DC vs. MD

Chiropractors, or Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) are required to finish their pre-med undergraduate education just like any other medical profession such as medical doctors, nurses, dentists, etc. Once they complete the required pre-medicine courses, and generally most get a bachelors degree, then like all doctors, a chiropractor must attend a graduate school. While it is true that chiropractic graduate school is not as difficult to get into as medical graduate school, the chiropractor must still complete a 4 year degree at a nationally accredited graduate school. This training is very similar to a medical doctoral program, where there are thousands of hours spent in the dissection lab, blood lab, classroom, and in the student and outpatient clinics. There’s actually a statistic which shows there is more emphasis on anatomy, radiology, and parts of diagnosis in chiropractic vs. medical education: see below.

All in all, when it comes down to it medical doctors and chiropractors have very similar training, it just comes down to what we choose to emphasize once we’re done with school. Medical doctors have much more training to become better trained in more of a broad state of medicine and healing while most Chiropractors narrow their scope to pain management. And this makes sense, the public isn’t going to go to a chiropractor to have their baby delivered or get their blood drawn. Although chiropractors are primary care physicians, and are able to perform this type of medicine, most do not because our focus is on pain management.

Funny story: I recall when I started my chiropractic graduate school I also had a friend who had just started medical graduate school. We kept in touch for the first 1-2 years, in which we were both surprised to find that our schooling was near identical for those first two years. Same cadaver dissections, same anatomy and physiology courses, same pathology classes. Of course there was some mild emphasis on the respective professions of chiropractor vs. medical doctor, but overall the training is very similar. As the final two years go on there is much more continued emphasis, but it’s funny how similar these two professions are….and at the same time so very different.

Okay that’s enough! The groundwork has been laid as we’ve reviewed the information pertaining to what makes a chiropractor. The next upcoming post will be going over specifics in how to choose between chiropractors in Tigard and surrounding areas like Beaverton or greater Portland area. If in the meanwhile you have any further questions about a condition or pain, please call our office to schedule an appointment at our Tigard location: 9730 SW Greenburg Road #605, Tigard OR 97223. -Dr. J