NSW Chiropractors and the title Dr

The Chiropractors Board of Australia will shortly amend the Register of Practitioners so every registered chiropractor in NSW will be displayed on the Register with the title Dr. Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009 as adopted in participating jurisdictions (the National Law), an appropriately qualified practitioner can use the title Dr. However, the practitioner must make it clear to the public what is their area of expertise and qualification. The National Law also prevents a practitioner from holding themselves out as having qualifications or expertise they do not have. The previous law in New South Wales prevented chiropractors using the title Dr. The former NSW Chiropractors Registration Board provided the information about NSW practitioners to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) in a form that reflected this law. As a result, practitioners in NSW were not displayed on the National Register with the title Dr from 1 July 2010. Feedback from chiropractors in NSW indicated strong support for the wholesale display of the title Dr on the National Register for practitioners in NSW. Accordingly, the Board is making this change. Any NSW chiropractor who does not want the title Dr to be displayed against their name on the National Register should telephone AHPRA on 1300 419 495 and request this change.

Advertising and titles

Dr is a courtesy title and its appropriate use is explained in the guidelines adopted by all National Boards on the Advertising of Regulated Health Services published at www.chiropracticboard.gov.au under Codes and Guidelines. These guidelines require practitioners (who are not registered medical practitioners) who choose to adopt the title Dr in their advertising, whether or not they hold a Doctorate degree or PhD, to make it clear that they do not hold registration as a medical practitioner. In advertising they should include a reference to their health profession whenever the title is used (eg: Dr Walter Lin (Chiropractor)).

Certificates of registration
The CBA has decided to issue replacement certificates to all NSW chiropractors reflecting the courtesy title dr. This will happen as early as possible in 2011, but may take some time to achieve. The Board will waive the fee for replacement certificates for NSW practitioners in this circumstance.