Australian chiropractors are highly qualified healthcare professionals who study for a minimum of five years and are government regulated and registered. Like all other registered healthcare providers, chiropractors adhere to National Law and profession specific codes of conduct and guidelines.
In Australia, chiropractors share a common tertiary education pathway with osteopaths and physiotherapists, and chiropractic education involves undergraduate and/or masters-level university training over five years.
All accredited chiropractic programs in Australia include units in basic and clinical sciences. Also included are units in physical therapy, physical rehabilitation, radiology, nutrition, paediatrics, geriatrics, public health and evidence-based practice.
Currently, there are four universities and one college in Australia that have chiropractic degree programs:
- Macquarie University in Sydney offers a 3 year Bachelor of Chiropractic Science which provides the basis for entry into a 2 year Master of Chiropractic.
- RMIT University in Melbourne offers a Bachelor of Health Science/Bachelor of Applied Science (Chiropractic).
- Murdoch University in Perth offers a Bachelor of Applied Science (in Chiropractic) / Bachelor of Chiropractic. This is offered as a double degree.
- Central Queensland University in Brisbane offers a 3 year Bachelor of Science (Chiropractic) and a 2 year Master of Clinical Chiropractic.
- Australian Chiropractic College in Adelaide offers a 4 year Bachelor of Chiropractic Degree with a 1 year university level entrance requirement.
As with other primary healthcare professions, chiropractic pre-professional training requires a significant proportion of the curricula to be clinical subjects related to evaluating and caring for patients. As part of professional training, final-year students must also complete a minimum of a one-year supervised clinical internship.
All registered chiropractors must complete mandatory continuing education each year in order to maintain registration and practice as a non-pharmacological, non-surgical spine care and musculoskeletal-allied healthcare professional.
Find out more about chiropractic here or to find your local ACA chiropractor, visit findachiro.org.au