Applying To An Online Nurse Practitioner Program
Admissions qualifications and materials depend on the NP program and the applicant’s educational background. While the following list does not represent every NP program’s admission process, we have outlined a few common requirements below.
- Admission Requirements: Online NP programs commonly expect applicants to hold a current RN license, clinical nursing experience, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited college. Many schools also request GRE or GMAT scores, references, transcripts, and a personal essay.
- Program Length: Most programs take about 2-3 years to complete.
- Clinical Requirements: On average, NP programs require about 500 clinical hours.
- GPA Requirement: Candidates typically need a minimum 3.0 GPA in their undergraduate studies.
Earning Your Doctor Of Chiropractic Degree
Chiropractic school requires four years of intensive study. The details of the curriculum vary from one school to the next. In general, you can expect to learn about the philosophy and methodology of chiropractic medicine, the science of wellness and the chiropractic techniques that heal patients.
Many incoming chiropractic students are surprised to learn how much of the curriculum overlaps with that of a medical school. Chiropractic students take foundational classes such as biochemistry, anatomy, physiology and radiology . In addition, they study the clinical care of patients with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions, disorders and injuries.
One major difference is that chiropractic schools teach pharmacology depending on the degree. This is because chiropractors are not authorized to prescribe medications. Indeed, that would be contrary to the philosophy of chiropractic, as it is an alternative to drugs and surgery. Pharmacology is in fact part of the course walk for chiropractic degree programs versus a medical degree where it is not. The amount of pharmacology credits taken for the DC program is not nearly the same as MD programs, but none the less, DC programs do take pharmacology.4
Five: Attend A Residency Program
Thereare five residency programs accredited by the Councilon Chiropractic Education that provide licensed chiropractors the opportunity to gainpostgraduate clinical experience in an integrative healthcaresetting. These full-time, year long programs are offered and operatedby the United States Department of Veterans Affairs at thefollowing hospitals:
- CanandaiguaVA Medical Center Chiropractic Residency Program
- VAConnecticut Health Care System Chiropractic Residency Program
- VAGreater Los Angeles Healthcare System Chiropractic Residency Program
- VASt. Louis Health Care System Chiropractic Residency Program
- VAWestern New York Healthcare System Chiropractic Residency Program
Witha focus on collaboration, these residencies pair chiropractors withprimary and specialty care doctors and provide in-depth experience incomplex case management and hospital practice. Notably, residents arealso mentored by a senior VA chiropractor and given the opportunityto learn from national experts in chiropractic treatment.
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How To Become A Chiropractor
Many professionals find it deeply fulfilling and meaningful to work in the healthcare field. Yet, most healthcare jobs are highly demanding, with long shifts and high-stress situations. If you are passionate about healthcare, yet desire a more predictable, lower-stress routine, then becoming a chiropractor could be a good choice for you.
The process of becoming a chiropractor starts with your undergraduate education and continues at a specialized medical school. Use this detailed career guide to begin planning your academic journey toward a rewarding career in chiropractic medicine. Although Grand Canyon University does not offer a chiropractic degree program, you can enroll in one of our other bachelor’s programs to gain the foundational knowledge you’ll need for chiropractic school later in your studies.
Are You Starting A New Integrated Practice Or Maybe Thinking About Expanding One
If so, the subject of whether to hire a nurse practitioner will certainly come up, if it hasnt already. The following will help you decide if you need one.
The year 1965 is important for medical historians. At that time, two medical doctors at the University of Colorado started the first NP program in the country . In 1968, another program was launched at Massachusetts General, and the number of NPs has been growing ever since. Today there are over 200,000 licensed NPs in the U.S.
The early NPs were unregulated, and it was several years before educational requirements and licensing standards and authority over these practitioners were put into place. NPs were expected to work under direct medical supervision.
Todays NPs can diagnose and treat medical conditions, and order, perform, and interpret medical testsincluding radiology and blood tests. They have full prescribing privileges, including controlled substances, in all but two states, and many have hospital privileges.
In 20 states NPs do not need a supervising or collaborating physician and can open their own practice without one.
Youll find the NPs you come into contact with to be well-trained and knowledgeable, and you should have no reservations about hiring one.
Admittedly, some wont fully understand chiropractic and what you do, just as you sometimes wont follow the logic of medical doctors, but they are generally willing to learn.
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Sign Up For A Toastmasters Group
Communication skills are important for chiropractors, and Toastmasters can help you polish both your verbal and body language. This is especially beneficial if you decide to start your own chiropractic business one day, and you need to market it. That may involve such actions as giving a talk at your local downtown business association.
Obtaining State Licensure To Practice As A Chiropractor
After you graduate from an accredited chiropractic school, there are just a few more requirements to complete the process of becoming a chiropractor. Every state requires chiropractors to be licensed before they practice. Most states have their own chiropractic regulatory board, and you can check the details of your states licensing requirements there.
