Many changes to acupuncture laws, regulations and acupuncture CEU requirements have been enacted in recent years. However, six states remain without any acupuncturist licensing laws. Several states have stringent standards such as California and Massachusetts while some states do not require NCCAOM recertification or acupuncture continuing education.
Who is stringent?
California
California requires 50 acupuncture CEUs every two years to maintain the California acupuncture license. There are category 1 courses and category 2 courses. California licensed acupuncturists may take all their acupuncture CEUs in category 1 but are limited to 5 acupuncture CEUs for category 2. Category 1 courses are related to core curriculum such as Chinese medicine theory, acupuncture, herbs, western medicine and herbal medicine. Category 2 courses include practice management, insurance billing, business classes, Qi Gong and Tai Ji Quan. Acupuncturists may take up to 25 CEUs every two years from online sources.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts, like many states, requires maintenance of NCCAOM Diplomate status. Diplomates must complete 60 acupuncture CEUs every four years. The NCCAOM refers to CEUs (continuing education units) as PDAs (professional development activities). The Massachusetts Committee on Acupuncture requires that 10 of those CEUs be related to herbal medicine. This is in stark contrast to Illinois that forbids herbal medicine from any acupuncture CEU or educational process.
Florida
Florida has made some changes to its acupuncture CEU process. The Florida Board of Acupuncture requires 30 acupuncture CEUs every two years. Two CEUs must be in the medical errors category, 2 hours must relate to Florida laws and rules and five acupuncture CEUs must relate to biomedical sciences.
Texas
Texas requires 17 hours of acupuncture continuing education every year. Eight hours may be general, 1 ethics and 2 herbal hours are required for acupuncture continuing education.
Where are there no laws at all?
Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Oaklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming have no acupuncture laws.
