The Profession of Acupuncture

Although the practice of acupuncture can be traced back to at least 475 B.C.E., it was not well known as a health care modality outside of Asian communities until 1971, when it was used for post-operative pain on James Reston, a reporter who published his experience in the New York Times. A different view of the human body and possible ways to treat it quickly captured the Western imagination. Today, approximately 20 million Americans have used acupuncture, and sixty percent say they would readily consider it as a treatment option.

Acupuncture was officially recognized in the U.S. in 1973, when three states licensed it as a health care profession. It has been gaining widespread acceptance ever since. Acupuncture is now licensed in 42 states (including New York) and the District of Columbia. Currently there are approximately 50 accredited or candidate schools that offer an acupuncture or Oriental medicine program, generally a three or four-year master's level course of study.

Acupuncturists work in private practice, multi-disciplinary clinics, public health settings, nursing homes and hospitals. According to a survey conducted in 1999 by the Medical College of Wisconsin, most full-time acupuncturists in the U.S. work a 30-hour week, with median annual earnings of $61,117. Those practicing for more than five years had a median income of $75,000.  Go to our Community Education Section for more information on our Graduates Making a Life.

Researching Use and Efficacy

The growth of acupuncture use has been fueled by health care consumers, who choose it based on their own interest and experience of effectiveness. Use of acupuncture, along with other modalities outside the scope of practice of conventional medical practitioners, did not go unnoticed by policy makers. Several national surveys have been conducted in order to assess how Americans are using these therapies, collectively identified as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) or Complementary and Alternative Health Care (CAHC).

David Eisenberg, MD, who presented the findings of one of the first surveys on CAM use to the U.S. Senate in 1997, stated that "Americans made an estimated 425 million visits to providers of alternative medical therapy in 1990, exceeding the 338 million visits made to all U.S. primary care physicians during the same period" (JAMA, Nov. 1998;280:1569-1575). Usage continues to grow. The latest survey of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in Washington, D.C., released in 2004, showed that 36 percent of American adults use some form of CAM.

In 2003 the NCCAM, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, announced a series of research grants totaling more than $18.6 million; eight of them relate directly to the study of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Together, the grants total more than $9.5 million, and will be used to fund research into the mechanisms of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (nccam.nih.gov).

Licensure

Licensed acupuncturists in New York State are independent health care practitioners. Licensure is overseen by the New York State Office of the Professions. Graduates of the Acupuncture Program at the Swedish Institute are eligible for New York State licensure, provided they meet all other requirements.

In addition to their graduation from an accredited school, candidates for licensure must pass a comprehensive national exam administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and the Clean Needle Technique course, administered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM).

For more information

Licensing status of other states is available at the web site of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, www.aaaomonline.org.

New York State licensing details can be obtained from the Office of Professions in Albany at www.nysed.gov/prof/title8.htm. 

Information on the national exam given by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is available at  www.nccaom.org.

Clean Needle Technique course is administered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, www.ccaom.org.

National surveys on CAM use mentioned are from the Journal of the American Medical Association, jama.ama-assn.org and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, nccam.nih.gov/news/camsurvey.htm. 

For a more extensive list of references go to the Resources section of our Web site.

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