The document summarizes chiropractic education and competency in Switzerland. It outlines that chiropractic education consists of a 6-year undergraduate program at the University of Zurich followed by a 3-year postgraduate residency. It emphasizes developing competencies in areas like communication, clinical skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and lifelong learning. The goal is for chiropractors to be recognized as spine specialists and reliable partners in the healthcare system who provide safe, patient-centered care.

1. Education and Competency
The Profile of Chiropractic in Switzerland
ChiroSuisse The Swiss Chiropractic Association

2. Education
Locomotive system – Spine – Nervous system

3. Chiropractic
Where medicine and
Manual skills merge

4. Art
Manual Skills
Science
University trained medical person
Philosophy
Recognizing the intricate
relationship between the spine
and the nervous system
The Foundation

5. Chiropractic at the University of Zurich
Undergraduate education program (UGEP)
• Chiropractic curriculum at the medical faculty of the University
of Zurich, Switzerland (since 2008)
• First cohort entered PGE in August 2014
Postgraduate education program (PGE / GEP)
Continued professional development (CPD)
• Under the auspices of the government
accredited Swiss Academy for Chiropractic (SAC)

6. Prerequisites for the Chiropractic Program
Requirements
• Federal maturity diploma
• Passed entrance
examination of medicine
Students
• 20 seats per annum
at the University of Zurich
Students from all parts
of Switzerland

7. The Pathway of Chiropractic Education

8. Year 1-4: Core Curriculum Medicine and
Chiropractic Subjects
Core curriculum medicine
Lectures and clinical courses
Envelope curriculum chiropractic
Between 2 and 7 hours per week
Lectures and clinical courses

9. Year 5: The clinical Armamentarium
Consolidation of the manual skills
• Chiropractic diagnosis
• Medical diagnosis
• Clinical biomechanics
• Chiropractic techniques
• Imaging procedures
• Rehabilitation procedures
• Physiotherapeutic procedures

10. Year 6: Clinical Training
Interdisciplinary hospital rotation
• 5-months hospital rotation in
(ortho/rheuma/neuro/internal)
• 5-months clinical training in the
policlinic of chiropractic medicine
• Case management assessment with
senior clinicians and radiologists
• Federal examination for
chiropractors

11. Year 7-9: Postgraduate Education
Following the federal examination
• 2-3 years PGE residency program in
a chiropractic office / mentorship
• 1 day per week GEP at the Swiss
Academy for Chiropractic
• Writing of scientific papers
• Honeing the manual skills
• Advancing radiology competences
• Professional politics and legal aspects

12. After Completion of all Requirements
• Federal Diploma for Chiropractors with PGE
• Working as an independant Chiropractor
• Personal responsibility & accountability

13. Life Long Learning - CPD
• 80 hours per annum
• Self study
• Quality circles
• Annual ChiroSuisse CE Convention
• International Conventions (ECU, WFC)
The CPD requirements are beeing
monitored by the Swiss Academy

14. A highly attractive Profession
• Combining medical knowledge and manual skills
• Patient centered care
• Immediate benefit of care often achievable
• Fascinating interdisciplinary collaboration
• Attractive, stand-alone chiropractic program
• Independant practice after 8-9 years

15. Spine Care Specialist
Primary contact for the patient
Chiropractor as physician
Medical assessment
Medical diagnosis
Manual treatment
Spinal health
Quality assurance
Differential diagnosis
Patient safety

16. The Competency Profile
A positioning paper for the health care market

17. Our Qualifications
Since 1964 Reimbursement by mandatory basic insurance model
Since 2007 Chiropractic regulated in the federal law of medical
professions
ChiroSuisse 280 members entitled to exercise their profession
independently with personal responsibility
UGEP Chiropractic program at the medical faculty of the
University of Zurich (B Med; M Chiro Med)
PGEP / GEP Swiss Academy for Chiropractic accredited by the
federal government
CE / CPD Life long learning

18. Integration / Network
Professional associations
Europe European Chiropractic Union
World World Federation of Chiropractic
ChiroSuisse as benchmark for other countries
Stakeholders in the health care system
Collaboration with the federal office of health, the other medical
professions, insurers and members of the parliament

19. The Foundation of Chiropractic
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Art Excellent manual skills
Science University trained medical person
Philosophy Recognizing the intricate relationship between the
spine and the nervous system

20. Spine Care Specialist
Manual skill competence
Six years undergraduate education
Three years PGE / GEP
Life long learning / CE/ CPD

21. The Patient
Statistics:
High incidence of back pain in the population

22. The Costs
Statistics:
Frequent hospitalization amounts to enormous costs

23. The Challenges in the Health Care Field
• Taking into account the demographic trends
• New health care models emerging
• Adapting the job profile of the physician
Patient centered care
Identifying & recognizing increased patient expectations & needs
Recognizing polymorbidity in the aging patient

24. Health Care in Switzerland:
Political Agenda 2020
Gesundheit 2020.
Die gesundheitspolitischen
Prioritäten des Bundesrates.
Ein nachhaltiges Gesundheits-
system für die Schweiz.
Roadmap der Akademie
der Wissenschaften Schweiz.

25. Market-Orientation
Professional competencies are pivotal
Constant development of competencies are paramount
Savegarding our future

26. Knowledge and Competence
Our Armamentarium for the Future
Knowledge
The ability to fill our backpack with many ingredients
Competence
The team work ability to process these ingredients into a
delicious meal

27. The Competencies – the Ability to Act

28. The Goal
Staying fit
For an ever changing
Health care market

29. The Benchmark Profile of a Chiropractor
In collaboration with Dr. med.Christoph A. Pfister (MD)
Competence center for human medicine („competenzia“)
• Job profile of a Chiropractor – vision 2030
• Competence profile using the KODE® system
• Development and ranking of the core competencies
• Comparison to competency profile of the GP

30. Internal Process
Competency workshops conducted in different parts of
Switzerland
LARGE intra-professional unity J

31. Key Competencies for Human Medicine
Key Competencies for Chiropractic
Fachwissen – Fachübergreifende Kenntnisse – Normativ-ethische
Einstellung (Wertehaltung) – Glaubwürdigkeit und Authentizität
Selbstmanagement – Entscheidungsfähigkeit – Lernbereitschaft –
Ganzheitliches Denken – Zuverlässigkeit – Ergebnisorientiertes
(evidenz-orientiertes) Handeln – Integrationsfähigkeit –
Problemlösungsfähigkeit – Analytische Fähigkeiten – Teamfähigkeit –
Beratungsfähigkeit – Beurteilungsvermögen – Kommunikationsfähigkeit
– Kooperationsfähigkeit
LARGE Accordance

32. Competence Analysis – The Results
Personal
competency
Social competency,
Activity
competency
Expert
knowledge,
competency

33. Key Competencies of Chiropractic
Communication
Expert knowledge

34. Comparison of Competencies
Chiropractor GP

35. Implementation of the Competency Profile in
the Profession
• PGE / GEP
• Advancement of competencies for employees
• Integration into the entrance examination to the University
Constant development of professional competencies

36. Job Profile
Primary contact for the patient
Chiropractor as physician
Medical assessment and treatment
Medical diagnosis
Manual treatment
Spinal health
Quality assurance
Differential diagnosis
Patient safety

37. The Chiropractor – a reliable Partner
Being a part of the modern health care system
• YES to integrated health care models
• YES to interdisciplinary collaboration
• YES to the accountability as primary health care physician
Safe patient centered care
• YES to the responsibility and the lead in patient care
• YES to quality and safety