students practicing hand placement on patients with faculty overseeing

D.C. Program

Preparing you for success

Palmer’s curriculum blends chiropractic philosophy with hands-on clinical skills to prepare you for success in professional practice. Students learn and practice chiropractic techniques, patient examinations, and patient documentation.

Learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. Students have the opportunity to refine clinical skills learned in the classroom during extra-curricular lab hours and student clubs, all under the guidance of Palmer faculty members.

Our academic curriculum prepares students for a successful career in chiropractic, including:

  • Patient-health assessment, including health history, physical examination, and necessary imaging, lab and diagnostic studies
  • Patient-centered care and management plans
  • Manual therapeutic procedures such as chiropractic adjustment, manipulation, mobilization and soft-tissue techniques, by hand and with instruments
  • Use of complementary measures such as passive modalities, exercise and rehabilitation, nutritional counseling and supplementation
  • Promotion of health, wellness and disease prevention

Year-Round Classes

Students attend classes year-round and complete their studies in approximately three and one-third years. The program is 10 trimesters long on the Main Campus and at Palmer Florida. By attending class year-round, students can earn their degree and begin practice in less time.

Anatomy and Learning to Care for the Human Body

Understanding anatomy and movement science is critical to becoming a successful Doctor of Chiropractic. Here, movement science is incorporated into the anatomy curriculum to reinforce concepts as they’re being taught.

Palmer offers hands-on anatomy education using human cadavers, supported by state-of-the-art anatomical models, and virtual, 3D learning environments.

Palmer students receive free, unlimited access to Complete Anatomy, a virtual, 3D learning platform that’s accessible from almost any device, anytime and anywhere.

Palmer Package and Elective Techniques

Here you’ll receive training in a wide variety of hands-on technique courses designed to prepare you to successfully address nearly any clinical situation you may encounter in practice.

All Palmer students become proficient in “Palmer Package” techniques:

  • Diversified
  • Gonstead
  • Thompson
  • Toggle Recoil

Palmer’s curriculum also offers introductions to instrument-assisted and table-assisted techniques. Students may enroll in additional elective technique courses offered by the College. Palmer technique instruction begins early in the curriculum and provides many faculty-supervised hours of hands-on instruction beyond the core curriculum through our open labs.

Elective technique courses vary from campus to campus, and some may not be offered during a particular session. In general, the following elective technique courses are offered:

Technique Electives