• Wanlass P
• Dirks S

• Affiliation / Southern California University of Health Sciences
• Affiliation(G) / United States / California / Whittier
• Chiropractic / methods
• Curriculum / United States
• Education, Chiropractic / United States
• Faculty, Chiropractic / United States
• Open Access Document
• Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective: To evaluate faculty perceptions of the benefits of chiropractic technique elective courses toward students’ future practice.

Methods: We surveyed faculty members at a chiropractic college who teach chiropractic technique curriculum (preclinical technique courses, clinical clerkship program, and technique elective courses). Questions included faculty training in chiropractic technique, their role in the technique curriculum, and their perception of the value of the technique elective courses. The survey instrument was pretested for face validity prior to administration. All data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Of the 32 faculty members who received the survey, 27 (84%) responded. A majority of the respondents indicated having been trained in diversified (81%) and Cox (52%) techniques. Most agreed that diversified (93%), Cox (89%), Thompson (74%), Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) (54%), and Activator (52%) elective courses would be valuable for students’ future practice. Ninety-six percent of the survey participants valued the role of preclinical technique courses, and the clinical clerkship experience in preparing students for future practice, compared to 81% of the respondents valuing the role of the elective technique courses.

Conclusion: Preclinical, clinical, and elective faculty perceived that elective chiropractic technique courses were valuable in students' technique education in preparing them for future practice. Future studies should be done among multiple chiropractic institutions to have better understanding of faculty perceptions about students’ technique education in preparing them for successful practice. These future faculty studies should be compared to similar studies from the student, graduate, and administrative perspectives.

Author keywords: Chiropractic; Education

Author affiliations: Southern California University of Health Sciences, Whittier, California, United States

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