Did you know...
There’s a difference between being "Licensed" and being "Certified"?
I know, I know… I’m sure it's not a question you've been burning to see addressed in this blog, or anywhere else. However, I will occasionally see a doctor advertise him/herself as a "Certified Doctor of Chiropractic" or a "Certified Chiropractic Doctor."
The fact is, being “certified” means very little. I myself, along with my partner in life and business, Dr. David Monson, both have probably a dozen certifications between us. And although we learned very useful information earning them, as far as what we can or cannot do to assist people trying to maintain their health, or reduce musculoskeletal pain syndromes, it doesn't legally mean anything.
All that being said, certification isn't useless. It typically means that you've been to a weekend or series of weekend seminars, often passing a test at the end and have new services to offer patients. Some certifications are quite rigorous, and some require yearly classes to keep current. But what you really need to make sure of is that your doctor is licensed.
Licensure involves a weekend long test to become an official Doctor of Chiropractic – where – after 4 years of intense schooling, you get to put a little D.C. after your last name and start helping patients. Pretty cool, right?
The test is HARD. Plenty of it is hands on – you have to prove that you know all aspects of handling patients: from taking a history, through a physical examination, making a diagnosis, x-ray analytical skills, spinal adjusting, physical therapy questions… you get the idea.
Chiropractic licensing started with Kansas and North Dakota in 1913 and ended with Louisiana in 1974. And in my home state of Minnesota there was an attempt as early as 1905! (We’re so ahead of the curve!) By the mid 1920's, two dozen states had licensure and 43 by the end of WW2. It’s now available in all 50 states of the US, but it’s also interesting to note that each state has it's own "Scope of Practice." Kansas has probably the most lenient scope, and they can even call themselves Chiropractic Physicians. Not so in Minnesota. We are officially called Doctors of Chiropractic.
You can check out information on each states "Board of Chiropractic Examiners" website. Not too difficult to understand, even for this non-lawyer!
So, the moral of this story is that when choosing a health care provider, you should know the difference between Certified and Licensed, and if your doc is certified but not licensed – then he is or she isn’t a doctor!
Make sure you tune in next week - Dr. David is going to write a post about ergonomics and how it affects you.
Yours in health,
Dr. Jeanne Masanz, DC
Office: 612.259.7323
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