In general, you will need to pass the national board exam, which is administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. The exam consists of four parts. They are as follows:
- Part I: Basic Sciences
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Why Do Nurses Need To Know Chemistry
Nurses use organic chemistry on the job to understand the science behind the many processes that happen in the human body. Nurses must determine the reactions that certain medications have on the body, and they must determine how or if the prescribed medications will counteract with the previous medications.
Can A Nurse Practitioner Work For A Chiropractor
Can a nurse practitioner work for a chiropractor? Nurse practitioners have several specialties and subspecialties they can certify in that require additional training. Of special interest to chiropractors are the subspecialties of orthopedics and sports medicine.
What other jobs can a nurse practitioner do? Scope of practice for PAs is defined by the supervising physician who must be an MD or DO. Not a chiropractor, not a podiatrist, not a dentist, not an oral surgeon , and not an optometrist.
Can a PA work under a chiropractor? Nurse practitioners have authority to prescribe without physician or Board of Medicine involvement, after completing specific state requirements. Nurse practitioners can make referrals for physical therapy, or a referral is not required.
Can a nurse practitioner perform physical therapy? Chiropractor to nurse practitioner programs utilize the doctors previous education and experience to earn a bachelors and masters degree in nursing. Typically, the course is completed in a maximum of three years.
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Why Choose Cardiac Nursing
Cardiac nurses play a critical role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions. Together with the nursing staff, medical staff and other health professionals in Cardiology, we have ensured that the delivery of education is an integral part of care for all patients.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Chiropractor
It takes at least seven to eight years to become a chiropractor.2 Some chiropractic schools accept students with three years of undergraduate education, but there is a growing preference for applicants with an undergraduate degree. In any case, once you have invested the effort to complete three years of a bachelors degree program, it makes sense to finish the full four years and reap the higher qualifications and professional respect. Further, a bachelors degree may be required in some states.
Once you begin chiropractic school, you can expect four more years of intense study and hands-on practice. You will then need to pass the licensing exam to be legally allowed to practice. Since you can take the exam shortly after you graduate, this step should not add a significant amount of time to the process.
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Should A Nurse Practitioner Study Chiropractic
Question
I am a nurse practitioner working in a rheumatology practice. I am considering chiropractic because, so many times, the medical model doesnt seem to work for many of the conditions we treat. I thought it would be great to combine chiropractic and medicine in treating a number of musculoskeletal problems.
I have been in contact with a few chiropractic schools. When I tell them that I am in allopathic medicine and believe in it, I receive answers like maybe I should rethink my interest in chiropractic. It is as if one is not to believe and practice both.
Would it be wise for me to study chiropractic? I am struck by the way that many chiropractors do not seem to believe in medicine and that many people in medicine are not willing to accept chiropractic. You seem to be a level-headed person who accepts both. Why arent there many other chiropractors like you? If you have any advice for me, I would love to hear it.
Answer
____________________
Dr. Homola is a second-generation chiropractor who has dedicated himself to defining the proper limits on chiropractic and to educating consumers and professionals about the field. His 1963 book Bonesetting, Chiropractic, and Cultism supported the appropriate use of spinal manipulation but renounced chiropractic dogma. His 1999 book Inside Chiropractic: A Patients Guide provides an incisive look at chiropractics history, benefits, and shortcomings. Now retired after 43 years of practice, he lives in Panama City, Florida.
Earning Your Undergraduate Degree
You will begin your journey to becoming a chiropractor by enrolling in a related undergraduate program. You will need a Bachelors degree in science, ideally in a medical science field. Two popular options are the Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training and the Bachelor of Science in Biology with an Emphasis in Pre-Medicine degree. Either of these degrees will give you the foundational knowledge in physical and life sciences that you will need for admission to a chiropractic college.
Before you choose a program, consider whether you might want to obtain an advanced chiropractic certification in a subspecialty. The American Chiropractic Association recognizes various certification boards that offer specialty certificates in areas such as pediatrics, sports medicine and clinical nutrition.3 Working toward a specialty certificate can sometimes begin in college. For example, if sports medicine appeals to you, a degree in athletic training would be an appropriate choice.
Regardless of the emphasis of the program you choose, you can expect an immersive experience in the physical and life sciences. Students can typically expect to study anatomy, physiology, biology, biochemistry and pathophysiology. Pre-med students will focus more on pharmacology and microbiology, while athletic training students will take courses in kinesiology and the prevention, recognition and treatment of injury.
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Network With A Purpose
Networking strikes many students as something vague and poorly defined that they know they should do without being quite sure how. There are many ways to develop a professional network. For chiropractic students, one of the best is simply to take the initiative to call local chiropractic offices.
Explain that you are a student and would appreciate the opportunity to visit their office for a quick tour. While there, take notes about the practices policies, layout, procedures and so on. What you learn can guide you later when you set up a practice of your own. The relationships you build will flourish if you remember to send a thank you card to each office you visit and perhaps a fruit basket!
