How to Become a Chiropractic Assistant: Skills & Training

Highlights

• Learning how to become a chiropractic assistant means understanding the role you play in the chiropractic practice and the skills and training you need to do the job.
• A chiropractic assistant helps the practice run smoothly by ensuring efficient scheduling and billing and assisting providers in preparing patients for their visit.
• Chiropractic assistants need excellent organizational and people skills to help them excel at their role.
• Duties of a chiropractic assistant vary from practice to practice, but you may need skills in areas such as billing and coding, chiropractic ethics, and X-ray processing.
• Although licensing is not required to work as a chiropractic assistant, earning certification will help you stand out in a field of applicants.

If you’re interested in learning how to become a chiropractic assistant, it’s helpful to understand the role and what training, skills, and qualifications are necessary to perform the job. A chiropractic assistant can perform a wide range of administrative tasks to keep the chiropractic office running efficiently. They may also assist providers in preparing patients for their visits.

What Is a Chiropractic Assistant?

Chiropractic assistants are critical members of a chiropractic practice. They ensure the office runs smoothly and that patients are satisfied with their visits.The job is in high demand and is expected to experience significant growth over the next few years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the chiropractic industry is expected to grow by 11% over the next 8 years.

Training as a chiropractic assistant may provide you with a secure, in-demand career where you can use a variety of skills to help others. To become a chiropractic assistant, you must have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED.

What Does a Chiropractic Assistant Do?

While a chiropractic assistant doesn’t diagnose or treat patients, they are involved in many other aspects of patient care, scheduling, and billing. Chiropractic assistants work with patients in routine functions such as check-in, filling out intake forms, and obtaining insurance information.

Practice Management

The chiropractic assistant’s duties vary from practice to practice, but chiropractic assistants often perform office tasks, such as:

• Answering phones
• Replying to emails
• Sorting mail
• Tracking and ordering office supplies
• Maintaining calendars
• Making photocopies

Chiropractic assistants also spend a significant portion of their day on the computer doing office work like checking and updating their company’s social media channels. If you have basic administrative skills and are looking for a rewarding and challenging work environment in the medical field, becoming a chiropractic assistant is a good choice.

Chiropractic Provider Support

Chiropractic assistants also provide chiropractors with medical task support.

This may include:

• Taking X-rays
• Explaining procedures to patients
• Preparing patients for procedures
• Taking vital signs
• Maintaining medical records

Chiropractic assistants must learn basic medical terminology and how the insurance billing and payment process works to complete these duties. Other practical tasks may include laundering patient gowns and towels and minor cleaning tasks, such as sanitizing work surfaces and tidying the waiting room.

Communication Liaison

Every chiropractic assistant functions as a liaison between patients and the chiropractic practitioner. Many also serve as liaisons between chiropractors and insurance companies, computer and software tech advisors, state licensing boards, and other entities.

The chiropractic assistant also often functions as a customer service representative. As an experienced chiropractic assistant, you may also oversee the work of newer chiropractic assistants and train other members of the practice’s staff.

Skills Needed to Become a Chiropractic Assistant

A potential chiropractic assistant must possess a specific skill set and personality traits to perform their job well. You may naturally have many of the skills necessary for becoming a chiropractic assistant, or you can foster their development through chiropractic assistant training.

To do their job well, chiropractic assistants should have good communication and organizational skills.

Communication Skills

Since dealing with the public is a significant part of the job, the chiropractic assistant should have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Valuable skills in this area include the ability to stay calm under pressure and to implement conflict resolution strategies.

Chiropractic assistants need tact and finesse when dealing with a patient with a delinquent account or when reminding patients about future appointments.

Organization and Attention to Detail

Because a chiropractic assistant runs the office, attention to detail is essential. Even though chiropractic software now performs many of the tasks formerly delegated to office workers, CA’s still need to organize patient electronic health records and ensure patient bills are paid promptly to maintain the practice’s cash flow.

