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Chiropractic Assistant/Technician

What Chiropractic Assistant/Technician Majors Need to Know

Studies in Chiropractic Assistant/Technician build 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

This major prepares you for careers needing 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

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

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Chiropractic Assistant/Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.2 / 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
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	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
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Patient management software	Medical software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Visual electro diagnostic software	Medical software	—
Bookkeeping software	Accounting software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Microsoft Exchange	Electronic mail software	—
Business software applications	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates include:

• Pediatric Medical Assistant
• Ophthalmic Assistant
• Medical Office Worker
• Cardiology Medical Assistant
• Podiatric Assistant
• Medical Technician Assistant (Medical Tech Assistant)
• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)
• Urgent Care Medical Assistant
• Physician’s Aide
• Optometric Aide
• Health Assistant
• Client Services Coordinator
• Outpatient Surgery Assistant
• Autopsy Assistant
• Registered Medical Assistant (RMA)

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?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Chiropractic Assistant/Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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?

Strictly by 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	CIP Code
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	51.08
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other	51.0899
Anesthesiologist Assistant	51.0809
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	51.0802
Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)	51.0810
Lactation Consultant	51.0815
Medical/Clinical Assistant	51.0801
Occupational Therapist Assistant	51.0803
Pathology/Pathologist Assistant	51.0811
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	51.0805
Physical Therapy Assistant	51.0806
Radiologist Assistant	51.0814

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.