Degree of Vertical Integration Between the Undergraduate Program and Clinical Internship with Respect to Lumbopelvic Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures Taught at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College

Objective: Surveys for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners indicate that diversified chiropractic technique is the most commonly used chiropractic manipulation method. The study objective was to investigate the influences of our diversified core technique curriculum, a technique survey course, and extracurricular technique activities on students' future practice technique preferences. Methods: We conducted an anonymous, voluntary survey of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year chiropractic students at our institution. Surveys were pretested for face validity, and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: We had 164 students (78% response rate) participate in the survey. Diversified was the most preferred technique for future practice by students, and more than half who completed the chiropractic technique survey course reported changing their future practice technique choice as a result. The students surveyed agreed that the chiropractic technique curriculum and their experiences with chiropractic practitioners were the two greatest bases for their current practice technique preference, and that their participation in extracurricular technique clubs and seminars was less influential. Conclusions: Students appear to have the same practice technique preferences as practicing chiropractors. The chiropractic technique curriculum and the students' experience with chiropractic practitioners seem to have the greatest influence on their choice of chiropractic technique for future practice. Extracurricular activities, including technique clubs and seminars, although well attended, showed a lesser influence on students' practice technique preferences.

Section: -6mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of curricular and extracurricular learning activities on students' choice of chiropractic technique

Sikorski¹,

Kizhakkeveettil²,

Tobias³

2016

“…This included such information as number of years in practice, type of practice (solo practitioner, associate, locum), and technique systems used in private practice. This approach allowed ease of comparison between this study and a similarly constructed study by Vermet et al 5 that investigated the VI of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of the lumbopelvis taught at this college. It was also thought that gathering this information would allow the investigators to determine if the demographics of the teaching clinicians were representative of private practitioners.…”

Section: Survey Design: Part Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 All curricular planners are sensitive to the time constraints of developing a viable course program that does not overburden students and still preserves ample time and opportunities for appropriate student learning. Preferably, there is more time devoted to learning those skills needed most often for patient care and less time devoted to learning those skills rarely needed for patient care or that fall outside of a chiropractor's scope of practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Preferably, there is more time devoted to learning those skills needed most often for patient care and less time devoted to learning those skills rarely needed for patient care or that fall outside of a chiropractor's scope of practice. 5 The authors are not advocating that those clinical conditions rarely encountered in private practice and that may be outside the scope of chiropractic practice not be taught; rather, there ought to be an appropriate allocation of time toward conditions more commonly seen, which are clinically relevant and within the chiropractic scope of practice. Of course, at a minimum, students must be able to triage a patient appropriately and determine when a patient presents with a clinical condition best managed by another health care provider.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Degree of Vertical Integration Between the Undergraduate Program and Clinical Internship With Respect to Cervical and Cranial Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures Taught at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College

Leppington

Gleberzon

Fortunato

et al. 2012

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for the cervical and cranial spine taught to students during the undergraduate program at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College are required to be used during their internship by their supervising clinicians and, if so, to what extent these procedures are used. Methods: Course manuals and course syllabi from the Applied Chiropractic and Clinical Diagnosis faculty of the undergraduate chiropractic program for the academic year 2009-2010 were consulted and a list of all diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for the cranial and cervical spine was compiled. This survey asked clinicians to indicate if they themselves used or if they required the students they were supervising to use each procedure listed and, if so, to what extent each procedure was used. Demographic information of each clinician was also obtained. Results: In general, most diagnostic procedures of the head and neck were seldom used, with the exception of postural observation and palpation. By contrast, most cervical orthopaedic tests were often used, with the exception of tests for vertigo. Most therapeutic procedures were used frequently with the exception of prone cervical and ''muscle'' adjustments. Conclusion: There was a low degree of vertical integration for cranial procedures as compared to a much higher degree of vertical integration for cervical procedures between the undergraduate and clinical internship programs taught. Vertical integration is an important element of curricular planning and these results may be helpful to aid educators to more appropriately allocate classroom instruction. (J Chiropr Educ 2012;26(1):51-61)

Horizontal Integration of the Basic Sciences in the Chiropractic Curriculum

Ward

2010

Basic science curricula at most chiropractic colleges consist of courses (eg, general anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, etc) that are taught as stand-alone content domains. The lack of integration between basic science disciplines causes difficulties for students who need to understand how the parts function together as an integrated whole and apply this understanding to solving clinical problems. More horizontally integrated basic science curricula could be achieved by several means: integrated Part I National Board of Chiropractic Examiners questions, a broader education for future professors, an increased emphasis on integration within the current model, linked courses, and an integrated, thematic basic science curriculum. Horizontally integrating basic science curricula would require significant efforts from administrators, curriculum committees, and instructional faculty. Once in place this curriculum would promote more clinically relevant learning, improved learning outcomes, and superior vertical integration.