Scope of Chiropractic Practice and Prohibited Conduct
Domain 3: Scope of Chiropractic Practice and Prohibited Conduct
This domain tests the boundary between lawful chiropractic care and conduct outside the license. Mississippi law permits chiropractic physicians to diagnose and treat human conditions through adjustment, manipulation, and adjunctive procedures authorized by Board rule. It does not authorize surgery, prescription drugs, or invasive procedures outside that scope.
Core rules
- The chiropractic physician may take histories, perform examinations, order and interpret diagnostic imaging, adjust or manipulate the spine and articulations, and use adjunctive measures permitted by rule.
- When a patient needs care outside chiropractic scope, the physician must refer or co-manage rather than attempt the excluded treatment.
- Prohibited conduct includes practicing outside scope, falsifying records, billing fraud, fee splitting, impairment, sexual misconduct, patient abandonment, and aiding unlicensed practice.
- 'Chiropractic physician' is a statutory title; it does not confer medical prescribing or surgical privileges.
Worked example
A patient asks the chiropractor to prescribe an antibiotic for a suspected sinus infection. The chiropractor may evaluate neuromusculoskeletal complaints but may not prescribe the drug. The correct response is to explain the scope limit and refer the patient to an appropriate medical provider. Writing a prescription would be prohibited conduct even if the patient consents.
Traps
Do not confuse 'physician' with unlimited medical authority. Do not assume a patient waiver makes an out-of-scope act lawful. Do not overlook referral duties when symptoms suggest medical urgency.