Continuing Education Requirements for Doctors
General Requirements for the 2023–2025 Licensing Cycle
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Total Hours Needed: 30 CE (Continuing Education) hours.
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Deadline: Between November 1, 2023, and October 31, 2025.
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Specific Requirements:
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4 hours must focus on documentation and recordkeeping.
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CPR Certification: You must have a valid Healthcare Provider-level CPR certification.
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Lecture part: Can be completed online or in-person.
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Skills test: Must be done in-person.
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Distance Learning Options:
Courses like online programs, CDs, DVDs, or audio/video tapes are acceptable, but you must pass a proficiency test to get credit.
New Licensees (Licensed after November 1, 2023)
You still need to renew your license on November 1, 2025-unless otherwise advised by The Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners
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Licensed 12 months or less:
→ No CE required for the first renewal. -
Licensed more than 12 months:
→ Only 15 CE hours required (no documentation CE required for these 15 hours).
Animal Chiropractic Requirements
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Total CE Hours: 20 hours focused on animal chiropractic care. All continuing education courses must be in the fields of study listed in subsections (4) and (5) of 12-215-127 of the practice act.
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Special Requirement: Must include 2 hours on contagious and infectious animal diseases (e.g., rabies, West Nile virus, equine herpesvirus, etc.).
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Note: These hours are in addition to the 30 CE hours required for human chiropractic care.
➡️ Register for the Required Animal Disease Course Here
📜 Key Rules & Additional Details
Continuing Education Rules (Based on Colorado Board Regulations)
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Inactive Licensees: No CE needed until you reactivate your license.
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Purpose of CE: Must enhance professional competence. Focus on clinical, scientific, or chiropractic subjects.
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CPR Certification: Can count toward your 30 CE hours if the skills test is completed in person.
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Acceptable Formats: Online courses, video/audio tapes, university courses.
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College credit conversions:
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1 semester hour = 15 CE hours
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1 quarter hour = 8.5 CE hours
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No Carryover:
Extra CE hours beyond the 30 required cannot be applied to the next renewal period. -
Course Types Not Accepted:
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Practice building (marketing, office management).
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Topics outside the chiropractic scope of practice.
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Recordkeeping:
Keep the following records for 4 years:-
Date of the course
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Certificate of attendance (with hours)
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Course summary
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Speaker(s) CV(s)
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Random Audits:
You may be selected for a random audit. Always maintain your records. -
Dire Emergencies:
If an emergency prevents you from meeting CE requirements, you can request an exemption with the Board’s approval.
Here you will find information on the Practice Act as well as Rules & Regulations overseen by the Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners (CBCE).
Educational Rules:
From Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners Rules and Regulations – Rule 1.10 – Updated January 2, 2024
Rule 1.10 Continuing Education
This Rule is promulgated pursuant to sections 12-20-204, 12-215-105(1)(a), and 12-215-113, C.R.S. The purpose of this Rule is to establish the continuing education requirements for a chiropractor as required in sections 12-215-113 and 127, C.R.S.
A. Every chiropractor with an active license shall complete a minimum educational requirement of thirty hours of scientific clinics, forums, or chiropractic educational study consisting of subjects basic to the field of the healing arts as set forth in section 12-215-106, C.R.S., every renewal period, which is currently two years.
B. Every chiropractor who is registered to perform animal chiropractic shall complete twenty hours of CE per renewal period that is specific to diagnosis and treatment of animals authorized by statute. All CE courses shall be in the fields of study listed in sections 12-215-127(4) and (5), C.R.S. This requirement is in addition to the CE requirement of Section (A) of this Rule.
C. Inactive licensees need not complete CE requirements. Upon reactivation of a chiropractic license, CE requirements must be met as outlined in Rule 1.4.
D. Continuing education must have as its primary objective the increase of professional competence of licensed chiropractors, and include scientific clinics, forums, or chiropractic educational study consisting of subjects basic to the field of the healing arts. A licensee is responsible for ensuring that CE courses comply with the requirements and section 12-215-113, C.R.S. The Board does not pre-approve CE courses, curriculum or programs.
E. The number of credit hours may be determined by counting the credit hours of instruction and rounding to the nearest quarter hour, except as otherwise indicated below for college/university courses. The CE conversion table for college/university courses which meet the CE requirements in this Rule is as follows:
1 semester hour = 15 CE credit hours
1 quarter hour = 8.5 CE credit hours
F. Program sponsors shall present continuing chiropractic education that constitutes a meritorious learning experience and complies with section 12-215-113, C.R.S. If a sponsor falsified information regarding the course, the Board may require the sponsor’s future courses be preapproved.
