August 2003

New York to require CEs

New York joins the list of 47 other states that require doctors of chiropractic to formally continue their education.

In June the New York state Senate and Assembly passed legislation that adds chiropractic to the list of professionals in New York, including dentists, podiatrists, pharmacists, attorneys, accountants, respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, speech, language, audiology pathologists, and others who must to acquire continuing education credit as a condition for licensure reregistration.

The legislation requires that each chiropractor licensed in New York, excepting those not engaged in chiropractic practice, to complete 36 hours of acceptable formal continuing education credit per triennium. Twelve of the 36 hours required may include self-instructional course work as approved by the education department in consultation with the State Board for Chiropractic. Chiropractors must certify at each triennial registration that they have met the requirements of the law; must maintain adequate documentation of acceptable formal CE to support such certification and be able to provide such documentation to the department upon request.

Doctors of chiropractic may obtain all 36 of their of approved CE credit all in one year within any triennial period or they can spread them out over the triennial period. Credits for one triennial period, however, may not be carried over, credited or transferred to any subsequent triennium.

The legislation contains a provision that insures that the legislation cannot be used by the education department as a way to require or implement continuing competency testing or continued competency certification for chiropractors.

NYSCA Executive Director, Karl C. Kranz, DC, Esq. Noted, “While CE programs are not the perfect solution to the continuing competency problem, they are the next best thing that has been universally accepted around the nation. The passage of CE legislation in recent years is partly an effort to staunch any effort on the part of the education department to require continuing competency testing as opposed to continuing education as a requirement for reregistration and relicensure.”

Source: New York State Chiropractic Association

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