Sports Medicine Emphasis for Chiropractic

Sports Medicine Selective Series (Optional)

The SCU DC Program requires completion of 22 credits of selectives courses for graduation requirements. Students can choose how they “spend” those credits. Students may choose to complete one or more Selective Series as part of the required 22 credits of selective courses based upon their interests and career goals.

There is no additional tuition cost unless a DC Program student were to exceed the number of credits covered by full-time tuition. Full-time tuition covers up to 28.5 credits per term. At 29 credits or more, students will begin to incur additional tuition costs.

Selective Courses for Customized Education

Selective courses provide students the opportunity to focus on a specific area of interest, to explore multiple areas of interest, or to determine whether to pursue a certification or diplomate program following graduation.

The Sports Medicine Selective Series is a subset of the Sports Medicine Emphasis, so completion of the Series will contribute to completion of the Emphasis.

Course availability and schedule vary by term. Students are not required to apply for or declare their intention to pursue Selective Series. Students who successfully complete a Selective Series must indicate so on their Petition to Graduate in order to receive a Certificate of Completion.

Students interested in receiving a Sports Medicine Series Certificate of Completion must complete the Required thread, which is a subset of the Sports Medicine Emphasis.  The Required thread consists of the following five courses, which are 1 credit, each:

  • SMS 901: Concussion Diagnosis and Management – This course is designed to provide an introduction to sport concussions. Included are neurophysiology, anatomy, causes of concussions and discussion of the most recent International Consensus Statement on Concussion in sport. Other topics include Second Impact Syndrome, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Post-Concussion Syndrome. Introduction to the SCAT-5 and King Devick as well as rehabilitation, return-to-play protocols and other management strategies for concussed patients.
  • SMS 902: Critical Thinking – The purpose of this course is to provide the student with an overview of critical thinking concepts and skills that will be used in sports medicine and professional contexts. Common “thinking traps” applicable to sports medicine research, the practice of health care, and other applications will be discussed along with evidence-based countermeasures designed to increase accuracy, enhance patient satisfaction, and further improve outcomes.
  • SMS 903: Cardiovascular Pathology and Examination – This course will address the importance of precision in the cardiac exam, auscultation, cardiac cycle, murmur evaluation, aortic valve pathology, mitral valve pathology, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, sudden cardiac death, Marfan’s syndrome.
  • SMS 904: Neurologic Exam/Bioethics – This course provides an in-depth look at how to perform a comprehensive neurological assessment. Specific course content includes physiology of pathological reflexes, cranial nerves, deep tendon reflexes, dermatomes and manual muscle testing. Additionally, interpretation of exam findings and correlation to a diagnosis will be discussed.
  • SMS 905: Imaging in Sports Medicine – Imaging in the tactical environment may involve multiple forms of imaging. The student will learn the basics of MRI, CT, MSK US and x-ray and the indications for ordering each form of imaging. Case studies will be included to illustrate the collaboration.

Visit the SCU Academic Catalog to view the full list of selective courses available. Selectives are those with SEL and SMS prefix course numbers, though there are exceptions.