A doctor of chiropractic is a licensed health care practitioner. Students take a licensing examination at the end of four years of graduate studies at a chiropractic college, following three to four years of undergraduate education, usually in the sciences. Upon completion of an approved curriculum and substantial practical experience in chiropractic college, the candidate is qualified to take the required examination, which is administered by a state board of chiropractic examiners. Successful candidates are permitted to practice in the state in which they are licensed. Some states do not accept or require the national exams, but have their own.
Most states require that applicants pass an oral exam.
Graduates should take the licensing exams for all states in which they wish to practice. Individual states coordinate the overseeing of practitioners through a governmental agency, which in some states is akin to a Department of Consumer Affairs and may include the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Chiropractors will find excellent career opportunities in developed nations around the world, including Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The objective of the chiropractic approach is ongoing health maintenance. Chiropractors and their patients are protected by law.