Texas Laws & Details

Formal Education Requirements:  Graduation from a board-approved school of not less than six terms in residence of four months each for a total of not less than 1,800 instructional hours, with at least 2 terms in residence in supervised patient treatment.  The course of study must include anatomy-histology, bacteriology, physiology, symptomatology, pathology, meridian and point locations, hygiene, and public health.  The rules require that a school in the United States be ACAOM accredited or in candidacy status and that foreign schools must be substantially equivalent to a ACAOM approved school.

Undergraduate Requirements: Applicant must have completed at least 60 semester hours of college courses, including basic science courses determined by the advisory board.

Other Eligibility Requirements:   Applicant must be at least 21 years of age.  Applicant must schedule a personal interview at the offices of the Board of Medical Examiners.  Passage of the clean needle technique course offered through the CCAOM is also required.

An applicant for a license to practice acupuncture may not be required to appear before the acupuncture board or a committee of the acupuncture board unless the application raises questions concerning; a physical or mental impairment of the applicant; a criminal conviction of the applicant; or revocation of a professional license held by the applicant.

Written Exam:  Applicant has taken and passed, within three attempts, each component of the full National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) examination.

Reciprocity/Endorsement:  The medical board may waive any license requirement for an applicant after reviewing the applicant's credentials and determining that the applicant holds a license from another state that has license requirements substantially equivalent to those of this state. Applicants who have been licensed in any other state, province, or country shall complete a notarized oath or other verified sworn statement in regard to the following:

• Whether the license, certificate, or authority has been the subject of proceedings against the applicant for the restriction for cause, cancellation for cause, suspension for cause, or revocation of the license, certificate, or authority to practice in the state, province, or country, and if so, the status of such proceedings and any resulting action;
  
  
• Whether an investigation in regard to the applicant is pending in any jurisdiction or a prosecution is pending against the applicant in any state, federal, national, local, or provincial court for any offense that under the laws of the state of Texas is a felony, and if so, the status of such prosecution or investigation.

Medical doctors, osteopaths and dentists may practice acupuncture in Texas without any specific training.

Chiropractors may practice acupuncture if they have successfully completed at least one-hundred (100) hours training in undergraduate or post-graduate classes in the use and administration of acupuncture provided by a bona fide reputable chiropractic school or by an acupuncture school approved by the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners.

or

They have successfully completed either:

• The national standardized certification examination in acupuncture offered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
  
  
• The examination offered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
  
  
• Successfully complete at least one-hundred (100) hours training in the use and administration of acupuncture in a course of study approved by the board.

Existing licensees that have been trained in acupuncture, that have been practicing acupuncture, and that are in good standing with the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners and other jurisdictions where they are licensed, may meet the requirements by counting each year of practice as ten hours of training in the use and administration of acupuncture.


NOTE: Look for a physician with formal training in the practice of acupuncture. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an art and a science that takes years to master. While any licensed physician can stick needles into you, for a positive experience and results, find an acupuncturist with experience treating a similar condition (with acupuncture) to what you have.

Texas Medical Board
333 Guadalupe
Tower 3, Suite 610
Austin, TX 78701

OR

P.O. Box 2018
Austin, TX 78768-2018 [Mailing Address]
(512) 305-7030
(512) 305-7009 (Fax)

Practice Acts:  Texas Statutes:  Chapter 205, Acupuncture Board Rules:  Chapter 183, Chiropractic Board Acupuncture Regulations 22 TAC §75.21

Texas Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
321 W. Ben White Boulevard, Suite 204B
Austin, TX 78704
512-707-8330

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