Palmer College of Chiropractic West
90 East Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
http://www.palmer.edu
Chiropractic, with its “low-tech, high-touch” approach to health, is a natural point of entry to the evolving system of health care. With its emphasis on prevention and patient education, chiropractic, the second-largest licensed health care profession, answers the needs of a citizenry wishing to “take charge” of their own well-being.
Palmer College of Chiropractic West (PCCW) offers an educational experience uniquely designed to prepare its graduates to practice with confidence and competence in the health care paradigm of the new millennium. Palmer West, established in 1980, draws upon it’s 11-year University System relationship with Palmer College of Chiropractic, known as The Fountainhead of chiropractic education. The San Jose-based institution is also known for its cutting edge approach to learning, which, like the Silicon Valley in which the college’s 96,000 square foot, state-of-the-art campus is located, places Palmer West at the forefront of knowledge and innovation.
Palmer West Student Body:
Classmates Today, Colleagues Tomorrow
Palmer West’s more than 400 students hail from various points within the United States, with the largest group originating from California and other western states. Palmer West attracts students from all over the world, an international diversity which accounts for approximately 20 percent of the PCCW student body. Thirty percent of Palmer West’s students are women, 15 percent are married, and the average student age is 26. Entering class sizes vary from quarter to quarter, and the student to teacher ratio is 16:1.
Palmer West Student Services:
Offering a Helping Hand Along the Way
From the point at which you make your initial contact with the college, you’ll find that personal assistance with a special touch is a hallmark quality of the collective Palmer West community; faculty, staff and students. The special services available to all PCCW students include: free peer tutoring, the Mentor program and debt management counseling. Commitment to service doesn’t end with the student experience. The college also publishes a monthly professional opportunities for graduates publication, which identifies job openings as well as practices and equipment for sale.
Palmer West Student Experience:
Extracurricular Opportunities Aplenty
Nearly two dozen clubs, ranging in focus from professional, to clinical, to recreational, further enrich the Palmer West student experience. Among the most prominent clubs on campus is PCCW’s student chapter of the ACA Sports Council, with more than 200 members. Through its presentation of preeminent practitioners in the specialty of sports chiropractic as well as a number of on-field learning opportunities, Palmer West’s Sports Council chapter has earned a respected reputation as one of the most active organizations in the field of sports chiropractic. Palmer West also fields an ice hockey team, The Pride, which competes against Stanford, UC-Berkeley, and San Jose State and other members of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.
Clinical Practice Curriculum:
Patient-Focused Learning
Palmer West’s 13-quarter Clinical Practice curriculum, introduced in 1994, was created with one primary objective: to expose soon-to-be graduates to the real-time business environment of practice while continuing the Palmer tradition of excellence in chiropractic technique and philosophy. Also, the focus includes emphasis on chiropractic patient care management and the Doctor of Chiropractic’s role as a primary health care provider. Palmer West recognizes the duties and responsibilities of the Doctor of Chiropractic as a primary health care provider and designs courses and electives to further prepare its graduates for this role.
Faculty:
Advancing the Profession
The Palmer West faculty are committed to providing the ultimate learning experience for their students. Perhaps the greatest example of this thirst for knowledge and commitment to quality instruction in the classroom and clinics is reflected in the degree to which Palmer West faculty continue to advance their own education. Of Palmer West’s 30 full-time faculty with Doctor of Chiropractic degrees, nine are diplomats in chiropractic orthopedics, sports chiropractic and radiology. In addition to their daily roles as instructors, Palmer West faculty are known throughout the profession for their collaborative contributions to the advancement of chiropractic as authors, presenters and researchers. Moreover, many of the faculty have distinguished themselves by serving as journal editors, column editors, and peer reviewers for some of the profession’s leading journals. Palmer West’s efforts in the field of chiropractic research provide learning as well as income-earning opportunities for students to assist principal investigators in collecting data and presenting results.
Technique Program:
An Integrative Approach
Palmer West students initiate the chiropractic procedures portion of their education and begin to perform actual adjustments just nine months into their studies. Students graduate with a minimum of two-and-a-half years’ adjusting experience in a patient management format. Palmer West’s chiropractic procedures program exposes students to both traditional adjusting procedures as well as ancillary techniques and procedures, most of which are offered free of charge as part of the college’s clinical elective program. This approach enables Palmer West graduates to become well-versed in a variety of adjusting procedures and ensures their ability to satisfy the specific needs of individual patients as well as meet the criteria required for examinations administered by the various state licensing boards.
Palmer West System of Clinics:
In Touch With the Community
Palmer West maintains two outpatient clinics. One is based on the PCCW campus at 90 East Tasman Drive, and the other in downtown Santa Clara, near Santa Clara University. The Palmer West clinics, which recorded more than 48,000 patient visits during 2001, provide a dynamic learning environment and facilitate the future doctor’s ability to skillfully diagnose and manage neuro-musculo-skeletal conditions through a diversity of challenging clinical cases. With clinical professors as its cornerstone, the Clinics’ Mentor Model of education ensures that interns observe and interact with experienced Doctors of Chiropractic in the care and management of all patient cases presented in the PCCW clinics. This team approach further strengthens the student’s clinical and critical thinking skills, thus providing an optimal learning experience for the intern and an effective avenue for patients to achieve an optimal level of health and wellness.
Since opening its first outreach facility in 1992, Palmer West has contributed an annual average of $100,000 in complimentary care to thousands of homeless and low-income patients as well as residents of substance-abuse recovery centers. Palmer West maintains satellite clinics at facilities operated by the Salvation Army, City Team Ministries and Emergency Housing Consortium. Palmer West’s system of off-campus clinics collectively serve as an example of the college’s philanthropic commitment to the community it serves.
The Fountainhead Trip:
Reinforcing What It Means To Be a PALMER Chiropractor
Palmer West’s Fountainhead Trip provides students with a unique understanding for the roots of their chosen profession and reinforces their sense of what it means to be a PALMER chiropractor. Once a year, upper-quarter students venture to Palmer College in Iowa, the founding college of the profession, for the ultimate Fountainhead experience: Palmer Chiropractic Homecoming. During their three-day visit, students are treated to an enlightening, inspiring and entertaining program that features dynamic speakers, guided tours and glances into the roots and distinguished heritage of the chiropractic profession. Since the Fountainhead Trip is part of the PCCW curriculum, the college arranges and funds air travel, housing accommodations and transportation.
Practice Development Quarter:
Easing the Transition From Student to Successful Doctor
Another unique feature of the Palmer West program is the college’s Practice Development Quarter (PDQ). Palmer West’s PDQ program, presented during the 13th and final quarter of the PCCW curriculum, is designed to ease the transition from student to doctor, thus facilitating the graduate’s ability to achieve a level of immediate success in practice. Weekly seminars focusing on issues integral to establishing a successful practice are presented by guest lecturers who are nationally recognized specialists in their respective areas of expertise.
The field training component of the PDQ program provides practical real world experience in the office of a practicing doctor. Currently, more than 500 doctors throughout the United States and Canada are enrolled in the program. During their eight week assignment, students are exposed to all aspects of managing a successful practice, from front desk operations and billing procedures to advanced aspects of patient care such as worker’s compensation/personal injury cases and rehab training.
Discover the Palmer West Difference!
For further details on pursuing your career in chiropractic as a Palmer West doctor, please request information.
For additional information, visit www.palmer.edu or contact the college directly to schedule a visit.
Palmer College of Chiropractic West
90 East Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
Phone: (408) 944-6000
Toll Free (866) 303-7939
Fax: (408) 944-6032
E-mail: pccw_admiss@palmer.edu
Web site: www.palmer.edu