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Chiropractic Assistant/Technician

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of a chiropractor, to provide patient management, examination, and treatment services. Includes instruction in the principles and procedures of chiropractic, radiographic X-Ray procedures and techniques, X-Ray film analysis and media studies, orthopedic and neurological testing, clinical laboratory procedures, patient management and education, office administrative skills, and applicable law and regulations.

What Chiropractic Assistant/Technician Majors Need to Know

Programs in Chiropractic Assistant/Technician emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Chiropractic Assistant/Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Chiropractic Assistant/Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Chiropractic Assistant/Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.9 / 7
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.6 / 7
Processing Information	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Chiropractic Assistant/Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
IDX Systems Patient Chart Tracking	Document management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
GE Healthcare Centricity EMR	Medical software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Patient management software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Windows Vista Business	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Exchange	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates include:

• Optometric Assistant
• Optometrist Assistant
• Optometry Assistant
• Hospital Clinic Assistant
• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)
• Orthopedic Medical Assistant
• Chiropractic Assistant
• Orthopedic Assistant
• Client Services Coordinator
• Doctor’s Assistant
• Family Medicine Medical Assistant
• Urgent Care Medical Assistant
• Physician’s Aide
• Optometric Aide
• Health Assistant

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	44.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	20.5%
Bachelor’s degree	17.5%
Some college courses	17.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

How Much Do Chiropractic Assistant/Technician Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$27,434
4 years	$29,082
5 years	$32,352

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,352 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Chiropractic Assistant/Technician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates earn a median of $29,082 four years after completion — about 23% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Medical/Clinical Assistant	52,819
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	7,541
Physical Therapy Assistant	5,633
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other	4,065
Occupational Therapist Assistant	3,178
Radiologist Assistant	1,513
Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist	1,195
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	614
Respiratory Therapy Technician/Assistant	431
Anesthesiologist Assistant	423
Speech-Language Pathology Assistant	363

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.