Chiropractor Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a chiropractor. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a chiropractor.
Who is a Chiropractor?
A chiropractor, often known as a chiropractic physician, is a medical expert who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal and nervous system diseases. Chiropractors work with people of various ages, including newborns, children, and adults. They believe in using a hands-on (non-surgical) approach to treat these disorders.
The neuromusculoskeletal system, which includes the bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, is treated by chiropractic. A chiropractor uses spinal adjustments to maintain optimal alignment to assist manage back and neck pain.
A chiropractor’s appointment is identical to any other doctor’s appointment. After taking the patient’s medical history, performing a physical and neurological examination, and relying on other tests such as diagnostic imaging and blood testing, the chiropractor diagnoses back pain.
The chiropractor will prescribe a treatment plan once a diagnosis has been determined. The doctor directs the patient to the proper health care practitioner if the patient’s disorder is outside the scope of chiropractic care. Chiropractors frequently collaborate with other healthcare professionals to treat patients.
Chiropractic focuses on the body’s ability to heal itself, and it also involves treatments such as nutrition and exercise.
Chiropractors think that the benefits of spinal adjustment and realigning joints increase the functioning of other systems throughout the body by enhancing the neuromusculoskeletal system’s ability to perform.
Chiropractors do not operate on patients. Although chiropractic treatment focuses on whole-body wellness, it does include hands-on manipulation of problem-specific joints. Physiological therapy (done by a physical therapist) and lifestyle counseling may be used to help restore and maintain general health.
Chiropractors work in a variety of settings, including private or group practices, multidisciplinary group practices, hospitals, and other health care facilities.
Chiropractor Job Description
Below are the chiropractor job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. Employers can use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Obtaining information regarding the patient’s medical history and the purpose of their appointment.
- Creating a therapeutic strategy that puts the patient’s overall health and well-being first.
- Providing the best treatment, examining the patient’s spine, posture, and reflexes.
- Adjusting the patient’s spine and other joints as part of neuromusculoskeletal therapy
- Providing supplementary treatments to the afflicted area, such as massage and acupuncture.
- Giving patients guidance on healthy lifestyle behaviors like sleep, exercise, and diet in order to improve their physical health.
Qualifications
To become a doctor of chiropractic, you must first complete 4 years of training, including 2 years of basic sciences, and then pass the National Boards.
The clinical sciences are covered in the next two years of chiropractic school, followed by National Boards chiropractic training, which is essential if the chiropractor wishes to employ physiological therapies in practice.
- Imaging for diagnostic purposes
- Techniques used by chiropractors
- Case management
It takes four years of study to obtain a chiropractic degree. Anatomy, physiology, and biology are among the disciplines covered in class. Among the various tasks of a chiropractor, you’ll acquire clinical training in diagnosis, spinal assessment, and adjustment procedures. Some colleges provide postgraduate studies in orthopedics, sports medicine, and pediatrics, among other specialties.
Registrations, certifications, and licenses
Note that each state has its own standards, all require completion of a recognized Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree program and passing all four parts of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) test.
Many states additionally require applicants to complete a background check and jurisprudence examinations, which are state-specific law exams. To keep his or her chiropractic license, every state requires a practicing chiropractor to take continuing education programs. For additional information about licensure, contact your state’s board of chiropractic examiners or health department.
Essential Skills of a Chiropractor
A successful Chiropractor applicant will possess a number of required skills and qualifications in order to successfully fulfill their duties:
Interpersonal skills: Chiropractors use interpersonal skills to make clients feel at ease and amenable to therapy, as well as to create a large number of clients.
- Read and comprehend written material.
- Ask inquiries and pay attention to what others are saying.
- Speak clearly so that your audience can comprehend you.
- Understand what is being said.
- Work-related documents should be read and understood.
- Write in a clear and concise manner so that others can understand you.
