To be approved by the Board, an acupuncture and Asian medicine educational and training curriculum shall consist of at least 2,050 hours of didactic and laboratory training and at least 950 hours of supervised clinical instruction. The curriculum shall include the following coursework that contains the following criteria:
(a) Basic Sciences
350 hours
The curriculum in basic sciences shall prepare students to enter postsecondary upper division biomedical and clinical science courses and shall consist of at least 350 hours of didactic and laboratory instruction in the following basic science courses:
(1) General biology;
(2) Chemistry, including organic and biochemistry;
(3) General physics, including a general survey of biophysics;
(4) General psychology, including counseling skills;
(5) Anatomy--a survey of microscopic, gross anatomy and neuroanatomy;
(6) Physiology--a survey of basic physiology, including neurophysiology, endocrinology, and neurochemistry;
(7) Pathology and Pathophysiology--a survey of the nature of disease and illness, including microbiology, immunology, psychopathology, and epidemiology;
(8) Nutrition and vitamins;
(b) Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Principles, Theories and Treatment
1,255 hours
The curriculum in acupuncture and Asian medicine principles, theories, and treatment shall consist of at least 1,255 hours of didactic instruction in the following principles, theories, prescription, and treatment procedures of acupuncture and Asian medicine:
(1) Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Principles and Theories
(A) Asian Medicine Principles and Theory;
(B) Acupuncture Principles and Theory;
(C) Asian Massage (e.g., tui na or shiatsu) Principles and Theory;
(D) Chinese Herbal Medicine Principles and Theory, including relevant botany concepts (This subject area shall consist of at least 450 hours of instruction);
(E) Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Diagnosis;
(F) Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Specialties, including dermatology, gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, orthopedics, internal medicine, geriatrics, family medicine, traumatology, and emergency care;
(G) Classical acupuncture and Asian medicine literature, including Jin Gui, Wen Bing/Shang Han, Nei Jing;
(H) Modern acupuncture and Asian medicine literature.
(2) Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Treatment
(A) Integrated acupuncture and Asian medicine diagnostic and treatment procedures;
(B) Acupuncture techniques and treatment procedures, including electroacupuncture;
(C) Asian massage (e.g., tui na or shiatsu), acupressure, and other techniques utilizing manual therapy and mechanical devices;
(D) Exercise therapy, including breathing, qi gong, and taiji quan;
(E) Herbal prescription, counseling, and preparation;
(F) Asian and Western clinical and medical nutrition, dietary, and supplement prescription and counseling;
(G) Cold and heat therapy, including moxibustion and ultrasound;
(H) Lifestyle counseling, and self-care recommendations;
(I) Adjunctive acupuncture procedures, including bleeding, cupping, gua sha, and dermal tacks;
(J) Acupuncture micro therapies, including auricular and scalp therapy;
(K) Hygienic standards, including clean needle techniques. The clean needle technique portion of this subject shall use the “Clean Needle Technique Manual 7th edition” (rev. January 2016), published by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Students shall successfully complete the clean needle technique portion of the hygienic standards subject prior to performing any needling techniques on human beings;
(L) Equipment maintenance and safety;
(M) Adjunctive acupoint stimulation devices, including magnets and beads.
(c) Clinical Medicine, Patient Assessment
and Diagnosis
240 hours
The curriculum in clinical medicine, patient assessment, and diagnosis shall consist of at least 240 hours of didactic instruction and shall prepare the student to possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to utilize standard physical examinations, laboratory and imaging studies, and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic principles to improve treatment efficacy, patient safety, referral, and continuity of care; to improve communication and collaboration of care with all other medical providers; to assist in the evaluation and documentation of patient progress; and to improve the acupuncturist's understanding of biochemical etiology and pathology. Clinical medicine, patient assessment, and diagnostic skills curriculum shall include the following:
(1) Comprehensive history taking;
(2) Standard physical examination and assessment, including neuromusculoskeletal, orthopedic, neurological, abdominal, and ear, nose, and throat examinations, and functional assessment;
(3) Pharmacological assessment, emphasizing side-effects and herb-drug interactions;
(4) Patient/practitioner rapport, communication skills, including multicultural sensitivity;
(5) Procedures for ordering diagnostic imaging, radiological, and laboratory tests and incorporating the resulting data and reports;
(6) Clinical reasoning and problem solving;
(7) Clinical impressions and the formation of a working diagnosis, including acupuncture and Asian medicine diagnoses, and the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10);
(8) Awareness of at-risk populations, including gender, age, indigent, and disease specific patients;
(9) Standard medical terminology;
(10) Clinical sciences--a review of internal medicine, pharmacology, neurology, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, urology, radiology, nutrition, and public health;
(11) Clinical medicine--a survey of the clinical practice of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, psychology, nursing, chiropractic, podiatry, naturopathy, and homeopathy to familiarize practitioners with the practices of other health care practitioners.
