Oct 07, 2025

2025-2026 Academic Catalog

College of Chiropractic

Mission and Goals
College of Chiropractic Organization
Academic Policies

Mission and Goals

Mission

The Mission of the College of Chiropractic is to educate, mentor and graduate contemporary and compassionate Doctors of Chiropractic, based on a model of Vertebral Subluxation.

The College establishes an environment demonstrating the expression of University core values; to embody vitalism, nurture the standard to live an exceptional life of integrity, and be of service to the world.

Goal #1 - Assessment & Diagnosis

An assessment and diagnosis require developed clinical reasoning skills. Clinical reasoning consists of data gathering and interpretation, hypothesis generation and testing, and critical evaluation of diagnostic strategies. This dynamic process includes the collection and assessment of data through history, physical examination, imaging, laboratory tests, and case related clinical services.

Objectives:

Students will be able to develop a list of differential diagnosis/es and corresponding exams from a case-appropriate health history and review of external health records.
Students will be able to identify significant findings that may indicate the need for follow-up through additional examination, application of diagnostic and/or confirmatory tests and tools, and any consultations.
Students will be able to generate a problem list with diagnosis/es.

Goal #2 - Management Plan

Management involves the development, implementation, and documentation of a patient care plan for positively impacting a patient’s health and well-being, including specific health care goals and prognoses. It may include case follow-up, referral, and/or collaborative care.

Objectives:

Students will be able to develop an evidence-informed management plan appropriate to the diagnosis, including obstacles to improvement, measurable healthcare, prognoses, and target endpoint of care in consideration of bio-psychosocial factors, natural history and alternatives to care.
Students will be able to refer for emergency care and/or collaborative care as appropriate.
Students will be able to present a management plan that includes obtaining informed consent.
Students will be able to deliver appropriate chiropractic adjustments/manipulations, and/or other forms of passive care as identified in the management plan.
Students will be able to implement appropriate active care as identified in the management plan.
Students will be able to make recommendations for changes in lifestyle behaviors, activities of daily living and/or dietary and nutritional habits as appropriate.
Students will be able to implement changes to the management plan as new clinical information becomes available.
Students will be able to identify maximum improvement and document the endpoint of care of determine rationales for continuing care.

Goal #3 - Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Health promotion and disease prevention requires an understanding and application of epidemiological principles regarding the nature and identification of health issues in diverse populations and recognition of the impact of biological, chemical, behavioral, structural, psychosocial and environmental factors on general health.

Objectives:

Students will be able to manage health risks and public health issues, including reporting, as required.
Students will be able to recommend or provide resources (educational, community-based, etc.) and instruction regarding public health issues.
Students will be able to provide recommendations regarding patients’ health status, behavior and lifestyle, recommendations, or provision of resources (educational, community-based, etc.), and instruction designed to encourage a patient to pursue change.
Students will demonstrate the ability to provide recommendations of dietary habits and/or nutritional approaches designed to restore, maintain, or improve the patient’s health.
Students will be able to address appropriate hygiene practices in the clinical environment.
Students will be able to communicate health improvement strategies with other health professionals.

Goal #4 - Communication and Record Keeping

Effective communication includes oral, written, and nonverbal skills with appropriate sensitivity, clarity and control for a wide range of healthcare related activities, to include patient care, professional communication, health education, and record keeping and reporting.

Objectives:

Students will be able to document health risks and management options considering the patient’s health care needs and goals.
Students will be able to consider the patient’s ethnicity, cultural beliefs, and socio-economic status when communicating.
Students will be able to generate accurate, concise, appropriate, and legible patient records, narrative reports and correspondence.
Students will be able to safeguard and keep confidential the patient’s protected health and financial information.
Students will be able to generate patient records that follow state and federal laws and regulations and applicable/accepted industry standards.

Goal #5 - Professional Ethics and Jurisprudence

Professionals are expected to comply with the law and exhibit ethical behavior.

Objectives:

Students will be able to maintain appropriate physical, communication (verbal and non-verbal) and emotional boundaries with patients.
Students will be able to maintain professional conduct with patients, peers, staff, and faculty.
Students will be able to comply with the ethical and legal dimensions of clinical practice.

Goal #6 - Information and Technology Literacy

Information literacy is a set of abilities, including the use of technology, to locate, evaluate and integrate research and other types of evidence to manage patient care.

Objectives:

Students will be able to use relevant scientific literature and other evidence to inform patient care.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of research methodology and exposure to research in chiropractic.

Goal #7 - Chiropractic Adjustment/Manipulation

Doctors of Chiropractic employ the adjustment/manipulation to address joint and neurophysiologic dysfunction. The adjustment/manipulation is a precise procedure requiring the discrimination and identification of dysfunction, interpretation and application of clinical knowledge; and the use of cognitive and psychomotor skills.

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify subluxations/segmental dysfunction of the spine and/or other articulations.
Students will be able to analyze and interpret findings indicating the need for chiropractic adjustment/manipulation.
Students will be able to identify indications, contraindications, and risk factors for the chiropractic adjustment/manipulation; and explain the anticipated benefits, potential complications and effects to patients.
Students will be able to apply chiropractic adjustment/manipulation to patients while ensuring patient safety.
Students will be able to identify the effects following the chiropractic adjustment/manipulation.

Goal #8 - Inter-Professional Education

Students have the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to function as part of an inter-professional team to provide patient-centered collaborative care. Inter-professional teamwork may be demonstrated in didactic, clinical, or simulated learning environments.

Objectives:

Students will be able to explain their own roles and responsibilities and those of other care providers and how the team works together to provide care.
Students will be able to use appropriate team building and collaborative strategies with other members of the healthcare team to support a team approach to patient centered care.

Goal #9 - Philosophy of Chiropractic

Life University has always embraced the philosophy of vitalism. The chiropractic profession is a philosophy, science and art and vitalism has been a core principle of the university. This philosophy proposes that there is an innate intelligence to the body that provides for self-adapting, self-regulating, and self-healing.

Objectives:

Students will gain an understanding of vitalism and innate intelligence.
Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate to patients the body’s ability to self-adapt, self-regulate, and self-heal.
Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate to patients the subluxation as an interference to the body’s control system, the nerve system, thereby causing an interference to the body’s ability to self-adapt, self-regulate, and self-heal.

Goal #10 - Service

Life University has always maintained a value of service. ‘To give, do, love and serve out of a sense of abundance’ is the expression of this value and provides a guiding principle for the university. The college of chiropractic attempts to instill this value and attitude in students.

Objectives:

Students will gain understanding of the value of community service by actively participating in the community and outreach activities.