Know the Difference Between
Acupuncture
Training and Education
The practice of
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is receiving unprecedented publicity in this country, and acupuncture is being
offered by a variety of health care practitioners calling themselves acupuncturists or performing
acupuncture.
Consequently, the
general public may be confused over the qualifications of those providing this service.
The only profession that can actually call themselves acupuncturists are those that
have attended, graduated and passed the rigorous examinations in order to receive the degree (L.Ac. or Dipl.
Ac.).
In most states such as Utah, the only profession that can use the title "acupuncturists" are those that have
the degrees. (L.Ac. or Dipl. Ac.).
In some states, (such as Utah) chiropractors are allowed to practice clinical
acupuncture with minimal training.
The educational programs are usually a mere 100 hours.
See Link:
Utah
Chiropractors - Acupuncture Training and Education
See
Link: IAMA - Acupuncture Training and
Education
The American Association of Medical Acupuncturists (AAMA) recommends a program of only 220 to 300 hours of study
for what it terms "medical acupuncture" for medical doctors.
See Link: Medical - Acupuncture Training
and Education
Note
The article
below will interest you, in reviewing the education and clinical training
or lack of, that other health care professionals have in regards to their training in
acupuncture.
I chose these 3
associations above, since they are major associations in training other health care professionals in
acupuncture.
Nationally accredited acupuncture schools provide a minimum of 1,905 hours of training in
their educational programs for acupuncture and a minimum of 2175 hours in their programs of Oriental medicine.
See
Link:
Dr. Hardy's
Acupuncture Training and Education
These hours also constitute the educational requirements for the
licensing of Acupuncturists in most states.
The American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM) has adopted the position that
anyone practicing acupuncture without certification as a Diplomate in Acupuncture (Dipl. Ac.) from the National
Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), or an equivalent state license as an
Acupuncturist, practices below the prevailing standards of minimum competency for acupuncture.
In speaking to other
healthcare providers (Medical Doctors, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, etc.) regarding this topic of administrating
acupuncture treatment, several professionals feel that performing acupuncture is not in their scope of practice
due to the higher standards of education and clinical training that an acupuncturist must
study.
The other set of
healthcare providers (Medical Doctors, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, etc.) who do practice acupuncture, feel they
have this right to perform acupuncture because the education they received may have included more hours of
education in their perspective fields such as medical school, chiropractic school and/or osteopathic school than
the amount of hours that acupuncturists receive in their perspective field.
Again this is comparing oranges to apples.
I point out how the
education and clinical training of both professions are completely and vastly different than the training an
acupuncturist undergoes.
These professional’s
(Medical Doctors, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, etc.) also like to say they are performing medical acupuncture,
clinical acupuncture, meridian acupuncture, scientific acupuncture, etc.
By saying this, they feel they are now entitled to do acupuncture.
I feel that since I
have been educated and received degrees in both systems of health care (chiropractic & acupuncture), it is
my opinion, that unless a healthcare professional has received adequate training in acupuncture it poses health
risk’s as well as either success or failure of the clinical outcome of the acupuncture
treatment.
The question to ask
yourself is, do I want a healthcare professional performing acupuncture on myself and/or my loved ones who has
not been adequately trained.
To find a qualified Licensed Acupuncturist,
contact: http://www.nccaom.org/
The
ultimate choice that must be made, is by you the patient
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