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Chiropractor

Healthcare

Assess, treat, and care for patients by manipulation of spine and musculoskeletal system. May provide spinal adjustment or address sacral or pelvic misalignment.

Allied HealthScience

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workA physiotherapy or exercise gym

  • Mostly indoors
  • On your feet for most of the day
  • Dealing with customers or the public
  • Regular working hours

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

Unlike in the US, where chiropractors are licensed as doctors of chiropractic, in Malaysia chiropractic is regulated as a traditional and complementary medicine practice under the Ministry of Health. It is a small profession working almost entirely in private clinics in cities; government hospitals do not generally offer chiropractic.

How people get into it here
SPM → Foundation in Science → Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Chiropractic at IMU University (the only Malaysian programme on the T&CM Council's list) or a recognised overseas degree (Australia, Canada, US, Europe) → register with the T&CM Council before practising.

Sources:hq.moh.gov.mymy.jobstreet.com

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Dentist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationDoctoral degree

Quick answers

How do you become a Chiropractor in Malaysia?

SPM → Foundation in Science → Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Chiropractic at IMU University (the only Malaysian programme on the T&CM Council's list) or a recognised overseas degree (Australia, Canada, US, Europe) → register with the T&CM Council before practising. Registration with Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) Council, MOH — chiropractic is a recognised practice area under the T&CM Act 2016 (Act 775); registration and a valid practising certificate are mandatory is required to practise.

What should I study to become a Chiropractor?

Related fields of study: Allied Health and Science. SPM subjects that help most: Biology, Chemistry, English and Additional Science.

How much does a Chiropractor earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Chiropractor pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Evaluate the functioning of the neuromuscularskeletal system and the spine using systems of chiropractic diagnosis.
  2. 2Perform a series of manual adjustments to the spine or other articulations of the body to correct the musculoskeletal system.
  3. 3Diagnose health problems by reviewing patients' health and medical histories, questioning, observing, and examining patients and interpreting x-rays.
  4. 4Obtain and record patients' medical histories.
  5. 5Maintain accurate case histories of patients.
  6. 6Advise patients about recommended courses of treatment.
  7. 7Analyze x-rays to locate the sources of patients' difficulties and to rule out fractures or diseases as sources of problems.
  8. 8Counsel patients about nutrition, exercise, sleeping habits, stress management, or other matters.
  9. 9Consult with or refer patients to appropriate health practitioners when necessary.
  10. 10Recommend and arrange for diagnostic procedures, such as blood chemistry tests, saliva tests, x-rays, or other imaging procedures.
  11. 11Suggest and apply the use of supports such as straps, tapes, bandages, or braces if necessary.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • DC
  • Chiropractor
  • Chiropractors
  • Chiropractic Physician
  • Chiropractic Doctor (DC)
  • Chiropractic Neurologist

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry87%

    BiologyChemistry

  • English Language82%

    English

  • Customer and Personal Service81%
  • Biology79%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Psychology76%
  • Administration and Management75%

    BusinessEconomics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never
  • Time spent sittingA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Provide guidance to patients on exercises they can perform to improve mobility.
  • Take x-rays.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

9%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.24%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job, and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 28 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

14 of 28 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM800 – RM2,000

17 of 28 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.

Minimum CGPA asked

3.00 to 3.00

Stated in 2 adverts. Others did not state one.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Chiropractors

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org