Chiropractic

Continuing Education Sponsor Approval

New York State Education Department Approval as a Sponsor of Chiropractic Continuing Education Programs

This page explains the requirements for becoming an approved sponsor of continuing education for chiropractic in New York State. Once you have read the "Standards" below, please complete the application, Form 1-SB CHIRO (chiro1sb.pdf, 45K, 4 pages), and send it to the address at the end of the application form along with the supporting materials requested. You must also enclose a check made out to the "NYS Education Department" in the amount of $900. Sponsors are approved for a period of three years. Sponsors are required to keep records on the continuing education programs that they offer. The details concerning the record keeping requirements are included in the "Standards" document.

An organization must comply with the applicable requirements of Section 73.5 of the Commissioner's Regulations to obtain State Education Department approval as a sponsor of continuing education for chiropractors. Sponsors are expected to meet or exceed the standards detailed in this document. Approvals are valid for a period of three years and can be renewed.

Should you have questions concerning the requirements, please contact the State Board for Chiropractic.

Standard 1 - Organization

Sponsor is an approved organization.

Section 73.5 (i)(1) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education requires sponsors of continuing education to licensed chiropractors to be a New York State chiropractic professional organization, a national chiropractic professional organization, or a higher education institution.

Standard 2 - Courses

Courses are offered in appropriate subject areas.

Section 73.5 (c)(2) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education require that the formal continuing education shall be in the following areas: professional and clinical skills in accordance with the practice of chiropractic as defined in section 6551 of the Education Law, including but not limited to chiropractic technique, diagnosis, clinical interventions/evidence-based models, neurological testing; philosophy and principles of chiropractic, basic and clinical sciences and other sciences related to chiropractic practice; patient communications, record keeping, and other matters of law and ethics which contribute to professional practice in chiropractic and the health and safety and/or welfare of the public. All course descriptions should indicate how many hours are dedicated to each of these approved subjects. If ten or more hours are required to be completed during a registration period, the licensee shall complete at least one-third of the continuing education hour requirements in patient communications, record keeping, or other matters of law and ethics which contribute to the professional practice in chiropractic and the health, safety, and/or welfare of the public. If nine or fewer hours are required to be completed in a registration period, the licensee shall complete coursework in any of the subjects noted above. All courses must be comparable to subjects taught in professional education programs in chiropractic offered by higher education institutions that are accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education.

In addition, sponsors must:

1. maintain and use written procedures to identify, design, and evaluate prospective courses before offering or sponsoring them; and
2. maintain and use written procedures to evaluate the effectiveness and overall quality of courses. The procedures shall specify how course attendees participate in such evaluation and ways the evaluations are used to update or modify courses. Procedures may include, but need not be limited to, written post-course evaluations by participants. Use of component monitors to attend and assess the quality of courses can be an especially effective evaluation tool.

Standard 3 - Instructors

Course instructors are qualified to teach the courses which will be offered.

Section 73.5 (i)(4)(ii)(b) requires sponsors to provide course instructors who are qualified to teach the courses which will be offered, including but not limited to, faculty of a college of chiropractic accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency; or instructors who are specially qualified authorities on chiropractic, as determined by the department with assistance from the State Board for Chiropractic, to conduct such courses.

Sponsors must assure that instructors meet this standard and must:

1. maintain and use written criteria and procedures to select instructors, including job descriptions, intended to assure that every instructor is qualified by training and/or experience to teach the course/activity; and
2. maintain and use written procedures to evaluate instructors' performance. Both attendees' written evaluations and assessments by course/activity monitors may appropriately be part of the evaluation of instructors' performance.

Standard 4 - Assessment of Learning

Sponsor has a method of assessing the learning of participants.

Section 73.5(i)(4)(ii)(c) requires sponsors to have a method of evaluating the effectiveness of the coursework, and describes such method.

Sponsors must maintain evaluation methods that (1) are appropriate to the course objectives and educational methods, and (2) measure the extent to which the objectives were accomplished. For example, certificates of completion should include a breakdown by continuing education hours of approved subjects covered and participant's name in addition to items noted in #17 of the "Application for Approval as a Continuing education Sponsor for Chiropractic". These methods may include, but need not be limited to, questionnaires and attendees' evaluations. Course monitors may also be effective components of a method of evaluating the effectiveness of the coursework.

Standard 5 - Records

Sponsor will maintain records for at least six years from the date of completion of coursework.

Section 73.5(i)(4)(ii)(d) requires that sponsors maintain records for at least six years from the date of completion of coursework, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, the name and curriculum vitae of the faculty, a record of attendance of licensed chiropractors in the course if a course, a record of participation of licensed chiropractors in the self-instructional coursework if self-instructional coursework, an outline of the course, date and location of the course, and the number of hours for completion of the course. In the event an approved sponsor discontinues operation, the governing body of such sponsor shall notify the department and shall transfer all records as directed by the department.

Sponsors must create and maintain for at least six years the following records for each course:

1. the date and location of the course;
2. the name and curriculum vitae of the instructor(s);
3. the objectives and learning methods of the course;
4. the outline of the presentation, the evaluation methods used, and the number of contact hours of the course;
5. a summary of any evaluation of the course;
6. copies of all promotional materials used in a course;
7. any evaluation of the need for the course; and
8. the list of licensed chiropractors in attendance

Inquiries can be addressed to:

New York State Education Department, State Board for Chiropractic
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234-1000
Phone: 518-474-3817 x190
E-mail: chirobd@mail.nysed.gov