Once a chiropractic doctor has completed his or her studies successfully, there are a number of specialty programs available as post-graduate study. Since many chiropractors work with athletes and are involved in sports medicine, a number of these programs are related to the sports, athletics, and physical fitness industry. One of the most respected of these programs is the Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) certificate.
The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians, a private non-profit organization, has as its mission, “To promote the highest standards of excellence and clinical competence for chiropractors specializing in sports medicine and physical fitness.” Certifications through this organization are designed to assess and objectively measure the professional knowledge and competence of chiropractic doctors, physicians, and practitioners involved in the specialty of chiropractic sports medicine.
The American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) as meeting NCAA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The NCCA is the accrediting organization for the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), and there are only 78 organizations that have received and maintained NCCA accreditation. Applicants for the CCSP certificate must complete a minimum of 100 hours of post-graduate chiropractic study and demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding and knowledge in all subject areas. Topics of study include upper and lower extremity conditions and diagnoses, concussion, diagnostic imaging, female athletic considerations, diabetic athletes, exercise physiology, medial legal aspects, coaching, biomechanics, strength training, sports nutrition, sports psychology, emergency procedures, taping and bracing, extremity adjusting, case studies, and more, depending on the University or college offering the CCSP program.
Once the classwork is completed doctors must take and pass a comprehensive written examination. If practitioners wish to study beyond the CCSP certificate, there is the DACBSP certification, which stands for Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians. This program requires an additional minimum of 200 class hours of study. Doctors have a timeframe of 3 years within which they must complete the program requirements, which include a written examination, a practical examination, a practical experience requirement and a written requirement project.
Both the CCSP and DACBSP have continuing education requirements in order to maintain certification, and all candidates and certificate holders must maintain current CPR certification.
Resources:
- http://www.acbsp.com/index.htm
- http://www.acbsp.com/pdf/CCSP%20Candidate%20Handbook2009.pdf
- http://www.palmer.edu/CCSP/
