Chiropractic examiners group set to expand in Greeley

GREELEY — The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners plans to add about 9,000 square feet to its 19-acre Greeley campus.

According to the organization, the expansion is expected to open in 2026, allowing NBCE to transition its Part IV practical exam — a critical component in the licensure of a chiropractor — from multiple sites nationwide to just the one dedicated center in Greeley.

According to a news release, “the facility will incorporate cutting-edge technology to create a highly standardized and efficient testing environment, enhancing the rigor and reliability of assessments in line with NBCE’s mission, ensuring professional competency and public-safety through excellence in testing.”

Fort Collins-based Clark & Enersen designed the addition, according to the pre-application form NBCE submitted to the City of Greeley’s planning and engineering development review staff.

NBCE, the international testing organization for the chiropractic profession, develops, administers and scores standardized examinations for candidates seeking chiropractic licensure in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several other countries including Canada, Mexico and Australia.

Founded in 1963, the board originally was headquartered in the Cheyenne, Wyoming, home or office of its executive director, Horace Elliott. He used the math-and-statistics department at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, so when the board was looking for a place to establish a nonresidential national headquarters in 1977, Greeley was a logical choice. It first located in a downtown space and in 1991 moved to its current 25,000-square-foot building at Ninth Street and 54th Avenue, which now bears Elliott’s name.

NBCE said the addition to its Horace C. Elliott Center will include “patient encounter rooms equipped with dual-camera recording, microphones and an overhead paging system designed to replicate the experience of a doctor’s office. During the Part IV exam, candidates will be assessed as they conduct patient encounters involving history-taking, diagnostic testing and treatment planning, interacting with trained patient actors in real-world scenarios. The test also includes X-ray interpretation.

“Advanced recording technology will allow encounters to be reviewed remotely for scoring and feedback, maintaining a high standard of exam quality and consistency.”

The expanded assessment center will create approximately 50 new jobs for patient actors, proctors and evaluators.

“The expansion will bring visitors from across the country for Part IV exams and opens doors to possible collaboration with other health-care fields for training and certification use, establishing Greeley as a health-care assessment hub,” NBCE CEO Dr. Norman Ouzts said in a prepared statement. “This expansion allows us to deliver a higher-quality exam experience while stabilizing exam costs, which benefits not only chiropractic examinees but also the community at large.”

The Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards was founded in 1926 to protect the public and promote excellence among its member chiropractic regulatory boards. It facilitated creation of a national testing organization for chiropractics in 1962, and NBCE administered its first tests the next year.

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