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Are there differences between Practitioners of Acupuncture? |
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When looking for a qualified acupuncturist, it might be helpful to use the following comparison of requirements among various practitioners who offer acupuncture services.
Comparison of Licensed vs. Certified Acupuncturists
| Certified/Physician Acupuncturist |
Licensed Acupuncturist |
| Certified physician or chiropractors with 300 hours of training |
Licensed acupuncturists (LAc) with an average of 2,700 hours of master's-level training |
| Training which is often comprised of home study and video-taped lectures. |
Master's level, on-site training at a nationally accredited school or college of acupuncture |
| Minimal clinical experience in acupuncture or no actual patient treatments before certification |
Hundreds of hours of clinical experience and at least 350 actual patient treatments before licensure |
| Not required to complete the national certification examination to prove competency in acupuncture |
Required to pass the national certification exam in acupuncture in order to become licensed |
| Not required to regularly complete continuing education courses |
Required to do regular continuing education to maintain national certification |
Even training among licensed acupuncturists can vary widely. Some graduate programs include training in all aspects of Oriental Medicine, including Chinese herbal therapy, food therapy and body work and may require as much as 3,500 hours of training.
Roberto G. Guerrero is a licensed acupuncturist, a Chinese
herbalist and a National Board Certified Practitioner of Oriental Medicine with a practice located in San Antonio, Tx.
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Acupuncture FAQ's 