(d) Case Management
90 hours
The curriculum in case management shall consist of at least 90 hours of didactic instruction and shall prepare the student to manage patient care as a primary health care professional, and shall include instruction in the following subject:
(1) Primary care responsibilities;
(2) Secondary and specialty care responsibilities;
(3) Psychosocial assessment;
(4) Treatment contraindications and complications, including drug and herb interactions;
(5) Treatment planning, continuity of care, referral, and collaboration;
(6) Follow-up care, final review, and functional outcome measurements;
(7) Prognosis and future medical care;
(8) Case management for injured workers and socialized medicine patients, including a knowledge of workers compensation/labor codes and procedures and qualified medical evaluations;
(9) Coding procedures for current procedural and diagnostic codes, including Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Disease ICD-10 diagnostic codes;
(10) Medical-legal report writing, expert medical testimony, and independent medical review;
(11) Special care/seriously ill patients;
(12) Emergency procedures.
(e) Practice Management
45 hours
The curriculum in practice management shall consist of at least 45 hours of didactic instruction and shall include the following subjects:
(1) Record keeping, insurance billing, and collection;
(2) Business written communication;
(3) Knowledge of regulatory compliance and jurisprudence (municipal, California, and federal laws, including OSHA, the Labor Code, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA));
(4) Front office procedures;
(5) Planning and establishing a professional office;
(6) Practice growth and development;
(7) Ability to practice in interdisciplinary medical settings including hospitals;
(8) Risk management and insurance issues;
(9) Ethics and peer review.
(f) Public Health
40 hours
The curriculum in public health shall consist of at least 40 hours of didactic instruction and shall include training in the principles of public health, including the following subjects:
(1) Public and community health and disease prevention;
(2) Public health education;
(3) A minimum of eight (8) hours in first-aid and adult/child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or other organization with an equivalent course approved by the Board;
(4) Treatment of chemical dependency;
(5) Communicable disease, public health alerts, and epidemiology.
(g) Professional Development
30 hours
The curriculum in professional development shall consist of at least 30 hours of didactic instruction and shall prepare the student with the skills to continue to expand their knowledge, including instruction in the following subjects:
(1) Research and evidence based medicine;
(2) Knowledge of academic peer review process;
(3) Knowledge and critique of research methods;
(4) History of medicine.
(h) Clinical Practice
950 hours
The curriculum in clinical practice shall consist of at least 950 hours in clinical instruction, 75% of which shall be in a clinic owned and operated by the school, which includes direct patient contact where appropriate in the following:
(1) Practice Observation (minimum 150 hours)--supervised observation of the clinical practice of acupuncture and Asian medicine with case presentations and discussion;
(2) Diagnosis and evaluation (minimum 275 hours)--the application of Eastern and Western diagnostic procedures in evaluating patients;
(3) Supervised practice (minimum 275 hours)--the clinical treatment of patients with acupuncture and Asian medicine treatment modalities listed in Sections 4927(d) and 4937(b) of the Code.
(4) During the initial 275 hours of diagnosis, evaluation and clinical practice, the clinic supervisor shall be physically present at all times during the diagnosis and treatment of the patient. Thereafter, for a second period of 275 hours the clinic supervisor shall be physically present at the needling of the patient. The clinic supervisor shall otherwise be in close proximity to the location at which the patient is being treated during the clinical instruction. The student shall also consult with the clinic supervisor before and after each treatment.
Credits
Note: Authority cited: Sections 4927.5 and 4933, Business and Professions Code. Reference: Sections 4927.5, 4938, 4940 and 4941, Business and Professions Code.
4. Amendment of section heading, first paragraph and subsections (b)(2)(K), (c), (c)(7) and (d)(9), repealer of subsection (i) and amendment of Note filed 5-24-2017; operative 5-24-2017 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2017, No. 21).
5. Change without regulatory effect amending section heading, section and Note filed 4-22-2022 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2022, No. 16).
6. Change without regulatory effect amending article heading filed 3-27-2024 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2024, No. 13).
This database is current through 4/19/24 Register 2024, No. 16.
