How to Become a Chiropractor's Assistant
Chiropractors often hire chiropractic assistants to help them with a variety of patient and office tasks. Whether they are helping the chiropractor with an exam, answering a question about a patient's bill or checking a patient's vital signs, a chiropractic assistant must be knowledgeable as well as courteous and professional.
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Instructions
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Get basic knowledge of the human body and medical terminology. Courses such as human anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, introduction to health studies and the human body can provide you with an overview of what you need to know. Your local community college will generally offer these courses for a fairly inexpensive price. You also have the option of taking the classes at a state or private university as well as online.
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Attend a chiropractor's assistant program or school. There are a number of institutions that offer programs to prepare individuals to work as an assistant in a chiropractic office. Generally these last from 12 to 18 weeks, although there are some that meet for shorter or longer periods. Depending on where you live, you may be required to graduate from a program to get licensed and certified.
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Obtain your license and certification if you live in a state that requires a license or certification for this type of employment (Maine, Oregon and Florida, for example). Contact the health office of your state government and follow their procedures for becoming licensed or certified. Some states require you to simply pay a fee, while others require passing a test or providing proof of graduation from an accredited educational program. Even if your state doesn't require a license or certificate to be a chiropractic assistant, it is still a good idea to be certified since this can bring about more job opportunities and higher wages.
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Learn all aspects of the business. Chiropractic assistants don’t just work with patients or help with exams, so knowing all aspects of running a medical office business will make you more marketable to prospective employees. Do volunteer or clinical work in a chiropractor's office, or spend time shadowing a current assistant. Once you have acquired a variety of skills relating to the chiropractic field, you can find a job and become a chiropractor's assistant.
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Tips & Warnings
Good personal skills are an important trait for a chiropractic assistant to have since you deal with a variety of people from many different backgrounds and needs on a daily basis.
There are fees associated with becoming licensed or certified in most states.
Resources
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Comments
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livingwell101
Jul 26, 2010
Please don't label ALL Chiropractors as all being about money. I'm trying to become one so that I can really help people, naturally. You could label many Doctors of any profession by one or more negative experiences. What might prove beneficial is searching around and trying to find the doctors who genuinely desire to help their community. They are out here, you've just got to go out there and find them. :) -
bugbugbugbugbug
Apr 18, 2010
Morris Chiropractic in Mesa, Arizona used to care about their patients but now it is all about the money. Waiting times are 60-90 minutes! They have you see staff and they give you a sales pitch to sell you a 4 month contract. It is all about the continued dollar and not wellness and now you can move on with your life. She has been tied up with American Chiropractic since September 2008 and it is initially a 5 year contract. They are about driving profits and receivables. Just see a massage therapist and a Naturopath and avoid these types of doctors. No wonder insurance companies have issues with them!
