Becoming a chiropractor in Pennsylvania

Your career in Pennsylvania starts here.

Every step from student to practicing DC: the exams, the license, the paperwork nobody warns you about, and where to build your practice. And the association that has your back the whole way, free while you’re a student.

Brooke Green, DCDaniel Lovette, DCAmelia Gray, DC
3,300active DC licensees in Pennsylvania
67counties, 6 PCA regions
$0PCA membership for students
24CE hours every 2 years to renew
Graduating soon

Your license, step by step

Four stages from classroom to first patient. Start the paperwork early: you can apply about a month before graduation and be licensed sooner.

Official requirements: PA State Board of Chiropractic →
In school

Qualify

1
Earn your DC degreeAn approved chiropractic college, at least 4,000 hours of instruction.
2
Pass the national boardsNBCE Parts I–IV. The Physiotherapy exam also qualifies you for adjunctive certification.NBCENBCE →
~1 month before graduation

Apply

3
Create your PALS accountWhere you apply now and renew later.Open PALS →
4
Apply for license + adjunctiveTwo separate applications. Initial license fee: $105.$105Requirements →
5
Act 31 trainingThree hours of child abuse recognition and reporting, required for initial licensure.3 hoursPCA course →
6
PA Chiropractic Legal ReviewReplaces the old law exam. Completed with your application.
Before your first patient

Get practice-ready

7
Malpractice coverage$1M per claim / $3M aggregate. PCA partners: NCMIC, ChiroPreferred, PPC & OUM.$1M / $3MPartners →
8
Get your NPIIndividual NPI, plus organizational if you own a practice.FreeNPPES →
9
Get credentialedCAQH ProView, then Medicare and commercial payers. Where most new grads lose weeks.Insurance Help Desk →
You’re ready to see patients
Every 2 years

Stay licensed

10
Renew through PALS24 hours of Board-approved CE and the $225 renewal fee, every two years. PCA members get a CE tracker.24 CE hoursPCA CE →
Stuck on a step?PCA helps students and new grads through licensing and credentialing. Email pca@pennchiro.org or call 717-232-5762.
Why new DCs join PCA

Free while you’re a student. Free your first year.

Full member benefits from day one, including the convention, so you start your career with the profession behind you.

Compare all membership levels →
In school

Student

Free

All member benefits plus free convention registration.

Join free
Your first year licensed

First-Year DC

Free

All member benefits, free convention and new-doctor advocacy while you launch your practice.

Join as a first-year DC
Working in someone’s practice

Associate

$30/mo

All member benefits plus 12 free online CE credits, with a sponsoring Basic-or-higher member.

Join as an associate
Insurance portal. Answers on billing and payer rules.
Legal consultation. Talk to PCA’s counsel about your practice.
Free webinars. Plus on-demand education.
CE tracker. Never scramble at renewal time.
Free classified ads. Find an associate role or your first hire.
A seat at the table. Board meetings are open to members.
Find your place in PA

Where should you practice? Start with the data.

Explore where your next chapter in chiropractic could begin. Our interactive map covers all 67 counties: hover for population, licensed chiropractors and residents per chiropractor, then click through to a full county profile with major employers, health systems, downtown life, culture and the outdoors.

Explore the county map

Chiropractor counts reflect licensing mailing addresses (PALS, October 1, 2026), which may differ from practice locations. Population: Census estimate, July 1, 2025. Residents per licensed chiropractor is general comparison context. It does not measure patient volume, demand or expected business success.

Your first job

Associate, buy in or open your own

Train in a real practice

PCA fought for your right to learn in a Pennsylvania practice, and won.

Act 67 of 2018, PCA’s student clinical training law, lets chiropractic students train in Pennsylvania practices: real patients and real mentors, in the state where you plan to practice.

  • Part of your curriculum. The training has to be part of your chiropractic college’s program.
  • Under a licensed DC. A Pennsylvania-licensed chiropractor provides direct, immediate and personal supervision.
  • Set up through your college. Your school’s preceptor or externship agreement is the starting point. The State Board has no separate regulations on it.
Ask us about training in a PA practice
Governor Tom Wolf signing Act 67 of 2018 with PCA leaders at the Pennsylvania Capitol
Governor Tom Wolf signs Act 67 of 2018, PCA’s student clinical training law, with PCA leaders.
Already practicing?

Host a student in your practice.

Train the next DC and meet your future associate. Six things to settle before a student sees your first patient.

  1. Call your malpractice carrier first. Confirm coverage for supervising a student before you sign with a college.
  2. Read the college’s agreement. Terms vary by school and state. Members can review it with PCA’s counsel.
  3. Run it through the college. A student outside a college program is not covered by Act 67.
  4. Supervise in person. The Act doesn’t define “direct, immediate and personal.” PCA’s guidance: be on site and directing the care.
  5. Check payer rules before billing. Act 67 requires no payer to cover student-performed services.
  6. Tell your patients. Let them know a student is involved, and honor a request to decline.

And we’re fighting for the career you’re about to have.

Support the PAC →
PCA members and legislators on the Capitol rotunda steps for lobby day, holding signs supporting HB 1106 and SB 1330
PCA lobby day at the Capitol with Senator Dawn Keefer, Representative John Lawrence and Representative Jennifer O’Mara. HB 1106 prime sponsor Representative Lisa Borowski not pictured.
ScopeModernizing your scope of practiceSB 1330 would bring Pennsylvania’s chiropractic law in line with how DCs are trained today.Read the plan →
CopaysCopay reformWorking so out-of-pocket costs don’t stand between patients and chiropractic care.
Your teamHB 1106 passed the House 193⁠–⁠8Delegation legislation clarifying what trained staff can do in your office. Next stop: the Senate.Track the bill →
SportsChiropractors on the sidelineFighting for DCs’ role in return-to-play, sideline care and pre-participation physicals.Join the fight →
Licensed in another state

Moving your practice to Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania can license chiropractors from other states when their state’s requirements are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania’s. You still need adjunctive certification, Act 31 training and malpractice coverage before you see patients here.

Thinking about chiropractic

Considering a career as a chiropractor?

Chiropractors in Pennsylvania earn a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from an approved college, with at least 4,000 hours of classroom and lab instruction, then pass four national board exams. The best first step: spend a day with a chiropractor near you.

Questions new grads ask us

Can I apply for my license before I graduate?

Yes. You can start your application about a month before graduation, which gets you licensed sooner.

What does it cost to get and keep a Pennsylvania license?

The initial license fee is $105. Renewal is $225 every two years. NBCE exams, malpractice insurance and continuing education are separate costs.

What is adjunctive certification, and do I need it?

It is a separate certification that lets Pennsylvania chiropractors use adjunctive procedures. You qualify with a passing score on the NBCE Physiotherapy exam or an approved 100-hour course. Apply for it alongside your license.

I’m licensed in another state. Do I start over?

Not necessarily. Pennsylvania can license you by endorsement when your state’s requirements are substantially equivalent to or exceed Pennsylvania’s. Check the State Board’s requirements, then call us.

What do I need to keep my license?

Twenty-four hours of Board-approved continuing education every two-year renewal period, plus required child abuse recognition training, renewed through PALS.

Is PCA membership really free for students?

Yes. Students get full member benefits and free convention registration at no cost, and first-year DCs stay free.

Start your career with the profession behind you.

Join free as a student. Stay free your first year in practice. We’ll walk you through every step.

Talk to a personpca@pennchiro.org717-232-5762