Pursuing training beyond chiropractic school can improve your skill sets, increase your knowledge in specialty areas and set you apart from other practitioners — all of which contribute to higher career attainment. According to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Education, there are several postgraduate training opportunities for doctors of chiropractic. They generally fall into one of three categories: residencies, fellowships and board specializations.
Residency programs
Of the 49 postgraduate training opportunities identified in this study, almost half (49% or 24 programs in total) were residencies. A residency program involves engaging in some type of supervised training, ultimately improving your competency level.
The residencies studied ranged from 12 to 36 months in length, and each provided a salary or stipend. Some were available in the public sector, with the VA specifically, while others were within the private sector. Private sector residencies are most prevalent at colleges and universities with doctor of chiropractic programs, with diagnostic imaging being the most common area of focus.
Others include:
- Sports medicine
- Sports injury and rehabilitation
- Clinical anatomy
- Neuromusculoskeletal medicine
- Family practice
Fellowship programs
Fellowships offer another postgraduate training opportunity for DCs. Of the 47 programs assessed, 12.2% (6 programs) fell into this category, which consists of advanced education programs, often within specialized areas.
Five of the six fellowships focused explicitly on research, with less than 25% of the fellow’s time consisting of patient care. All offered a stipend or salary. The mean duration was 30 months, and the private sector provided the most opportunities with four fellowship options versus two fellowships available in the public sector.
Fellowships most applicable to chiropractic include:
- Geriatrics or aging
- Health systems engineering
- Patient safety
- Addiction treatment
- Spinal cord injury treatment
- Women’s health
- War-related and unexplained illnesses
Board specialization programs
A third training opportunity to advance your chiropractic career postgraduation is to pursue a board specialization or specialty diplomate program. This higher-level certification serves as verification of a practitioner’s level of competency within a specific discipline.
Of the 49 programs studied, 38.8% (19 programs) were board specializations. Most required more than 300 hours of training to be eligible to sit for the certification examination. This training may consist of either online or in-person learning or some combination of both.
Areas of specialization with a diplomate certification program include:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition
Determining the best postgraduation training opportunity for you
With so many postgraduation training opportunities, it may be difficult to decide which to pursue. Should you go for a residency or fellowship program, or would board specialization be a better choice for you?
One factor to consider is what you want to learn more about. If you want to focus primarily on sports medicine, for instance, you may have a better chance of finding a residency program that concentrates on this area than a fellowship.
It also helps to consider what type of patients you want to work with most. What areas of advanced education would be beneficial for them?
Also, recognize the level of commitment each training opportunity entails. Board specializations generally require a minimum of 300 hours of training while some residency and fellowship programs can take years to complete.
The latter two training opportunities do generally offer some type of income or payment, whether through stipend or salary. However, how much they provide financially is another factor to consider before making your choice.
Final thoughts
Finally, consider your career goals. Where do you want to see yourself or your chiropractic practice in the next five, 10 or 20 years? Use this image to choose the training opportunities that will best help you get there.
