Code of Massachusetts Regulations
243 CMR - BOARD OF REGISTRATION IN MEDICINE
Title 243 CMR 5.00 - The Practice Of Acupuncture
Section 5.03 - Educational Requirements for Full Licensure

(a) An applicant for full licensure shall successfully complete two full academic years (a minimum total of 60 semester accredited hours or 90 quarter accredited hours, or the equivalent) of undergraduate education at:

(b) An applicant's undergraduate or other postsecondary education must include the following:

(c) The postsecondary education shall have been completed at:

(d) Foreign applicants whose post- secondary education combined acupuncture training with college level education must have a minimum of five full academic years of study, of which three full academic years must consist of acupuncture training in a Committee approved school.

(a) graduated from a Committee approved acupuncture school, and

(b) shall have received a minimum of 1,905 hours of clinical/didactic instruction in acupuncture related courses, of which a minimum of 100 hours must be in the supervised diagnosis and treatment of patients for whom the applicant was solely responsible. Courses in anatomy, physiology and other basic sciences do not count towards the 1,905 hour requirement.

(c) As of January 1, 2009, the minimum number of hours of clinical/didactic instruction in acupuncture related courses shall be the minimum number of hours set by the ACAOM, provided however, that the minimum number of hours required shall not be less than 1,905 hours of clinical/didactic instruction in acupuncture related courses. The Committee, in its discretion, may grant a waiver of this requirement for applicants who are licensed acupuncturists in another state. The Committee's minimum number of hours of clinical/didactic instruction in acupuncture related courses shall adjust upwards automatically as of the date that the ACAOM increases its minimum standards.

(d) Foreign applicants whose post-secondary education combined acupuncture training with college level education must have a minimum total of five full academic years of study, of which three full academic years must consist of acupuncture training in a Committee approved school.

(e) An applicant applying for licensure shall have received a minimum of 30 hours of herbal medicine training from a Committee approved school or a Committee approved program.

(f) Licensees who obtained licensure prior to September 1, 1995, and employ herbal therapy, including patent or raw herbs, and who submitted evidence of completion of 150 hours of herbal training by January 1, 1998 may continue to employ herbal therapy provided they meet the continuing education in herbal therapy requirement.

(g) A licensee who is licensed on or after September 1, 1995, and who completed an ACAOM accredited or candidate status oriental medicine program or herbal medicine program or completed an herbal medicine program that the Committee determined was substantially equivalent or exceeded the ACAOM curriculum requirements regarding herbal medicine, may continue to employ herbal therapy, including patent or raw herbs, during the course of treatment if such licensee has obtained Committee approval to employ herbal therapy prior to January 1, 2009, provided the licensee meets the continuing education in herbal therapy requirements.

(h) Approval for Use of Herbal Therapy. A licensee who is licensed on or after January 1, 2009, may obtain Committee approval to employ herbal therapy, including patent or raw herbs, by submitting evidence of one of the following:

(i) Continuing Education Requirements. All licensees approved by the Committee to use herbal therapy in their practice of acupuncture must have at least ten hours of training directly related to Herbology as part of their 30 hours of continuing education credits. In addition, the licensee must have at least 15 hours of continuing acupuncture education credits directly related to acupuncture. In no event shall the applicant use herbal therapy in his/her acupuncture practice unless the applicant has at least 30 hours of continuing acupuncture education biennially, of which five hours may be indirectly related to acupuncture or herbology.