as a MD?
Please stop being butthurt.
I didn’t insult your job.
Nothing I wrote was incorrect.[/quote]

I didn’t say that. A DDS isn’t a “dental surgeon”.[/quote]
A doctor of dental surgery isn’t a dental surgeon?