EBAS manager Bradley Guy presents ethics assessment program to California regulatory board

The Board of Chiropractic Examiners convened on February 13, 2025, to discuss the implementation of the Ethics-Based Online System (EBOS) as a tool for addressing ethical violations within the chiropractic profession. Bradley Guy, the business development manager for EBOS, presented the system's capabilities and its potential impact on public safety and professional accountability.

Guy highlighted that EBOS has been operational for over 20 years, serving more than 150 clients across various healthcare and non-healthcare sectors. He emphasized the importance of addressing ethical misconduct, citing alarming statistics that reveal a significant number of ethical violations go unreported. In California alone, over 22,000 adverse ethical actions were documented in the chiropractic and related fields from 2017 to 2021.

The EBOS exam is designed to assess licensees' ethical decision-making through scenario-based questions that reflect real-life situations encountered in the profession. The system evaluates five key areas: fraud, boundaries, substance abuse, unprofessional conduct, and professional standards. Guy noted that the exam is proctored to ensure integrity, with results provided to both the board and the licensee within 7 to 10 business days.

A significant point of discussion was the pass rate for the EBOS exam, which stands at 58%. This statistic underscores the exam's rigor and its role in genuinely measuring ethical understanding rather than serving as a mere formality. Guy explained that when licensees fail the exam, they have the opportunity to participate in live workshops that provide further education on ethical practices, which have shown to improve pass rates significantly.

Board members expressed appreciation for the EBOS system, recognizing it as a valuable resource for reeducation and ethical remediation. They inquired about the metrics related to exam failures and the effectiveness of the workshops, indicating a strong interest in ensuring that licensees not only understand their ethical obligations but also learn from their mistakes.

In conclusion, the meeting underscored the Board's commitment to enhancing ethical standards within the chiropractic profession through the adoption of the EBOS system. The board aims to protect the public by ensuring that licensees are held accountable for their actions while providing them with the necessary tools to improve their ethical decision-making skills.