Kansas Chiropractic Practice Act: Definitions, Scope, and Licensure
The Kansas Chiropractic Practice Act (K.S.A. 65-2870 et seq.) supplies the exam's definitions of chiropractic, the lawful scope of practice, and the licensure pathway. Questions test the boundary between chiropractic care and the broader Healing Arts Act.
Core rules
- Chiropractic is a limited health profession centered on locating and adjusting vertebral subluxations and using procedures preparatory to adjustment. Kansas chiropractors take histories, examine patients, and use appropriate imaging or laboratory studies, but they do not perform surgery or prescribe legend drugs.
- A person must hold a Kansas chiropractic license issued by the Board of Healing Arts before practicing chiropractic or using a title that implies licensure.
- Licensure requires graduation from an accredited chiropractic college, required examinations, a completed application, fee, criminal-history review, and compliance with Board requirements. Endorsement pathways may recognize equivalent out-of-state licensure.
- The license is personal. Unlicensed staff may assist, but may not adjust or make chiropractic diagnoses.
Worked example
A patient reports neck pain and headache after trauma. The DC takes a history, performs neurologic and orthopedic tests, and orders imaging. The DC adjusts the cervical spine but refers urgently when findings suggest a non-musculoskeletal cause. This is within scope: assessment, conservative chiropractic treatment, and referral are chiropractic. Prescribing an antibiotic for suspected infection would not be.
Traps
Do not assume chiropractic includes all musculoskeletal treatment or independent primary-care prescribing. Do not let an assistant perform adjustments. Do not practice while a license is lapsed, and do not ignore red flags that require referral.