NBCE Part III case studies
NBCE Part III · Put your knowledge to work in context.
NBCE Part III - the Clinical Competency Examination - is the third step in the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners' four-part sequence, generally taken in the later clinical phase of chiropractic training or shortly before licensure. Where Parts I and II lean on basic and clinical science recall, Part III asks you to act like a clinician: gather a history, select examination procedures, interpret imaging and laboratory findings, build a defensible diagnosis, justify a management plan, and recognize when referral or co-management is the right answer. The NBCE Part III case studies are 5 cases and about 3,027 words.
1New Daily Headache in a 54-Year-Old: Adjustment or Urgent Referral?
A 54-year-old woman presents with a 3-week history of a new daily headache that she describes as pressure behind both eyes. It is worse when she lies down and when she coughs, and it has awakened her at 3 a.m.
624 words, about 3 min2Lateral Elbow Pain: Local Tendinopathy or Cervical Referral?
A 47-year-old right-handed house painter reports 2 weeks of right lateral elbow and forearm pain that began after a weekend of rolling ceilings. Pain is 5/10 at rest and 8/10 with gripping.
619 words, about 3 min3New Thoracic Pain and a Remote Cancer History: Imaging Decisions
A 61-year-old woman presents 10 days after starting a new high-intensity interval class with acute mid-thoracic pain. There was no fall or direct trauma.
623 words, about 3 min4Osteoporosis, Anticoagulation, and a Request for High-Velocity Manipulation
A 78-year-old woman seeks care for chronic low back pain that has worsened over 3 months. She has a T-score of −3.1 at the lumbar spine, a prior L1 compression fracture 4 years ago, and takes apixaban for atrial fibrillation.
538 words, about 3 min5Attorney Request, Causation Opinion, and a Prior Neck Pain Note
A 38-year-old patient is 6 weeks post rear-end motor vehicle collision. He has neck pain and an MRI showing a 4-mm C5-C6 disc protrusion without cord signal change.
623 words, about 3 min