Community-Based Clinical Education (CBCE) Program

The University of Western States (UWS) CBCE program is intended to enhance the clinical training of chiropractic interns in their 10th and 11th quarters who meet stringent competency requirements and applicable eligibility requirements to continue their training in an approved, private chiropractic practice in our community. Interns engage in a wide range of practice activities under the mentorship of a field-based chiropractic physician to gain valuable real-world experience and insights relative to chiropractic practice. The program is intended to enhance the learning and knowledge of the chiropractic intern, supplementing what is provided in the academic and clinical experience of the doctor of chiropractic curriculum. This component of the UWS curriculum is designed and implemented to support the mission, goals and objectives of UWS; to provide a mechanism to further assure competency in the cognitive and psychomotor domains of chiropractic interns; and to better prepare students for the transition from the rigors of academic life to those of a private practitioner.

Community-Based Clinical Education Roles and Definitions

Community-Based Clinical Education Roles and Definitions:

Community-Based Clinical Education (CBCE) Programa pre-graduate program providing education in the field practice of chiropractic administered by UWS and approved by all pertinent accreditation and regulatory bodies. CBCE is a form of preceptorship.

Contractor – a licensed chiropractic physician who meets the requirements of the program and is approved and appointed by UWS to act as a supervisor and mentor in the UWS CBCE program. The contractor is the designated signatory of the CBCE Agreement with UWS. Within a chiropractic practice with multiple licensed chiropractic physicians the contractor will usually be the primary owner of the practice. The other licensed chiropractic physicians who are associated in the practice can agree to serve as supervising physicians for the interns assigned to the practice.

Supervising Physician/Doctor– Any approved CBCE doctor within a practice providing oversight and instruction to an intern participating in the CBCE program at one or more office locations.

Intern– A chiropractic student who is enrolled in the UWS clinical internship course series engaged in patient care under the direct supervision of a licensed chiropractic physician

How to Become a Community-Based Clinical Education Contractor/Doctor

  • Physician needs to complete and submit an application
  • Once approved, contractor documents need to be discussed and completed with administration

If you have already submitted an application and would like to inquire about the status, or if you would like to apply for the program, please contact Dr. Patrick Battaglia at [email protected].

Community-Based Clinical Education Manual


The Community-Based Clinical Education Manual contains helpful information for physicians including:

  • purpose and objectives of the program
  • how to prepare your practice for an intern
  • effective teaching
  • definitions and organization
  • CBI physician requirements and responsibilities
  • intern participation requirements, guidelines and responsibilities

Download the manual here.

Community-Based Clinical Education Contractor/Doctor Responsibilities

CBCE Doctor Responsibilities

  • The CBCE doctor shall be responsible for, and provide direct supervision of, all chiropractic services rendered by the intern.
  • The CBCE doctor will be physically present in the same office or facility as the intern when the intern is treating or providing any service to any patient.
  • The CBCE doctor will assign only those patient services that can be safely and effectively performed by the intern as allowed by state and/or federal law.
  • The CBCE doctor and their staff will ensure the intern is clearly identified to patients as an “intern” and will never refer to the intern as “doctor.”
  • The CBCE doctor will ensure that s/he is familiar with, and in compliance with, all applicable federal and state statutes and regulations relating to health care practices of chiropractic interns, and that the intern practices in accordance with same.
  • The CBCE doctor will submit periodic documents, including a weekly notification to the school of interns’ absences from their scheduled shift hours and a Global Assessment at the end of the 10th week of classes to the CBCE Program Administrator.
  • No individual CBCE doctor may supervise more than two (2) interns (regardless of college) at any given time unless approved by the assistant dean of clinical internship.
  • The presence of a UWS intern is for the education of the intern and not for the general promotion of the CBCE doctor’s practice or for the CBCE doctor’s financial gain. 
  • CBCE doctors will, upon request, submit current copies of their state license, professional liability insurance and claims history, and x-ray operator/supervisor permit.