Make The Right Choice
In deciding whether to hire an NP, several factors come into play. The most important of these are the type of practice you have or want to create, what the NP will be doing, state laws regarding supervision or collaboration with an MD, financial issues, and patient preferences.
Once you know what kind of practice youd like to have, and what youd like the NP to do, you can start searching for one. Nurse practitioners have several specialties and subspecialties they can certify in that require additional training. The most commonly chosen specialty is family practice.
Of special interest to chiropractors are the subspecialties of orthopedics and sports medicine. An NP with orthopedic or sports medicine experience can do basic in-office injections with ultrasound guidance these include the small, medium, and large joints, tendon and bursa, and hyaluronic acid for osteoarthritis. They can also do or learn to do platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injections.
Dermatology is another subspecialty. These NPs can do botox injections and supervise techs doing other aesthetic and cosmetic procedures. Finding someone with this kind of experience is idealwhether you are doing aesthetics, physical medicine, or primary care.
The other thing to consider is if you need a collaborating physician to work with an NPyou now have two people who you depend on to keep the doors open. If either one is sick, injured, or quitsproductivity stops.
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Nurses Further Education Through Dhpe Program
For nearly three years, Logans online Doctorate of Health Professions Education program has attracted professionals from various fields in health care, from allopathic physicians and chiropractors to physician assistants, paramedics and registered dietitian nutritionists.
As health professions education continues to be recognized as a key part of quality health care, the demand grows for health care educators. Today, Logans online DHPE program has nearly 50 students enrolledeight of whom are registered nurses employed at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri.
Nurses tend to be discipline-specific, said Cheryl A. Houston, PhD, CHES, CFCS, RD, LD, FAND, program director of the DHPE and general education at Logan. Typically, if a nurse wants to further their education, they will pursue a masters or doctorate in nursing or education or become a nurse practitioner, she said. This group of nurses are real mavericks, getting their Doctorate in Health Professions Education, which is so unique for their career.
She said the fact that these nurses are taking the time and effort to expand their skills in education, not just nursing education, will broaden their perspective and their scope of practice.
Stephanie Brink, RN, MSN
In early 2018, Stephanie again got the itch to further her education and was intrigued when she came across Logans DHPE program.
Hope Taylor, RN, MSN
How Would It Impact Your Practice And The Profession
Years ago, it was rare to see a doctor of chiropractic with anything other than a DC degree. Eventually, doctors began taking diplomate programs that added additional expertise in areas such as neurology, radiology and pediatrics.
Chiropractors now have the unique opportunity to add the complementary profession of Family Nurse Practitioner, which has a scope of practice apart and different from chiropractic. This can be accomplished in three years or less through an educational program by which the chiropractor earns both a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a Master of Science in Nursing degree. This new program builds upon standard chiropractic education with classes that can be taken online or at times that are workable for most practicing DCs.
Sandefer Memorial Hall at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. The university is participating in the nurse practitioner degree program.The program is being offered in partnership by Mid America Learning, Hardin-Simmons University and the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing. Mid America consults with Hardin-Simmons to provide faculty development, assists with online course infrastructure, and manages the process of matching qualified students with qualified clinical environments .
Needless to say, the addition of an advanced nursing degree to a chiropractic practice will be seen as controversial to many in the profession. To express your opinion on this issue, please e-mail us at .
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Additional Education Is A Direct Route To Practice Specialization
You can do a number of things to increase your competitiveness in a crowded market. Adding new equipment, profit centers, and additional modalities are common strategies many find effective.
These approaches aim at increasing the size of your patient base. Another approach is to narrow your focus to target a specific population.
Although reducing the scope of your ideal patient demographic may seem counterintuitive, it not only can set your practice apart but also allow you to sharpen your marketing and attract a highly motivated clientele who seek specialized treatment. To accomplish this, youll likely need additional education and certification attesting your ability to provide this type of complex care.
We reached out to a number of specialists who shared their thoughts on this subject and described their routes to success with this model.
Three: Get Licensed As A Chiropractor
Licensurerequirements differ by state, but all states require passage of theNationalBoard of Chiropractic Examiners exam. This exam includes four parts that tests applicants onthe following:
- Part I: BasicScience
- Part III: ClinicalAreas
- Part IV: PracticalSkills
There are alsooptional elective exams in physiotherapy and acupuncture. Applicantscan begin taking parts of the exam as early as their second year inschool. Eligibility to sit for the exam is approved by an accreditedchiropractic college. Those who already graduated from an accreditedchiropractic college are eligible to take the exam at any time.However, the exam must be taken at an eligible chiropractic collegetesting site.
The exam fee for Parts I III is $685, while Part IV is $1535. The NBCE offers sample tests for each section for $15 each. Those pursuing licensure should check for additional requirements with the licensing board for the state they want to practice in. Some states may require additional exams, such as a jurisprudence exam that tests applicants on their knowledge of state laws and regulations.
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