Chiropractors practicing in Florida must be licensed by the state.
Chiropractors diagnose and treat conditions of the musculoskeletal system. The Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine licenses professionals in the state. The candidate for licensure must meet the standards of the board for an initial license. To maintain the license, the board requires candidates to meet continuing educational requirements.
Application for Licensure
Candidates for a chiropractic license in Florida must first apply to the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine. The board will determine if the candidate meets eligibility requirements to sit for the chiropractor examination.
Chiropractic Education
Chiropractors must have a bachelor’s degree and complete a four-year program of chiropractic education to qualify for a license to practice in Florida. Undergraduate coursework must include organic chemistry, biology, psychology, physics and humanities.
Chiropractic education must include classroom studies and clinical experience. Courses and lab work include physiology, anatomy, pathology, biochemistry, microbiology and public health. Students will learn spinal adjustments and manipulation of the spine. Graduates of a chiropractic program have the credential of Doctor of Chiropractic.
Florida requires the candidates for a license to successfully pass the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners Examination. The state of Florida requires candidates to pass all four parts of the national examination plus the supplemental physiotherapy examination.
The first three parts of the examination and the physiotherapy exam are written tests. The first part of the examination covers basic science questions such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, spinal anatomy, microbiology and chemistry. There are 110 multiple-choice questions on the examination and candidates are allowed 90 minutes to complete the test.
Part two of the examination covers diagnosis of neuromusculoskeletal disorders, imaging, the principles of chiropractic and the practice of chiropractic. The examination consists of six sections with 110 questions on each section.
Part three of the examination covers clinical areas such as physical examination, case history, neuromusculoskeletal examination and clinical laboratory studies. The test includes two books with 55 questions for each. The examination also includes 10 case studies with three questions for each.
The physiotherapy examination has 92 questions and two case studies. Each case study has three multiple-choice questions associated with it.
Part four of the examination is a practical examination that will test the candidate’s knowledge and skills in chiropractic techniques, x-ray diagnosis and effective case management techniques.
Background Check
Florida requires candidates for a license to submit fingerprints for a background check. Candidates submit fingerprints when applying to take the national examination.
Renewal
Chiropractors must renew the Florida license every two years. The licensee is required to complete 40 hours of continuing education to qualify for renewal. The state of Florida specifies that licensees complete two hours of coursework in medical error prevention, three hours in risk management including two hours on Florida specific laws, six hours on coursework in record keeping and two hours on ethics coursework.
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