The scientific congress organized by the Ordre des Chiropratciciens du Quebec (OCQ) last September, eloquently showed how well the chiropractic profession is doing in Quebec. The convention highlighted 15 years of legal recognition for the profession in Quebec.
Under the theme "From Knowledge Springs Acknowledgement," the colorful event was the largest assembly of the profession in Canada since its origins at the turn of the century.
The OCQ, which is the Quebec equivalent of a chiropractic licensing board, invited the 450 chiropractors reunited at the Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres (UQTR) to share in the dynamics and knowledge of eminent scientists from Europe, the U.S., and Canada. It was the ultimate occasion to clearly demonstrate that chiropractic, having made considerable progress, now generates interest throughout the world scientific community. The event was an opportunity to reflect on the direction and necessities of the profession.
The academic milieu has come to recognize the quality of chiropractic training and is now laying the foundations of Quebec's first complete chiropractic training program. In conjunction with the Universite du Quebec, the OCQ has set its sights on UQTR, the site of the convention. Thus, this university could soon offer the world's first French language chiropractic courses.
This would guarantee greater access to the profession, as well as untold benefits for Quebec society, which is increasingly turning towards alternative health cares.
Modeling its course outline on those offered by the best colleges in the world, the program would fit into the university's undergraduate studies renowned in health sciences, biology, and physical education. A university faculty could then grant doctorates in chiropractic, a first for the profession. Naturally, such a program would also generate research, advanced training, and inter-professional cooperation.
Pursuing a similar theme, the speeches delivered at the congress manifestly expressed the benefits of interdisciplinary cooperation. Speaking were guest specialists: Drs. Alan Adams, nutrition; Andre J. Cardin, radiology; John D. Cassidy, orthopedics; Chung Ha Suh, biomechanics; John H. Coote, neurology and physiology; Jan Jirout, physiology; Desmond Johnson, genetics; Toffy Kobrossi, thermography; as well as research centre directors Dr. Joseph Flesia, Jr., Dr. Reed B. Phillips, and Dr. Steve Wolk.
Chiropractors are members of a strong, standardized, international community that holds endless opportunities for professional exchange and communication. The profession will soon be universally recognized.
By 1995, a generation of chiropractors trained in French will be able to proudly embrace a century of chiropractic.
