Acupuncture Schools - Choosing An Acupuncture Career

Choosing an acupuncture career can be a great lifetime choice. If you've reached this site you may be already considering a career in acupuncture. We have compiled various resources to help you learn more about the ancient practice of acupuncture and  how and  where you can earn a certificate or degree in acupuncture and what it is like to work in the field of acupuncture.

We list accredited programs where you can learn acupuncture and turn it into a lifetime career. Some of our listings are schools devoted to acupuncture and alternative medicine, naturopathic schools and some are certificate or degree programs at regular colleges. Our hope is that you'll be able to find the right acupuncture program for you and start down the path to a rewarding career as an acupuncturist.

Acupuncture has been practiced in China for at least 2,000 years or some say it is more possibly like 3,000 years or so. One of the main tenets of Oriental medicine (traditional Asian medicine and healing) is that our bodies require an uninterrupted flow of what is known as Qi or Chi – life energy. Qi runs through channels (called meridians) and connects all of our organs. And when Qi becomes blocked or unbalanced, a physical or mental ailment may result. Acupuncture is just one way to un-block a patient’s Qi and restore the person to good or proper health.

Acupuncturists learn just how to diagnose the ailments of a patient and how to treat them using very thin stainless-steel needles inserted into specific points on the surface of the skin. The insertion of these acupuncture needles triggers certain biochemical/physiological reactions in the body and this promotes healing.

As acupuncture has become more popular over the years, governments have recognized it as a valuable form of medicine and seek to regulate it. In most states in the United States as well as in many other countries, training and certification are required in order to practice acupuncture. Most, but not all, states require students to complete a 3-5 year program from an accredited acupuncture school and then pass a state board exam in order to become licensed. You can also be certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)– practitioners with this certification can use the title Dipl.Ac. (Diplomate of Acupuncture). Check with your state professional licensing division to see if licensure is required in your state, or call you local naturopathic college.

There is great career growth potential in this field. Our advanced medicine has proven the effectiveness of many treatments that have been practiced in other countries for many centuries; as a result, more and more insurance companies are covering alternative treatments. In some states, an acupuncturist can be chosen as the primary care physician.

Acupuncture benefits are particularly effective at relieving or treating chronic muscle pain, stress, and PMS, just to name a few symptoms. Acupuncture is also used for arthritis, headaches, migraine headaches, to quit smoking, or to stop smoking, weight loss, fertiilty, fibromyalgia, depression, insomnia, face lifts as in facial acupuncture, back pain, high blood pressure, pregnancy, cosmetic, anxiety, Crohn's disease, asthma, dog acupuncture and veterinary acupuncture.

So as an acupuncturist you could choose to have a cosmetic acupuncture or facial acupuncture practice or run a veterinary acupuncture clinic.

Acupuncturists can expect to make about $45,000 to start out and can double that amount after a few years experience. Some practitioners start their own business and some work in a small clinic; some work in tandem and offer acupuncture and other therapy, treatment and services with naturopaths, chiropractors or other doctors in centers for Oriental medicine.