The Curriculum
Two questions are of paramount importance in
comparing the curricula of the two professions; what subjects are taught and how
much is taught? The two programs are relatively similar in total student contact
hours: an average of 4,822 hours in chiropractic schools compared with 4,667
hours in medical schools (Coulter, et al, submitted).
Basic science comprises 25-30 percent of the total
contact hours in both the chiropractic and medical programs (Table 9) and the
two programs have roughly similar contact hours in biochemistry, microbiology,
and pathology (Table 10). Chiropractors receive substantially more hours in
anatomy education and physiology but many fewer in public health.
Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure
for Chiropractic and
|
|
Chiropractic Schools |
Medical Schools |
||
|
|
Mean |
Percentage |
Mean |
Percentage |
|
Total Contact Hours |
4822 |
100% |
4667 |
100% |
|
|
||||
|
Basic science hours |
1416 |
29% |
1200 |
26% |
|
Clinical science hours |
3406 |
71% |
3467 |
74% |
|
|
||||
|
Chiropractic science hours |
1975 |
41% |
0 |
0 |
|
Clerkship hours |
1405 |
29% |
3467 |
74%
|
Source: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc.,
Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in
Medical and
|
Subject |
Chiropractic Schools |
Medical Schools |
||
|
|
Hours |
% of Total |
Hours |
% of Total |
|
Anatomy |
570 |
40 |
368 |
31 |
|
Biochemistry |
150 |
11 |
120 |
10 |
|
Microbiology |
120 |
8 |
120 |
10 |
|
Public Health |
70 |
5 |
289 |
24 |
|
Physiology |
305 |
21 |
142 |
12 |
|
Pathology |
205 |
14 |
162 |
14 |
|
|
||||
|
Total Hours |
1,420 |
100 |
1,200 |
100
|
Source: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc.,
The contrast between the two programs is dramatic in
the area of clinical clerkships, which averaged 3,467 hours in medicine
versus 1,405 hours in chiropractic. In medicine this comprises, on average, 74
percent of the total contact hours, while in chiropractic it comprises only 29
percent (Table 9). Part of the difference can be explained by the way in which
the programs are structured. In chiropractic 41 percent of the program
(averaging 1,975 hours) is allocated to chiropractic clinical sciences, which
consists of extensive laboratory and hands-on training in manual procedures and
has no equivalent in medicine. Combining the chiropractic clinical sciences with
the clinical clerkships, the percentage of a chiropractic program devoted to
clinical education is 70 percent compared to medicine's 74 percent. The
major difference therefore is in didactic teaching and clinical experience.
Thus, on average, medical students receive twice the
number of hours in clinical experience but receive over 1,000 fewer hours in
lectures and laboratory education. If the medical residency is included, the
total number of hours of clinical experience for medicine rises to 6,413
(Coulter, submitted).