It is very interesting to read any article about the curricula used in Medical School for training specialists in the ancient Oriental practice of acupuncture. One of the journals that explicitly deal with this issue is the ‘Medical Acupuncture Journal’. This journal goes a long way to show that in-depth training is very beneficial to physicians who train for the 300 hours that are customary in medical acupuncture.

Acupuncture is one of the leading medical healing arts and should not be compromised by nonchalant recipes. Physicians must have thorough and consistent training in acupuncture. This should not just revolve around clinical methods. Instead, more emphasis must be laid on techniques for actual needling and theories behind different combinations of needles. Differentiating the actual patterns is of great importance in effecting treatment for chronic and complex diseases.

Acupuncturists who have licenses and physicians who perform acupuncture also need to be evaluated by the same clinical competency levels that are required by national standards as enforced by government recognized commissions.

The 1999 meeting of the WHO in Italy set a number of standards that regulate acupuncture as performed by physicians. The recommended number is 1500 hours. Additionally, physicians should train for 300 hours if they are to oversee any acupuncture research project. However, these physicians should not perform the acupuncture personally.

The United States Department of Education currently only recognizes the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Studies (ACAOM) as the agency that can accredit schools of acupuncture. For new practitioners of acupuncture, the ACAOM has a requirement of 1455 hours for comprehensive instruction and monitored clinical training. However, this period is not inclusive of the more than 1000 training hours that are required to gain knowledge in Chinese formulas/herbs and biomedicine.

Physicians who have completed courses in medical acupuncture are aware of what such programs entail. Added advantages also arise from completing 3-year full time programs designed for Oriental Medicine. Experience in education has a gigantic impact on furthering the skills needed for perfect acupuncture. It also leads to a better comprehension of Oriental Medicine in addition to painting a vivid picture of the hardships and challenges that arise as a result of recalcitrant and chronic disease.

Every health care professional must be evaluated by the minimum standards that are required for entry-level acupuncture. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture should seriously reconsider this issue and revisit the option of increasing the hours of training to encompass more education in the techniques of needling and in supervising the treatment of patients.

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