Educational requirements for doctors of chiropractic are among the most stringent of any of the health care professions. A Doctor of Chiropractic has a total of 8 years in school.  Before entering chiropractic college an applicant must acquire about 4 years of college with classes in biology, inorganic chemistry, chemistry, physics, psychology, human anatomy and physiology to name a few.  Once accepted in Chiropractic College they will continue to study the human body thru biochemistry, anatomy, physiology and microbiology. 

The Chiropractic curriculum is demanding and rigid similar to medical schooling.  In total, the curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical experience.  A chiropractic student receives focused education on how to adjust patients and nutrition where medical students learn the different ways to treat conditions using available medications.  Doctors of Chiropractic also must pass board examinations (4 in Minnesota which is the most any state requires) to obtain their license and attend a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education every year to maintain their license.  Doctors of Chiropractic have very similar education backgrounds as medical doctors except that they do not learn drug information and concentrate on the neuromuscolskeletal systems.

This extensive education prepares doctors of chiropractic to diagnose health care problems, treat the problems when they are within their scope of practice and refer patients to other health care practitioners when appropriate.