Certification, Licensing and Registration of Acupuncturists in the U.S.

State agencies usually regulate the practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Forty-four (44) states and the District of Columbia have independent practice in their state regulations and licensed acupuncturists (LAcs) hold the title of “Primary Care Practitioner” in five states. The only states without regulated practice acts include: North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Alabama. Today there are nearly 26,000 licensed acupuncture practitioners in the U.S.

The National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) provides a national examination and certification process. Many states use the NCCAOM's examination to meet licensing/registration requirements, while a few other states, such as *California, have developed their own examination process.

Under the NCCAOM, the following guidelines are used for certifying licensed acupuncturists in states with regulated practice acts.

Education for NCCAOM certification candidates that are in the process of completing Acupuncture School: http://nccaom.org/applicants/eligibility.html

Education for NCCAOM certification candidates that are in the process of completing Acupuncture School: http://nccaom.org/applicants/pdfdocs/Eligibillity_Table.pdf

Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) accredits formal education programs or programs that has reached candidacy status. The above requirements both state that a NCCAOM certification candidate’s education must be obtained from an institution accredited with the ACAOM.

In 1976, the first college of Oriental medicine was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the New England School of Acupuncture). Today there are over 65 schools and colleges with accredited or candidacy status with the ACAOM. Schools and colleges for which ACAOM provides institutional accreditation are eligible to use ACAOM accreditation status to establish eligibility for their students to receive Title IV federal financial aid such as Stafford Loans. Today there are 8075 students attending accredited and candidate AOM colleges.

California Acupuncture Board (CAB) licenses individuals wishing to practice acupuncture in California which requires qualifying for and passing California's written examination administered by the CAB.

California does not recognize out-of-state licensing (reciprocity) nor does it accept for licensure those individuals who take and pass the national examination (administered by the NCCAOM). Therefore, licensees from other states or those individuals who have passed NCCAOM's examination may not practice until they have qualified for, taken and passed the California examination.