Continuing education and license renewal
Renewal questions are administrative but high-yield: late CE, wrong categories, and lapsed status cause independent violations even if care is good.
Core rules
- Licenses renew annually on the Board's deadline; under the current chiropractic rule that is March 1. A late renewal may require a fee and proof of CE; practicing after expiration is unlicensed practice.
- Montana's Board rule sets a 24-hour annual CE requirement, with required categories including ethics and clinical chiropractic. Carryover, self-study, and online limits are controlled by rule.
- Keep certificates for the audit period; attest accurately. CE must be Board-approved or fall within accepted categories.
- Inactive or retired status has its own rules; it does not authorize practice.
- CE is not discipline, but false CE reporting is a separate integrity violation.
Worked example
A chiropractor completes 24 hours of marketing and practice-management courses, then renews. The hours are insufficient if the rule requires clinical and ethics categories. The fix is not to add another marketing hour; the licensee must satisfy the specific category requirements and document them.
Traps
- Assuming all CE counts toward every category.
- Practicing while renewal is in the mail.
- Forgetting that CE fraud can lead to discipline.
- Missing the audit deadline or failing to keep certificates.