A Perspective of Acupuncture Education in the United States
Abstract Acupuncture education in the United States has a history of almost 50 years. The entry-level professional training dates back to the 1980’s as a milestone establishment of Council of Colleges of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) and National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Besides mainland China, America has the largest organized and influential acupuncture and Chinese Medicine education system in the world. Now 54 accredited acupuncture colleges have offered Master’s Programs, Professional Doctoral Programs, and Advanced Practical Doctorial (DAOM) Programs in comprehensive standards and competencies. Although there are some challenging issues, acupuncture education trends move forward into entry-level doctoral level training, regional and national accreditation, and system-based education, which will lead this profession to play a great role in ...