in peer-reviewed journals. The first class graduated in 2009 and the program is proving to be a success. THE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAM I applied to this program in the spring of 2010 and was accepted into the pro-gram in the fall of that same year. The decision to enter into a Masters pro-gram after nearly 30 years in practice was not made without some hesitation. It would involve 18 trips from Vancou-ver to Chicago to attend intensive week-end lectures, along with several online course modules, examinations, a great deal of extra reading and research, a clinical competency exam based on the United States Medical Licensing Ex-amination (USMLE) internal medicine model, as well as two original case re-ports formatted for journal submission. The first class in neurophysiology was a big wake-up call, and I nearly called it quits. Slowly, the information overload became easier to deal with, and month by month, I passed each course and was able to progress successfully through the program. standing the role of pharmaceuticals in primary care practice in the management of infectious disease, cardiovascular dis-ease, pain and diabetes. Some students questioned the necessity of this part of the program as it did not pertain to the scope of chiropractic practice, and this caused some dissent. However, there is a requirement for this type of training in jurisdictions where limited prescription rights are being sought by chiropractors. Regardless of the individual practice phi-losophy of the participants, it was gener-ally agreed that this knowledge makes for an improved doctor-patient experience. Chiropractors must be aware of prescrip-tion medication use by their patients whether or not they agree in principle. Interactions with herbal supplements and drug side-effects were discussed. The reality in evidence-based practice is that there may be a set of circumstances where the use of prescription medica-tion is in the patient’s best interest. The epidemic of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in America is primarily lifestyle related, but when confronted with a very sick patient who may not have the re-sources to deal with his or her condition Regardless of the individual practice philosophy of the participants, it was generally agreed that this knowledge made for an improved doctor-patient experience. The modules on nutrition were partic-ularly beneficial, I found, as my province had recently expanded the chiropractic scope of practice to permit the sale of nutritional supplements. Other courses included, Clinical Skills for the Primary Care Physician, Research Methodology, Mechanisms of Pain, Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Diagnostic Imaging, Neurol-ogy, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Men’s and Women’s Health, Psychology, Ethics, and Integrative Medicine. Course instructors were practising physicians with specialty training and academic background in their respective topics. PHARMACOLOGY – WHY DCs SHOULD STUDY IT One of the most challenging parts of the program was Clinical Pharmacology. A great deal of time was spent on under-22 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | DECEMBER 2012 naturally or expeditiously, medication may be the only reasonable solution in the short term to prevent serious compli-cations or even death. CANADIAN DCs AND ADVANCED EDUCATION PROGRAMS August 2012 marked the end of the program with a capstone defence of an original case report and a formal convo-cation at National along with the gradu-ating chiropractic, naturopathic and oriental medicine classes. There was a great sense of accomplishment and re-lief upon completion of the final step by everyone in the class, especially for those of us who had been in practice for many years. Two of the students were from Bra-zil and hoped to advance the profession of chiropractic in their country through political and academic involvement. I was the sole Canadian in the class. The registrar of the program, Dr. Jona-thon Soltys – who is originally from Canada – advised me that there had been only one other Canadian to com-plete the program. His goal and the goal of the school was to continue to expand the program to include practising chi-ropractors from all parts of the United States and Canada and doctors from other countries looking for an oppor-tunity for academic, clinical and profes-sional advancement. There are now programs available through other chiropractic institutions that lead to a Master of Science degree, some of which are offered online. It is the responsibility of every practis-ing chiropractor in Canada to achieve a minimum continuing education re-quirement, and programs such as Ad-vanced Clinical Practice provide doc-tors with a systematic, challenging and rewarding experience towards higher education, improved patient care, and personal and professional enrichment. In my opinion, it is programs such as these that will firmly establish chiroprac-tors as health-care leaders with equal in-put to national and provincial health de-livery strategies that will serve the needs of patients now and in the years to come. “A vision for a new kind of healthcare is emerging. It is patient-centered, heal-ing oriented, and embraces convention-al and complementary therapies. This medicine has become known as integra-tive medicine. Driven initially by con-sumer demand, it is now increasingly being accepted by healthcare providers and institutions. Definitions abound, but the commonalities are a reaffirma-tion of the importance of the therapeu-tic relationship, a focus on the whole person and lifestyle – not just the physi-cal body, a renewed attention to healing, and a willingness to use all appropriate therapeutic approaches whether they originate in conventional or alternative medicine.” (This excerpt is taken from the original article Integrative Medicine and Patient Centered Care, EXPLORE September/October 2009, Vol. 5, No. 5 277-289) For information regarding the Master of Science in Advanced Clinical Practice at National University of Health Sciences, go to www.nuhs.edu. • www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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