Chiropractors are also educators who strive to teach patients how to better care for themselves. As a chiropractor, you’ll spend the majority of your time interacting with your patients to ensure that they receive the proper therapy and understand it.
Organizational skills: Chiropractors monitor patient records and may help with administrative tasks like organizing appointments, filing, and answering the phone.
Empathy: Empathy is a skill that chiropractors employ to listen to their patients’ complaints and respond sympathetically to their needs.
Motor skills: Chiropractors use their hands to make adjustments to the spinal column and other body joints.
Decision-making: Chiropractors examine their patients and devise a treatment plan for them. If the patient’s needs fall outside of their scope of practice, they may refer the patient to another health care provider.
Detail Orientation: Chiropractors must be aware of their surroundings and pay close attention to details in order to make accurate diagnoses and avoid harming their patients.
Dexterity: Chiropractors need good coordination to perform therapy efficiently since they use their hands to perform manual adjustments to the spine and other joints.
How to Become a Chiropractor
Obtain a College Degree
You must obtain a bachelor’s degree before enrolling in chiropractic school. Note that a degree in biology, exercise science, kinesiology, or a related field demonstrates to admissions officers that you have a solid understanding of science and the ability to memorize huge amounts of data. Chiropractors must be well-versed in anatomy and a variety of other subjects
Check the requirements for chiropractic schools to make sure you’ve taken all of the required courses. You may be able to transfer some of the credits if you have a degree in a discipline unrelated to your new major. Some chiropractic schools will accept students who have completed the required courses but have not yet graduated. They sometimes, on a few occasions, allow students who are still lacking in a few prerequisites to take these classes while in chiropractic school. The average time to prepare for chiropractic school is four years, but some students can apply in three years.
Get A Professional Degree in Chiropractic From A College of Chiropractic
Chiropractors must graduate from a recognized chiropractic college with a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree. Exercise science and physiology, biology, kinesiology, athletic training, nursing, and physical therapy are just a few of the specializations you’ll be studying alongside classmates from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds, including liberal arts and social sciences. You’ll also get access to a community of practicing and aspiring doctors who exhibit what it takes to be healthy and keep healthy on a regular basis.
Get your Licence
Before applying for a chiropractic license, you must pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NCBE) exam first. Before starting their careers, chiropractors must have a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and have passed their licensure exam in every state. The NBCE is a four-part exam that can be taken at different periods throughout your academic career.
Part I, which covers general anatomy and physiology, spinal anatomy, pathology, chemistry, microbiology, and other topics, will be administered during your second year of chiropractic school.
Part II, which includes chiropractic practice, general diagnosis, diagnostic imaging, neuromusculoskeletal diagnosis, and other specific courses, will be taken during your third year.
Six to nine months after graduation, Part III and Part IV will be available. Part III covers case history, case management, clinical exams, and chiropractic procedures. At a higher level, Part IV evaluates case management and chiropractic techniques.
Select A Specialty
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a chiropractor is deciding on a specialty. You’re one step closer to reaching your goal and launching your career with this step. Sports injuries, geriatrics, pediatrics, and even neurological and chiropractic treatments to treat nervous system and back pain disorders without surgery or medications are all options.
Work As a Chiropractor
You will realize your goal of becoming a chiropractor by following your passion and striving for greatness, and you will begin a fulfilling and prestigious career in the healthcare field.
You can create and run your own clinic, join a practice as a partner, or work for a bigger chiropractic facility. You can start working for someone else’s company much faster than you can establish your own. You will, however, require at least a few months to explore local chiropractors’ practices and discover someone ready to work with a fresh chiropractor.
To set up your own company, office space, people, medical equipment, and other things are required so you’ll need to money to do all these. Setting up a new clinic may take longer than working with another chiropractor, but you will not be obligated to sign a contract. You’ll have to establish a patient base, which could take some time. You should, however, consider how launching a business may impact your tax situation.
