By Michelle Pawley MSOM, Dipl.Ac., LAc, Bloomington Normal Acupuncture
One of the most frequent questions I receive about acupuncture (apart from “Does it hurt?”) is “What do you have to do to become an acupuncturist?” This is exactly the question I found myself typing into Google a decade ago, when I first decided I wanted to leave my job in marketing to pursue this new career. As a patient receiving acupuncture, I had experienced such profound relief from my chronic pain that I knew that I wanted to help people in the same way that my acupuncturist had helped me.
In order to become an acupuncturist, an applicant must first find an accredited graduate-level training program. There are about 50 schools in the United States that are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). These schools offer both Masters and Doctoral degrees in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The programs take three to six years of full-time study to complete, and are extremely comprehensive. Once a candidate has graduated from one of these programs, then he or she is able to sit for a series of licensing exams regulated by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Upon passing these exams, practitioners receive a license and the credentials LAc, which stands for Licensed Acupuncturist, behind their name.
So, what, exactly, do we spend three to six years learning? An acupuncturist is not just trained in where to place needles — although with almost 400 acupuncture points on the body, this is a large portion of our studies! First, we must learn an entirely new frame of reference through which we view the body: a new way of diagnosing illness, based on ancient Chinese principles. These principles are founded in the theory of yin and yang, which states that health is the result of a body in balance, and that illness comes from a disruption of this balance. In order to restore health, we must first find the imbalance, and then correct it. Through the use of acupuncture, massage, and herbal therapy, we restore the body to harmony.
In addition to learning the Chinese principles of disease, we must also learn the basics of the Western medical tradition. The first few years of acupuncture school are steeped in anatomy and physiology, bio-chemistry, pathophysiology, nutrition, pharmacotherapeutics, and so on. The purpose of this extensive training is twofold. First, in order to be a good practitioner, one must be willing to collaborate and communicate with physicians. Most acupuncturists believe that the best healthcare comes from the integration of western and eastern medical models. Second, in some states, acupuncturists are licensed as primary care practitioners; therefore, they must be able to have a working knowledge of western medicine so that they can refer patients who require further medical care to the appropriate physicians.
Finally, acupuncturists do an extensive clinical training program before they can graduate and obtain a license. Students complete 3,000 hours of training in everything from orthopedics to mental health to fertility. It is during this training that students focus on a specialty.
So, when seeking out an acupuncturist, look at their credentials! Do they have the LAc after their name? If so, you can guarantee they have worked diligently for many years to obtain these credentials and are qualified to help you on your path to recovery.
Michelle Pawley is a board certified acupuncturist with a graduate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from The Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley. Her office is located at 1617 E. Oakland Ave, Bloomington. For more information or to set up a consultation, call her at 309-445-1502, or visit her online at bnacupuncture.com.