What does a chiropractor assistant do?
A chiropractic assistant is an employee who works directly under a senior chiropractor by providing administrative support and clinical assistance. Chiropractic assistants maintain order in the clinic's waiting room by greeting their patients and checking them in for appointments. They are often specially trained to assist patients with x-rays and take their vital signs. Since chiropractic assistants usually deal with patients, they must able to communicate well and have the ability to stay calm under pressure.
Chiropractor assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real chiropractor assistant resumes:
- Manage front of office staff; including scheduling, payroll, inventory and proper implementation of office compliance manual.
- Provide customer service to patients by scheduling appointments and acting as a liaison on insurance coverage availability.
- Handle administrative office duties essentially answering phones, scheduling appointments, registering new patients and maintaining insurance benefits.
- Communicate with insurance companies, pain clinics, orthopedic groups, MRI facilities, and surgeons.
- Process and submit payroll timely and accurately.
- Perform physiotherapy and therapeutic ultrasound, as needed.
- Maintain patient records according to HIPPA guidelines for require medical documentation.
- Oversee exercises and therapeutic procedures such as electrical stimulation, ultrasound and mechanical traction.
- Enter information in computer assuring all HIPAA regulations for privacy and security are maintained.
- Provide diagnostic testing including nerve conduction velocity testing, vascular exams, and diagnostic ultrasound.
- Administer ultrasound, electric stimulation, decompression, rehabilitation, hydrotherapy, laser therapy and traction.
- Maintain up-to-date certification by completing yearly continuing education requirements, as well as current HIPAA laws.
- Develop and administer chiropractic rehabilitation exercise protocols.
- Experience with Medicare, Medicaid and other major insurances.
- Apply appropriate ICD-9, CPT-4 and HCPCS codes and modifiers as appropriate.
Chiropractor assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 39% of Chiropractor Assistants are proficient in Patients, Physical Therapy, and Front Desk. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Empathy, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Chiropractor Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 39%
Handled administrative office duties essentially answering phones, scheduling appointments, registering new patients and maintaining insurance benefits.
- Physical Therapy, 12%
Execute physical therapy-using electrical stimulation-ultrasound-traction-and paraffin bath.
- Front Desk, 5%
Front Desk Operations Customer Service Scheduling Appointments Manage Patient Flow Doctor/patient liaison Therapy Applications as directed by doctors Patient Education
- Scheduling Patient Appointments, 4%
Completed numerous administrative functions, including: Scheduling patient appointments, gathering demographic information, answering phones and managing front-desk employees.
- Patient Care, 4%
Provide medical consultation when performing vital examinations on patients with complex medical conditions while ensuring patient care education and competency.
- Traction, 3%
Assisted in performing x-rays, electronic stimulation, vibration therapy and mechanical traction.
Most chiropractor assistants use their skills in "patients," "physical therapy," and "front desk" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential chiropractor assistant responsibilities here:
Dexterity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a chiropractor assistant to have is dexterity. Their role and responsibilities require that "chiropractors must have good coordination when performing manual adjustments to a patient's spine and other joints." Chiropractor assistants often use dexterity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "explained to patients how to properly use shoe inserts, lifts, and specialized cervical neck pillows. "
Empathy. Many chiropractor assistant duties rely on empathy. "chiropractors often care for people who are in pain," so a chiropractor assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways chiropractor assistant responsibilities rely on empathy: "respond to verbal and non-verbal communication hippa understanding/confidentiality. "
Detail oriented. chiropractor assistant responsibilities often require "detail oriented." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "chiropractors must pay attention when diagnosing and treating patients to avoid mistakes that could harm them." This resume example shows what chiropractor assistants do with detail oriented on a typical day: "keep detailed notes of patient therapy sessions and progress. "
Interpersonal skills. Another common skill required for chiropractor assistant responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." This skill comes up in the duties of chiropractor assistants all the time, as "chiropractors must be personable in order to put patients at ease and expand their practice." An excerpt from a real chiropractor assistant resume shows how this skill is central to what a chiropractor assistant does: "used strong interpersonal communication and technological skills while making appointments, verifying insurance, and updating patient charts. "
The three companies that hire the most chiropractor assistants are:
- 100% Chiropractic24 chiropractor assistants jobs
- Path Medical13 chiropractor assistants jobs
- United Health Centers Of The San Joaquin Valley7 chiropractor assistants jobs
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Compare different chiropractor assistants
Chiropractor assistant vs. Associate doctor
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a chiropractor assistant are more likely to require skills like "physical therapy," "scheduling patient appointments," "vital signs," and "insurance verification." On the other hand, a job as an associate doctor requires skills like "chiropractic," "physical exams," "pain management," and "private practice." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Associate doctors really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $64,154. Comparatively, chiropractor assistants tend to make the most money in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $33,469.The education levels that associate doctors earn slightly differ from chiropractor assistants. In particular, associate doctors are 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a chiropractor assistant. Additionally, they're 59.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chiropractor assistant vs. Chiropractic internship
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that chiropractor assistant responsibilities requires skills like "physical therapy," "scheduling patient appointments," "dr," and "exam rooms." But a chiropractic internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "physical exams," "soft tissue," "ultrasound," and "physical therapy modalities."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Chiropractic interns tend to reach similar levels of education than chiropractor assistants. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 59.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chiropractor assistant vs. Chiropractic doctor
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from chiropractor assistant resumes include skills like "scheduling patient appointments," "vital signs," "insurance verification," and "patient flow," whereas a chiropractic doctor is more likely to list skills in "rehabilitation," "radiology," "family practice," and "medical histories. "
Chiropractic doctors earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $73,241. Chiropractor assistants earn the highest pay from the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $33,469.Most chiropractic doctors achieve a similar degree level compared to chiropractor assistants. For example, they're 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 50.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chiropractor assistant vs. Chiropractic physician
Types of chiropractor assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
