Practitioner Licensing
In many states, acupuncturists are considered independent of primary care providers and have extensive training. The state of Wisconsin requires certified acupuncturists to complete the equivalent of a master's degree program from a nationally accredited professional school and to have passed the national board exam. A typical curriculum is over 3000 hours of in-class and clinical training and would include:
| Oriental Medical Theory | 546 hours |
| Treatment Technique and Theory | 378 hours |
| Western Biomedicine | 721 hours |
| Personal Development | 259 hours |
| Clinical Training | 1032 hours |
| Herbal Medicine | 413 hours |
A short list of the many courses such a practitioner has completed:
- Anatomy
- Physical Exam
- Nutrition
- Pharmacology
- Diagnosis and Evaluation
- Clinical Research and Design
- Orthopedic Evaluation
- Neurological Evaluation
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Clinical Counseling
- Clinical Science
- Pathophysiology
- Oriental Medicine
- Herbology
- Tai Qi and Qi Gong
Sometimes, other medical practitioners may legally be allowed to perform acupuncture and oriental medicine. But they are not held to the same standards of hours or training as formally certified acupuncturists. Patients are encouraged to ask their provider questions such as:
- Where they received their training?
- How long they have practiced?
- What is their success rate?
- how many hours of training did they receive?