About The DCA and chiropractic in Denmark
The Danish Chiropractors’ Association (DCA) is a professional association organizing chiropractors and chiropractic students. DCA seeks to ensure that chiropractic is practised under well-organized and regulated conditions.
The Danish Chiropractors’ Association (DCA) was established in 1925 and is the representative body ensuring chiropractors in and around the Danish healtcare system.
Today the association represents more than 1000 members either working as chiropractors or studying Clinical Biomechanics to become chiropractors.
Since 2021 the chairman of the board of the DCA has been Michael Christensen.
The aims of the DCA
The bylaws of the DCA state that the aims of the association are as follows:
• To unite chiropractors in representing and protecting the professional, financial and social interests of the chiropractic profession.
• To promote interest in chiropractics and enhance the awareness and significance of the chiropractic education and research.
• To ensure that members maintain and train their professional skills.
• To negotiate wages and working conditions as well as agreements with public authorities, private companies and organizations. Concerning wages and working conditions for employed chiropractors in chiropractic clinics the association prepares recommended standard contracts.
• To establish guidelines for chiropractic business.
• To determine wages and working conditions for graduates in internships.
• To co-operate with other organizations and associations on issues of mutual interest.
The DCA is a member of European Chiropractors' Union and World Federation of Chiropractic.
Chiropractic in Denmark
Chiropractors in Denmark practice in private clinics and in hospitals - primarily at hospital centres for patients with back problems. There are about 700 practicing chiropractors in about 270 chiropractic clinics and approximately 20 chiropractors employed in hospitals.
Competences
In Denmark chiropractors have the right to diagnose patients independently and no medical referral is required as a condition of treatment or as a condition for grants from the national health service. Through their training chiropractors achieve competences within the medical imaging field, and all practising chiropractors have access to X-ray facilities. The national health service subsidizes chiropractic treatments.
Authorization
The Danish Health Care System distinguishes between authorization and permission to work independently.
Authorization gives right to work as a chiropractor in Denmark, but only under supervision from a chiropractor. Permission to Practice Independently gives right to practice individually, run a chiropractic clinic and to train and supervise other chiropractors, and is given to chiropractors after one year of internship in a Danish clinic.
In Denmark chiropractors are granted authorization from the Danish Patient Safety Authority after completing the five-year Master’s Degree in clinical biomechanics at University of Southern Denmark. License to practice independently is issued by the Danish Patient Safety Authority after an additional one-year practical training (internship or GPE).
Chiropractors educated outside Denmark (including chiropractors from Nordic countries and the EU/EEA countries) must hold Danish authorisation to be able to practice in Denmark and the Faroe Islands.
As a result of international agreements, different rules govern the recognition of qualifications obtained abroad, depending on the applicant's nationality, and where the education took place. Read more at the website of the Danish Patient Safety Authority
Master of Clinical Biomechanics
The chiropractic study programme takes place at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, and is called Clinical Biomechanics.
The students' organization is called Foreningen af Nordiske Kiropraktorstuderende (FNKS). The FNKS runs an International Comitee participating actively in the World Congress of Chiropractic Students every year - read more about FNKS
Chiropractic students working at the Ilab at University of Southern Denmark.
Research, Society of Chiropractors, The Chiropractic Knowledge Hub and ECCRE
The DCA is highly engaged in the promotion and development of chiropractics, research and education, and the DCA cooperates closely with The Chiropractic Knowledge Hub (formely NIKKB), The University of Southern Denmark, The Spine Center South and The Danish Society of Chiropractics (DSK).
Together withe the Danish Regions the DCA runs the Foundation for Advancement of Chiropractic Research and Postgraduate Education, which every chiropractic clinic serving the national health care system (close to 90%) contribute to.
The Chiropractic Knowledge Hub (formerly NIKKB) is a research institute and center of scientific information and post-graduate education facilitator.
In close co-operation with the University of Southern Denmark and Spine Center South at Lillebælt Hospital The Chiropractic Knowledge Hub produces and disseminates contemporary health care research at a high international level pertaining to the chiropractic profession and clinical biomechanics.
The Chiropractic Knowledge Hub was established in 1990 and is financed by the Foundation for Advancement of Chiropractic Research and Postgraduate Education.
In 2016 the European Centre for Chiropractic Research Excellence (ECCRE) was established through a co-operation between the European Chiropractors' Union (ECU), the Danish Chiropractic Association (DCA) and The Chiropractic Knowledge Hub: www.eccre.org
Once a year - usually in Janurary - ECCRE invites researchers from the ECU member countries to apply for grants for musculoskeletal research. Find grant application forms at the ECCRE website.
Video: How and why does Canada and Denmark shares an EPIC vision for chiropractic
More than 30 chiropractors have achieved a PhD, and 5 chiropractors are about to complete their PhD. At the University of Southern Denmark four chiropractors are employed as professors.
The Danish Society of Chiropractics (DSK) is the chiropractors’ professional society working for the promotion of chiropractic education, development and science.
Website for patients, social media and magazine
DCA organizes information about the services of chiropractors and the chiropractic clinics on: Kiropraktoren.dk
Kiropraktorguide is also on Facebook: Facebook.com/Kiropraktoren
Get social with the DCA:
Four times a year, the DCA publishes a printed magazine: Fagbladet KIROPRAKTOREN.
Jobs and events
Check out our marketplace where members can advertise for job openings etc - and if you want to stay updated on upcoming events, check out our event calender.
/jan 2022
