Chiropractor Ken Frederick Explains The Intensive Chirpractic Board Exams To Become A Chiropractor
Video Transcript
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Chiropractors.Media
All right, so I have a question. In my research before this interview, something came up, and I’d like you to explain that, about the National Chiropractic exams, you know, the board that gives exams for chiropractors to get their certification, you know, not just their license, but let’s say their certification education, meaning that they’ve met this standard. Tell me a little bit about that.
Ken Frederick – Chiropractor – Port Orchard, Washington
The National Board exams, they are brutal. They are designed to keep out the weak and maintain the strong. These 4 exams, each exam is 2 eight-hour days. The first three weekends are written exams. And let me tell you, they are impossible to cheat. If you’re sitting to my left, what is question number one on your sheet is probably question number 122 on mine. So, it’s impossible. You are going to pass or fail on your own.
As I said, the first three exams are all written. The 4th exam is what we call practical. We are taken through our cases with paid actors who are patients. I should say, patients that are actually paid actors. And there is a licensed chiropractor in the room with you. And you are given up to 20 different tasks. You have 5 minutes to complete each one. You have a barcode with you. The patient who is a paid actor knows exactly what to say and what not to say. And you are graded with that encounter.
The second day of the 4th exam is all x-ray. Again, they want you to be sure that you remember what you were taught. And you will go to station number one where they have an x-ray displayed and they will say, what condition do you see? And you’ve got to run through 20 different x-rays and you only get 5 minutes per station and you had better pass.
So, it’s not a question of guys who cheat their asses off to pass an exam, because that does happen in probably colleges and universities all over the world. But the purpose of these four national board exams is to get the cream of the crop. You know, they want the best examples of chiropractic education out taking care of the general population.
And so, I have nothing but pride when I say that the school I went to, which is called Life University, at the time when I graduated, it was Life College. It’s in Georgia. I really want to say that they prepared me incredibly well to be able to pass these four national board exams. I did have a state exam to pass, and here I am 25 years later.