User:Drsjpdc/List of Chiropractic Credentials

Doctors holding the DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) degree, may place numerous letters after their names, many of which are recognized only within the Chiropractic profession. Some by the Chiropractic academic community at large, and some only by the specific organization that issued the "credential". In an effort to make some sense of the alphabet soup, this page attempts to provide some explanation. NB: This list does not attempt to be exhaustive, nor does exclusion from this list automatically imply that a degree is, or is not accredited. Some of these "credentials" are from outside the Chirpractic profession, but commonly used by Doctors of Chiropractic.

Etiquette for Listing of Degrees
There are several schools of thought as to in what order to list ones degrees; 1.- List them in the order of importance to your field; or, 2.- List them in the order obtained; or, 3.- List them in the order of their academic level, highest last. In other words even if a DC   later receives an RN degree, s/he may list the DC last, as that represents the higher academic    achievement; or, 4.- List the "highest degree in your working profession should be listed first", or, 5.- List only the highest degree  in each field, in other words  not to list a BA or BS degree, if you have a PhD in the same area.

NB: For the edification of recipients, please note that "diplomat" is a person who is accredited, such as an ambassador, to officially represent a government in its relations with other governments or international organisms ; whereas, "diplomate" is the recipient of a diploma.

Academic Pre/Post Doctoral Degrees
DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) Degree: The vast majority of DC's  today  are graduates of fully accredited "first professional degree" granting institutions. This means that the DC degree is accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies, like, e.g. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, or National accrediting agencies, like e.g.  the New York State Board of Regents. The DC degree is also listed as a "First Professional  Degree" (same category as the MD (Medicine), DO (Osteopathy), DPM  (Podiatry), OD  (Optometry), DDS or DMD (Dentistry) degrees, and in some states ND or NMD (Naturopathic Medicine), and DHM (Homeopathic Medicine), and OMD (Oriental Medicine)  by the US Dept of Education. There are also the Professional degrees which are for "other" licensed health professionals, like RN  (Nursing), LAc (Acupuncturist), ATC  (Athletic Trainer), PT (Physical Therapist), etc., generally recognized  as subordinate to the "first professional degrees". There are DC's who have also earned, and thus list after their names, any of these other degrees, in nearly any combination.

Academic Pre or Post-Doctoral Graduate Degrees
Some DC's have received Masters or Doctoral Degrees from another Accredited College or University before they commenced Chiropractic college, and some achieved those degrees  after they received their DC degrees. Some Chiropractic Colleges are accredited  to offer certain Masters and now even PhD degrees in professionally related fields, like nutrition,  Oriental medicine, acupuncture, or other fields.

Certifications *Recognized by the Chiropractic Academic Community

 * *"Recognized" means that the Chiropractic academic community generally recognizes these certifications as representing a program of advanced study at, or through an accredited  institution, and that the holder has passed a certifying examination.

Generally *Recognized Board Certifications

 * *"Recognized" means by the Chiropractic Profession generally. Some of these are also accredited  by  other professional specialty credentialing agencies.

It must be understood that medical specialty boards are themselves likewise "credentialed" by agencies, also composed entirely of medical and osteopathic physicians, and they generally refuse to consider chiropractic  specialties.

Certifications from proprietary (non-profit) Organizations

 * These credentials are generally recognized only by the bodies which grant them, and may be meaningful only to another DC. They may indicate that the Doctor has taken some proprietary course in someone's technique, but the program may, or may not yet be taught at accredited academic institutions. Or it  is taught only by the company or organization offering the "certification".

Legitimate titles which are not generally considered a "professional qualification"
(meaning that it is not accepted practice to list these after one's name, or use them in advertising. This is not to say that the information is not genuine, or that the facts are incorrectly reported)

Other Designations, Not Yet Categorized
CCH – Certified in Classical Homeopathy CCN – Certified Clinical Nutritionist CNS – Certified Nutrition Specialist FIACA – Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical Acupuncture FIAMA – Fellow, International Academy of Medical Acupuncture FICS – Fellow of the International Craniopathic Society (not to be confused with a designation of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic known as the FICS IAMA – International Academy of Medical Acupuncture LDN -  Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist MSOM – Master of Science, Oriental Medicine NMD – Neuromuscular Dentistry