Chiropractic Chronicle Archive

Students Take a Stand: SIFCO Passes Landmark Resolution Calling for the Abandonment of NBCE Part IV

Originally published: 2025-10-15

A New Generation of Chiropractic Leadership Emerges

The Student International Federation of Chiropractors and Organizations (Student IFCO) made history this past weekend during the Triune event, where chiropractic students, doctors, and leaders from around the world gathered to advance the cause of vertebral subluxation-centered chiropractic.

At the event, students officially established the Student IFCO as an organized body with bylaws and elected officers, launching seven new chapters across three countries. The gathering was marked by inspiration, purpose, and unity as students participated in advocacy sessions, leadership development, and professional networking, all centered around protecting and advancing the principles of chiropractic.

“This is more than just a student movement. It’s a statement that the next generation of chiropractors refuses to be silent about the future of their profession.”

Students Pass Resolution to End the NBCE Part IV Exam

During Sunday’s student session, members unanimously passed Resolution SIFCO R01, formally calling for the abolition of the NBCE Part IV examination, a controversial practical test that has long been criticized as outdated, redundant, and financially burdensome.

The resolution, passed by a 9-0-0 vote, calls on the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) to end Part IV and transition to program-based assessments conducted within accredited chiropractic colleges. These institutional evaluations, students argue, already measure clinical competency effectively, rendering the NBCE’s high-stakes external exam unnecessary.

Key points of concern outlined in the resolution include:

• The financial hardship imposed by centralizing the exam at a single testing site in Greeley, Colorado.

• The lack of transparency regarding how NBCE exam fees are used.

• The absence of evidence demonstrating that Part IV improves public safety or clinical outcomes.

• The conflict of interest embedded in CCE Policy 56, which links chiropractic accreditation to NBCE exams and perpetuates the testing requirement.

“The NBCE’s decision to centralize Part IV at its Greeley headquarters may reduce their costs but it dramatically increases costs for students already drowning in debt. That’s neither ethical nor sustainable especially for an unnecessary exam.”

CLICK HERE to review the Resolutions

Appendix A: The Letter That Started It All

Alongside the resolution, Student IFCO sent a formal letter to NBCE President Dr. Norman Ouzts outlining student concerns and demanding accountability. The letter questions the rationale behind centralizing the exam and asks why students, who are the NBCE’s primary source of revenue, should shoulder increased financial burdens for a test that many in the profession see as outdated.

Among the questions posed:

1. How does relocating Part IV to a single site directly benefit students?

2. Will NBCE reduce exam fees in light of its operational savings?

3. Why are students being asked to take on additional debt to cover travel and lodging?

4. Has NBCE considered abandoning Part IV altogether if the cost is unsustainable?

5. When will NBCE formally respond to the more than 2,600 petition signatures opposing centralization?

CLICK Here to review the Appendix

“If administering Part IV has become too costly for the NBCE,” the letter asks, “has the organization considered abandoning the exam, rather than transferring additional hardship onto students?”

SIFCO students recently traveled to NBCE headquarters in Colorado to ask Norman Ouzts these questions but he refused to meet with them citing “safety and security” concerns.

CLICK HERE for more on that story

A similar letter was also sent to the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), urging the agency to review and reform Policy 56, which ties accreditation to NBCE testing. Students say this policy artificially reinforces the NBCE’s monopoly over chiropractic licensure and testing.

Policy 56: The Structural Link That Must Be Broken

The resolution directly addresses CCE Policy 56, a key mechanism by which the NBCE maintains control over chiropractic licensure. Under the current system, chiropractic programs must ensure their students take NBCE exams, including Part IV, to maintain accreditation status.

SIFCO’s resolution calls for this structural dependency to end, urging the NBCE, CCE, chiropractic colleges, and state boards to collaborate in decoupling testing from accreditation and replacing it with transparent, competency-based program evaluations.

“Decoupling Policy 56 from NBCE testing is not just an administrative reform. It’s about restoring integrity and academic freedom to chiropractic education.”

A Movement for Transparency and Accountability

The SIFCO resolution and accompanying letters mark a turning point in chiropractic student advocacy. For decades, the NBCE’s exams, particularly Part IV, have been seen as untouchable. Now, a united student front is demanding reform not through quiet compliance but through collective action, data-driven reasoning, and moral conviction.

“Students have found their voice. We’re asking for fairness, for transparency, and for testing that actually serves the profession, not the other way around.”

The Next Steps: A Call to the Profession

The Student IFCO has shared its resolution and appendix with the NBCE Board of Directors, chiropractic colleges, and other student and professional organizations. The group intends to continue gathering support from stakeholders and to collaborate with policy reform advocates working to modernize chiropractic education and licensure.

The message from students is clear:
Chiropractic’s future will not be dictated by outdated systems, it will be shaped by those willing to challenge them.

“We’re not just questioning the test. We’re questioning the system that created and sustains it.” – Student IFCO Statement