D'Youville College

D'Youville College offers a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) degree. The program's rigorous foundation in the sciences is balanced with holistic principles and practices. Designed to utilize clinical discussions, seminars, rounds and conferences, the central purpose of the program is to prepare students as competent primary-care practitioners.

D'Youville's program advances learning through classes integrated with students of several healthcare professions. Students learn nutrition from registered dietetics faculty, patient health assessment from nurse practitioner faculty, diagnosis and spinal adjustments from chiropractic faculty, and rehabilitation techniques from both chiropractic and physical therapy faculties. Collaboration among these various experts prepares students to render the highest possible level of patient care.

In agreement with the Council on Chiropractic Education standards, D'Youville believes that in the clinical phase of education competencies are a product of time, the number and variety of patient encounters, guided learning within the clinic environment and a system of continuous assessment and feedback.

Clinical Internships are initiated at the college's new clinic. This facility affords ready access to both the equipment and integrative education needed for the direct application of chiropractic knowledge and technique.

Internships are demanding, requiring a minimum of 600 hours of practice under the direct supervision of D'Youville's faculty of credentialed practitioners. Internships are designed to foster professional attitudes and to enhance clinical knowledge and diagnostic skills. Following the 600 internship hours, students qualify for the certification process. This process includes both written exams and a clinical performance evaluation.

Under the supervision of licensed chiropractors who are adjunct D'Youville faculty, a second 600 hours of clinical practice are required in community-based settings ranging from large urban hospitals to solo private practices. A full spectrum of hands-on field experience prepares students for professional practice. College faculty provide formative and summative evaluations that attest to students' competency in all essential areas of patient care, from lab tests and radiology to diagnosis, adjustment and case management.

Students who complete D'Youville's DC program are eligible for licensure examination in all states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, certain Canadian provinces and many foreign countries. Some locations require specific pre-professional studies and/or a multi-part Physiotherapy and Practical Examination. Students are expected to contact the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) or the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Board (FCLB) prior to application for full requirements for licensure in the location(s) in which they wish to practice.