In Minnesota a Doctor of Chiropractic is a Primary Care Physician.  A Doctor of Chiropractor has as much training as medical doctors.  Many patients see their chiropractor at the first sign of any health problem.  Chiropractors treat the patient as any other primary health care provider by first discussing the case and past history of the case with the patient and performing a thorough exam.

The Doctor will then:
        -Treat the patient with adjustments, therapies or nutrition as appropriate
        -Refer the patient to specialist as necessary (MD, cardiologist, orthopeadist, Urologist etc)
        - Monitor patient progress.

The practice and procedures that Doctors of Chiropractic use are based on the academic and clinical training received in and through accredited chiropractic colleges and includes the use of current diagnostic and therapeuticprocedures. Such procedures specifically include the adjustment and manipulation of the articulations and adjacent tissues of the human body, particularly of the spinal column.

Below is a comparison chart of the educational and training background that both chiropractors and medical doctors go through in order to get their respective degrees and licenses.

                  Chiropractic Classroom Hours                Medical Classroom Hours
Anatomy                         540                                                     508
Physiology                      240                                                      326
Pathology                       360                                                      401
Chemistry                       165                                                      325
Microbiology                  120                                                      114
Diagnosis                        630                                                      324
Neurology                      320                                                      112
X-Ray                            360                                                      148
Psychiatry                         60                                                      144
Obstetrics                         60                                                      148
Orthopedics                    210                                                      156

Total Hours                   3065                                                   2706