G. Any excess CE hours above the minimum educational requirement in any applicable renewal period may not be ‘carried over’ in order to meet the minimum educational requirements in any succeeding renewal period. A licensee shall only count CE hours completed for the renewal period.
H. Each actively licensed Colorado chiropractor is required to maintain ‘Health Provider Level Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation’ (CPR), as provided by the American Heart Association or substantially similar nationally or internationally recognized organization. All active licensees must maintain proof of current and valid CPR certification. The hours necessary to maintain this CPR certification may be used towards the CE hours required by this Rule. The lecture component may be taken on-line or attended at a live class. The skill test component must be in-person and at a live class.
I. If a licensee has been licensed for a period of twelve months or less before the first license renewal period, the licensee is not required to submit CE for license renewal. If a licensee has been licensed for longer than twelve months before the first license renewal period, the licensee is required to submit fifteen of the CE credit hours; recordkeeping and documentation CEs are not required to be part of this fifteen hours.
J. Courses in the promotion of practice building or office management do not satisfy the requirements of this Rule. Courses in practices which are outside the chiropractic scope of practice do not satisfy the requirements of this Rule. At least four of the thirty required hours per renewal period shall be in recordkeeping and documentation.
K. CE hours may include, but are not limited to, internet education programs, CDs, DVDs, video and audio tapes. To obtain CE credit for distance learning, successful completion of a proficiency testing component is required.
L. Licensees must maintain in their own files the following information: (1) the dates of the CE program; (2) the certificate of attendance, including the hours in attendance; (3) a synopsis of the course content; and (4) the identity of the course sponsor. These records must be kept for a period of four years.
M. The Board may conduct a random compliance audit of renewal applicants to verify CE course content and number of hours completed. Licensees must comply with the audit process requested by the Board. If a licensee does not comply, disciplinary action for failure to comply with section 12-215-115(1)(f), C.R.S., may be considered by the Board.
N. If any licensed chiropractor is unable to comply with this section on account of dire emergency and for good cause shown, the Board may waive the provisions of section 12-215-113, C.R.S. A licensee requesting waiver must send a written petition to the Board before the end of the licensing period, outlining the reasons for the request. The licensee will be notified of the Board’s decision in writing.
Educational Policies:
Animal Chiropractic Education
Policy 20-5 ONE-TIME EDUCATION FOR ANIMAL CHIROPRACTORS PURPOSE: To delineate the process for approving courses that will satisfy the one-time education required by section 12-33-127(4.5), C.R.S. POLICY: 1) The State Board of Chiropractic Examiners hereby approves the following to offer 8-hour courses on contagious, infectious, and zoonotic diseases, which courses were approved for use in 2019 by the Colorado State Veterinarian: a) Animal Chiropractic Education Source (in-person and online course presentations are approved) b) Colorado Chiropractic Association (in-person and online course presentations are approved) 2) The State Board of Chiropractic Examiners hereby approves the following to offer 1-hour jurisprudence courses, which courses were approved for use in 2019 by the Colorado State Veterinarian: a) Animal Chiropractic Education Source (in-person and online course presentations are approved) b) Colorado Chiropractic Association (in-person and online course presentations are approved) Adopted July 26, 2018; Revised September 20, 2018; Revised January 24, 2019
Colorado Revised Statutes 2020 , TITLE 12
ARTICLE 215: CHIROPRACTORS
(6) Continuing education
(a) A licensed chiropractor who is registered to perform animal chiropractic shall complete twenty hours of continuing education per licensing period that is specific to the diagnosis and treatment of animals. All continuing education courses must be in the fields of study listed in subsections (4) and (5) of this section.
(b) On and after November 1, 2019, the twenty hours of continuing education required under this subsection (6) must include a two-hour course on contagious, infectious, and zoonotic diseases, including current information about the incidence rates of rabies virus, West Nile virus, equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy, canine brucellosis, plague, and tularemia in Colorado and in other locations that might affect a licensed chiropractor’s animal patients
Acupuncture Training
Purpose: To identify Board-approved providers of acupuncture training as required by Rule 17
Policy: The Colorado Board of Chiropractic Examiners hereby approves the following to provide acupuncture training:
1. Schools and providers approved by the Council on Chiropractic Education (approved May 23, 2019)
2. Schools and providers accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (approved May 23, 2019)