Chiropractic Assistant Training: How To Become a Chiropractic Assistant

To start your journey toward becoming a chiropractic assistant, enroll in a reputable, comprehensive training program. Many chiropractors will hire people who have earned medical assistant certification, which is offered by many community colleges. For chiropractic-specific training, online courses may be your best bet.

The advantage of online training is that you can study at your own pace and on your own schedule. By getting your education online, you can choose from a wide variety of schools. Before enrolling in online classes, determine whether the chiropractic assistant certification you receive is accepted in your state or the state in which you plan to work.

Chiropractic Assistant Training Coursework

Your chiropractic assistant training coursework will include an introduction to chiropractic to familiarize you with its basic philosophy and procedures.

You can expect your coursework topics to cover:

• Patient scheduling
• Chiropractic patient communication
• Taking a patient history
• Recording vital signs
• Maintaining medical records
• SOAP notes
• Billing and coding
• Recognizing emergencies
• Biohazard procedures
• Chiropractic ethics
• Familiarity with commonly treated disorders and diseases
• Therapeutic modalities
• Physiotherapy
• X-ray processing and protection

You will also receive training in Medicare and Medicaid regulations. You’ll learn about private and commercial insurance, HIPAA compliance, worker’s compensation claims, personal injury claims, documentation principles, and other facets of a typical chiropractic office.

Chiropractic Assistant Certification

Chiropractic assistants don’t generally need certification to work, but most employers prefer their employees hold chiropractic assistant certification. The Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) and the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) offer a certified chiropractic clinical assistant program. Candidates can apply online with the FCLB.

Those meeting the FCLB requirements receive the designation of certified clinical chiropractic assistant, or “Triple CA,” as it’s known in the chiropractic industry. This distinguished qualification can help you in your chiropractic assistant career because it’s a high-level certificate for chiropractic assistants.

Candidates must pass an online exam for certification. After passing the exam, they must undergo 300 hours of supervised clinical experience. CAs must renew their certificate or license every two years and attend continuing education during that time period.

Keep in mind that different states have varying requirements and terminology for chiropractic assistants. In Florida, for example, registered chiropractic assistants perform administrative tasks and work under the direct supervision of a licensed chiropractor.

A certified chiropractic physician’s assistant requires two years of education and completes certain tasks generally done by chiropractors, working under indirect supervision. However, they cannot perform adjustments or give treatment advice.

Chiropractic Assistants and Licensing

In some states, chiropractic assistants require licensing. The state’s chiropractic board creates and enforces candidate licensing requirements. Maine, Iowa, Maryland, and Nevada are among the states where licensing is required.

As you pursue your chiropractic assistant certification, check your state’s chiropractic board’s website for chiropractic assistant requirements, including any requisite continued education.

ChiroTouch and Chiropractic Assistants

As you move into your career as a chiropractic assistant, you’ll find that working with the right chiropractic EHR system can help you perform your duties in an efficient and integrated way.

ChiroTouch is a completely integrated chiropractic EHR practice management system that provides chiropractic assistants with the tools to make their job easier and run the practice smoothly.

ChiroTouch is easy to use and easy to set up and offers several handy practice management features like:

• Online scheduling
• An integrated appointment calendar
• Automated alerts
• Online reputation management features
• Easy-to-read color-coding
• Fifteen-second SOAP notes
• Automatic syncing

With ChiroTouch’s ancillary services, CAs can streamline the work they do every day, saving you time and improving productivity.

With CT InForms, patients can fill out intake and consent forms online, so you’ll spend less time on paperwork when they arrive.

CT Engage provides patient communication tools that allow you to automate routine tasks such as appointment reminders and office announcements. These tools dramatically reduce the time CAs need to spend on the phone.In addition to these features, our cloud-based system allows you to work from anywhere, anytime, with any device. You’re not confined to working in the office and can work at home when necessary.

ChiroTouch recognizes the important role that chiropractic assistants play in their practices.