THE CREATION, DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A BUSINESS CURRICULUM IN A PROFESSIONAL CHIROPRACTIC PROGRAM

Professional programs in the United States, (i.e. medicine, dentistry, law) have long lacked the proper business curriculum so that graduates have the required tools, skills and resources to begin and operate a successful enterprise. Historically, these institutions focused almost exclusively on teaching the technical aspects of the degree which they impart their students, with little emphasis placed on how to practice in the business environment once the practitioner is ready.

However, most medical practitioners are quickly employed by large hospitals and/or community based medical establishments run effectively not by the practitioners themselves, but often by an individual with a business degree and background.

The Chiropractic profession, however, remains centered in the small business environment wherein most practitioners open and operate their own individual practice. A poll conducted by a consortium of Chiropractic colleges in the early 2000's indicated that the number one failure of Chiropractic college curricula was the relative absence of business courses. Graduates were not prepared to conduct successful business operations leading to a significant failure rate.

In 2005, Life University, the world's largest institution of Chiropractic, began implementation of a business curriculum to meet the demands of an emerging marketplace. Today, it has the most comprehensive business curriculum in the profession, giving its students over 250 hours in academic business courses, ranging from soft business skills such as communication techniques to hard skills like understanding financial statements and business plan creation.

This paper will discuss the creation, development and implementation of such a curriculum and provide a model for other institutions of higher learning to follow, especially those with a professional degree focus.