Where to work
Chiropractors that work alone usually have their own office. They can also conduct house calls or go to different places, such as a nursing home or a doctor’s office.
House Call
A chiro house call is a chiropractic appointment that is performed in the patient’s home or office. The only difference is that you will not be required to leave your house or business. Chiropractors who come to people’s homes deliver the same degree of thorough, holistic therapy as if you went to a typical chiropractic session. The chiropractor will arrive at the house with all of the required tools to conduct a full chiropractic examination.
The average chiropractic house call lasts 45-60 minutes. At the initial session, the chiropractor will go over the patient’s medical history and ask them about their current problems. To check the patient’s musculoskeletal structure and gait, he may ask them to stand, sit, and walk about.
The chiropractor creates a treatment plan after receiving this information. This usually entails a combination of chiropractic manual adjustments, gentle stretches to promote mobility, and lifestyle changes such as frequent exercise and a nutritious diet.
The chiropractor may also offer another sort of alternative treatment, such as ultrasound therapy, cryotherapy, or cupping, depending on your symptoms. The chiropractor’s mobile unit is equipped with everything needed to do a full chiro house call.
Nursing Homes
Many chiropractors specialize in the treatment of senior citizens and have distinct procedures intended expressly for frailer, older patients, ensuring that their senior patients receive the individualized attention they require to thrive. Chiropractors help elderly ones with a range of motion, better posture, immune systems, pain relief, joint degeneration, and an increased sense of well-being.
Hospitals
Back and neck discomfort are the most common causes of disability around the world. DCs are trained to address these common diseases and can give non-pharmacological treatment that follows worldwide clinical practice guidelines. In hospitals, they assist the medical doctors in taking care of conditions that do not require surgery.
Office chiropractors
Working in an office can be taxing, and you may find yourself in a bad sitting posture as a result. Many problems might arise as a result of poor posture. Some of them may appear to be utterly unconnected to the role you hold at work. The following are some of the most prevalent issues that improper posture can cause:
- Fatigue\sDizziness
- Headaches
- Neck ache
- Allergies
- Backache
- Pressure in the sinuses
- The sensation of tingling in your legs, fingers, or arms
- Tightness in your trapezius muscles that isn’t natural
- Shoulders that are frozen
Seeing a competent chiropractor or a chiropractor coming to the office is the most effective method to cure these issues. A skilled chiropractor not only assists you in efficiently dealing with these concerns but also provides you with the finest advice to utilize when working to avoid the recurrence of previous troubles. A chiropractor can assist you with:
- Work on your posture: When working in front of a computer, most individuals like to slouch to have a better view of the screen. Even if you make every effort to preserve appropriate sitting posture, you may find yourself slouching unintentionally. Working in such a position, no matter how enjoyable it may appear, can result in major health problems.
- Make Neck and Back Pains Go Away: Working for long periods of time might harm your back and neck. When you visit a chiropractor, you can get the finest advice on how many breaks you should take when working long shifts. He or she can also assist you in obtaining the essential attention to determine whether you require glasses to enable you to operate comfortably without slouching in front of the computer (a major cause of neck and back pains).
Treatment from a chiropractor also allows you to have a better understanding of the problem and learn the most effective ways for reducing back and neck discomfort. These strategies also allow you to lessen other concerns such as dizziness, exhaustion, and a variety of others, enhancing your productivity in the process.
Chiropractors Salary Scale
A chiropractor in Nigeria earns roughly 419,000 NGN per month on average. Salaries range from 226,000 NGN to 633,000 NGN (lowest to highest) (highest).
The average monthly pay, taking into account accommodation, transportation, and other perks. Salary for chiropractors varies greatly depending on experience, skills, and region.
According to Payscale’s pay data, chiropractors in the United States earn between $33,648 and $110,669 per year, including bonuses, commissions, and profit-sharing contributions.
Chiropractors typically earn between $30,650 to $100,951 per year, with bonuses ranging from $20,000 to $20,080 per year.