Acupuncture

Regulations of the Commissioner

Subpart 79-2 Acupuncture

§79-2.1. Professional study of acupuncture.

To meet the professional education requirement for admission to the licensing examination, the applicant shall present evidence of successful completion of the following requirements:

1. Pre-professional education requirement. The applicant shall have completed at least 60 semester hours of study, including at least nine semester hours in the biosciences, creditable as part of one or more college or university programs which are:
   
   
   1. registered by the department pursuant to Part 52 of this Title; or
      
      
   2. offered by a college or university accredited by at least one accrediting agency accepted by the department as a reliable authority for the purpose of accreditation at the post-secondary level, which applies its criteria for granting accreditation in a fair, consistent, and non-discriminatory manner, such as an agency recognized for these purposes by the United States Department of Education; or
      
      
   3. determined by the department to be the equivalent of a program approved pursuant to paragraphs (1) or (2) of this subdivision.
      
      
2. Professional education requirement. The applicant shall have successfully completed a course of study in acupuncture registered by the department pursuant to section 52.16 of this Title or determined by the department to be the equivalent of such a registered program.
   
   

§79-2.2. Licensing examinations.

An applicant may fulfill the examination requirement by submitting evidence of having successfully completed the examination of the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists, or any other examination which the department determines to be the equivalent in terms of content, scoring, administration, security and other comparable factors which affect the validity or integrity of the examination.

§79-2.3. Limited permits in acupuncture.

1. As provided in section 8215 of the Education Law, limited permits may be issued to candidates who have satisfactorily completed the educational requirements set forth in sections 79-2.1 or 79-2.4 (a) or (b) of this Subpart.
   
   
2. Limited permits shall expire one year from the date granted except that such permits may be renewed for one additional year.
   
   
3. Supervision by a licensed or certified acupuncturist as used in Section 8216 of the Education Law shall mean that a supervising acupuncturist shall be on site at all times when professional services are being rendered by the holder of a limited permit and shall exercise that degree of supervision appropriate to the circumstances.
   
   
4. No practitioner shall supervise more than one permittee at any time.
   
   
5. An application for a limited permit or renewal in acupuncture shall be submitted on a form provided by the Department and shall be accompanied by a fee of $70.

§79-2.4. Exemption requirements.

As provided in section 8216(6) of the Education Law, an applicant may be exempt from the education requirements of this Part provided that the applicant submits an application for licensure by May 1, 1992 and either:

1. presents evidence of satisfactory completion of a formal acupuncture education program of no less than 1,100 hours of classroom instruction and supervised clinical acupuncture experience recognized in the jurisdiction in which it was located and satisfactory to the department, or completion of equivalent training satisfactory to the department; and has completed at least 12 months of full-time acupuncture practice in general health problems; or
   
   
2. has completed secondary education and a tutorial apprenticeship acceptable to the department which included anatomy, physiology, pathology; observation, history and physical examination; therapeutic treatment planning; preparation of the patient; sterilization; use and maintenance of equipment; moxibustion; electro-acupuncture; body and auricular acupuncture; treatment of emergencies; when to refer to appropriate health professionals; pre- and post-treatment instructions to the patient; contraindications and precautions; acupuncture channel and point theory; acupuncture physiology; acupuncture technique; clinical examination and diagnosis; and western medical terminology. Such tutorial apprenticeship shall have consisted of a minimum of 3,600 clock hours or the equivalent. Such apprenticeship shall have been under a licensed acupuncturist who can demonstrate at least 10 years full-time experience and who did not supervise more than three apprentices concurrently. In addition, the applicant shall have completed at least 24 months of full-time acupuncture practice in general health problems.