Plan lets chiropractors prescribe drugs

House Bill 127 is making it's way through to New Mexico legislature to allow chiropractors to prescribe prescription medication. I read the article then read through the responses. Most responses seemed informed except for the first one I read where a reader disagreed with the part of the article that said the hours and subjects taught in medical school and chiropractic school were almost identical. Well, below was my response ... (link to original article here)

To help inform those who may not know any better, I'm in my 7th semester at Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, MO and here are the exact classes I've taken to date

First of all, you need the standard two years of Chemistry (inorganic & organic) with associated lab work as well as a year of physics and biology as a minimum prerequisite, regarding semester course work in the DC program ...

1st Semester - Gross Anatomy I with lab (ie complete dissection of the human body), Biochemistry I, Histology & Cell Biology, Philosophy I, Spinal Analysis, Spinal Anatomy

2nd Semester - Gross Anatomy II with lab (continuing dissection of the human body), Neuroanatomy with Lab (this is where we study the brains we removed from our cadavers along with neural pathways), Biochemistry II, Physiology I (incidentally we use Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology which is the same you'll find in most medical schools), Microbiology I with Lab, Philosophy II, Diversified I (an adjusting technique)

3rd Semester - Embryology, Physiology II, Microbiology II with lab, Pathology I, Public Health, Philosophy III, Orthopedics I, Diversified II, Basic Technique I (another adjusting class)

4th Semester - Nutrition, Physiology III, Pathology II, Philosophy IV, Orthopedics II, Diversified III, Basic II, Neuromusculoskeletal Diagnosis, Fundamentals of Diagnostic Imaging

5th Semester - Biomechanics, Physical Diagnosis I, Cardiorespiratory Diagnosis, Laboratory Diagnosis with Lab, Pharmacology, Diagnostic Imaging I, Radiographic Positioning, Diversified IV, Basic III, Health Center Practicum I (initial clinic experience)

6th Semester - Physical Therapy I, Jurisprudence, Patient Communication Skills, Clinical Reasoning, Physical Diagnosis II with lab, EENT (Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat), Neurology, Pediatrics, Diagnostic Imaging II, Health Center Practicum II

7th Semester - Diagnostic Imaging III, Geriatrics, Endrocrinology, Gastrointestinal & Urogenital Diagnosis, Physical Therapy, Applied Kinesiology, Gonstead (another adjusting technique), Soft Tissue Technique, Research Methodology, Health Center Practicum III

8th Semester - Case Management, Athletic Injuries, Physical Therapy III, Clinical Nutrition, Rheumatology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Dermatology, Diagnostic Imaging IV, Health Center Practicum IV, 5 Competency Modules

8 semesters is where Med school ends but to be a chiropractor you have to go another year (2 semesters) to become a DC. It might interest some readers to know that medical doctors teach such classes as EENT, Pediatrics and Pharmacology. It might be even more interesting to know that there are chiropractors that teach at medical schools. One of the top radiologist in the country (probably in the world) teaches out at the Colorado School of Medicine and is a Chiropractor as well as the author of the radiology text book most schools use. The Dr. that teaches our embryology and pathology II course also teaches at the St. Louis University School of medicine. He told us the only difference in the embryology class was that we (chiropractors) go more in depth than the medical students. Our latest Anatomy teacher came from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine up in New York and her predecessor taught at SLU Medical School (both are Chiropractors)

I just started student clinic this semester and will doing outpatient clinical work for my last year (3 semesters, in addition to classes). Last year I made a video clip on the brachial plexus for an Anesthesiologist who needed it for a powerpoint presentation she was using to help educate other MDs in her hospital. I've also worked with a patient who had a heart block and last week diagnosed a benign lipoma using diagnostic ultrasound. I use the same Littmann stethoscope you see on the TV show House MD and have the same high quality Welch Allyn equipment (otoscope, ophthalmoscope, aneroid) that you'd see in any MD's office.

MD students go through USMLE (United states Medical Licensing Examination) Steps 1, 2, 3 ...

The Chiropractic analog consist of National Boards, Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and PT. I can only speak for the first two Boards test but they consist of 9 hours of testing over a two day period and cover everything and anything we've learned up to the point of taking the exams. So, check out the first 7 semesters worth of course work up above and you'll see what's fair game for the Part II exam I'm about to take in 9 days.

Chiropractors also go through competency boards and OSCE before being allowed in clinic. OSCE stands for Objective Standardized Clinical Examinations ...just like the med students.

There's quite a bit too it and I mean no disrespect to anyone out there who was previously unaware. Heck, a good friend of mine I used to work with thought we went through a 6 month program to become a DC. not quite ... ;)

And now, as Paul Harvey says, you know the rest of the story. (at least a good chunk of it)