Chiropractic students' perceived preparedness in diagnosing and managing headache disorders at a selected university.

OBJECTIVE

To explore and describe master's chiropractic students' self-perceived preparedness in diagnosing and managing headache disorders.

METHODS

A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used. Thirteen master's chiropractic students participated in semistructured interviews guided by an interview protocol. Interviews were thematically analyzed using Tesch's 8-step approach.

RESULTS

Participants reported and expressed limited preparedness and low initial confidence in diagnosing and managing headache disorders. Educational and environmental challenges were identified as key roles in this result whilst clinical exposure positively influenced students' perceptions of their preparedness.

CONCLUSION

The exploration of students' self-perceived preparedness in diagnosing and managing headache disorders identified multiple contributing factors. Educational and environmental challenges were associated with feelings of limited preparedness. However, increased clinical exposure enhanced both confidence and perceived competence.