State licensing boards

Partnerships with State Licensing Boards

Regulatory boards in each state establish and oversee the legal requirements that applicants must meet prior to becoming licensed chiropractors. Boards in every U.S. jurisdiction accept or require NBCE examinations as part of their licensing criteria. State boards are therefore a very important constituency of the NBCE.

State board members serve on test committees.

The NBCE relies on the assistance of experts in creating its exams. Selected members of state licensing boards serve on test committees for the Part III (Written Clinical Competency) and Part IV (Practical) Exams. Board members use their expertise to analyze and evaluate the content of these exams.

State board members are voting delegates at NBCE annual meetings.

Every year, state boards send delegates to the NBCE annual meeting. Delegates nominate and vote on members to represent their districts on the NBCE Board of Directors. Delegates also vote on any changes to NBCE bylaws.

State board members serve as examiners.

The NBCE invites each state board to nominate two members to serve as examiners at every Part IV administration. Examiners provide objective evaluations of the skills demonstrated by examinees.

State board members can require NBCE exams in special circumstances.

State boards can require licensure candidates to take the Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC) and/or the Ethics and Boundaries Assessment Services (EBAS) exam.

  • Licensing boards can use SPEC to re-assess clinical competency and licensing eligibility in special cases.
  • EBAS requires that examinees demonstrate acceptable level of understanding and judgments pertaining to appropriate relationships and interactions.
  • Circumstances to use these exams include:
    • Disciplinary action
  • Assessment of clinical competency (SPEC)
  • Knowledge of ethics and boundaries issues (E&B)
    • Suspension, revocation or licensure lapse
  • SPEC and/or E&B depending on requirements
    • State-to-state reciprocity/endorsement
  • SPEC and/or E&B depending on requirements

State authorization form – SPEC

ENSURING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY

through excellence in testing