Whole report - Anglo-European College of Chiropractic

Number
Figure 1
50
40
30
20
10
0
Spotlight on Paediatrics
Joyce Miller BS, DC, DACBO, FCC
Senior Clinical Tutor
The Paediatrics Programme at AECC has a new look with the addition of a
Master’s degree. Accredited by Portsmouth University and coordinated by
Joyce Miller as well as featuring numerous acclaimed guest lecturers (see
panel), this three-year part-time programme leads Master’s students to gain
expertise in diagnostic and therapeutic skills to create comfort and satisfaction
in treating the enigmatic problems of the paediatric patient. Upon successful
completion, the Master’s students will lead the profession in qualifications and
expertise to provide optimal care to the smallest members of the family.
Chiropractors pride themselves on the ability to fully
understand the anatomy and biomechanics of the
spine and extremities of the human body in order to
successfully diagnose and manipulate for a healing
outcome. Most undergraduate programmes are
limited in the amount of tuition devoted to the special
health issues of the paediatric population. It is well
documented that children are not merely small adults
and that specialized study is required to create
expertise in this unique arena.
More and more, parents are turning to conservative
therapies for their children, and the profession must
adequately prepare its practitioners to meet the
needs of this patient population. Consistent with
parental demand, there is also a growing demand
from health care workers. According to the AECC electronic data collection system, health care workers refer
44% of paediatric patients less than two months of age. Infants less than six months of age represent the
largest group of paediatric patients presenting to AECC (See Figure 1).
8
Distribution of Patients Under 6 Months of Age
(n=347)
47
40 41
30 30 29
15
18 18
10 10
5 1 2
20
2 2 0
10
3 1 1 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Age (weeks)
Feature Reports
10
Paediatric Postgraduate Faculty
Joyce Miller, Lead Tutor
Bob Phillips, Paediatrician
Steve Williams, Chiropractor
Jan Krier, Extremity Specialist
Sandra Thorkeldsen, Extremity Specialist
Jane Cook, Radiologist
Michelle Wessely, Radiologist
Carol Phillips, Author and Lecturer
Ardrey El Dars, Neurologist
Sally Goddard Blythe, Paediatric Specialist
Tammy Rubinstein, Orthopaedic Chiropractor
Steve Marini, Immunologist, Chiropractor
Fiona Barlow, Social Scientist
Paediatrics at AECC is taught in a
graduated step-wise fashion. At the base
is a 26 hour required undergraduate
course just before the students enter their
clinical training. The course is designed
to teach the student the necessary skills
to enable him/her to conduct a
meaningful history and examination of
various age groups (between 1 day and
16 years of age) and to assess their
growth and development. It is also
expected that upon completion of the
course, the student will be familiar with
common congenital and acquired
disorders of the paediatric patient (with
emphasis on musculoskeletal and
nervous system disorders) as well as the
social, behavioural and emotional
problems, which are common to
children.