Editor's Note: Article submitted by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) is excited to announce a new route for certification reinstatement. The new route is expected to go live on Dec. 10, 2019. Former diplomates who at one time held NCCAOM certification and are now in terminated status can utilize this route to return to active status. This route was created as a result of valuable feedback by former diplomates and other stakeholders requesting a way to return to active status without testing.
As NCCAOM certification is now required as the national standard for the practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine by federal agencies, the Veterans Administration, and many employers and insurance companies, it was important for the NCCAOM to re-examine its reinstatement route by establishing a Reinstatement Taskforce.
No More Exam Requirement; 18-Month Route Window
The new reinstatement route, approved by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA, the accrediting body for NCCAOM certification programs) will be available for 18 months, during which time the NCCAOM board and staff will be working to develop a solution for a revised permanent reinstatement route. The NCCAOM is retiring the current reinstatement exam as of Dec. 31, 2019.
Any reinstatement route must ensure that former diplomates demonstrate evidence of maintenance of competencies in the core knowledge areas of foundations of Oriental medicine theory, biomedicine, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. (Chinese herbal medicine continued competencies are required Oriental Medicine and Chinese Herbology certifications only.) The new reinstatement option requires demonstration of competency maintenance through Professional Development Activity (PDA) / CEU points. The number of points is determined by the amount of time an individual's certification is past its expiration date.
The NCCAOM staff have created a reinstatement requirement calculator, available on the NCCAOM website, to help calculate the number of points and fees for each application. The reinstatement calculator will require the individual to enter the NCCAOM certification expiration date in order to receive the exact requirements for PDA / CEU credits and application fees necessary to return to active NCCAOM certification status.
New REinstatement Route Eligibility Requirements
A. Maintenance of a continuous active State license(s) free and clear of any and all disciplinary actions. This includes any and all state(s) where a license was or is currently held. Applicants with disciplinary actions may be considered and will follow the NCCAOM's current NCCAOM Code of Ethics, NCCAOM Grounds for Professional Discipline, and NCCAOM Procedures for Upholding Professional Conduct.
B. Completion of a CPR certificate within the four (4) years prior to the application date.
C. Completion of a two-hour, NCCAOM PDA-approved safety (SA) course within the four (4) years prior to the application date.
D. Completion of a two-hour, NCCAOM PDA-approved ethics (ET) course within the four (4) years prior to the application date.
E. Documentation of the face-to-face Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) Clean Needle Technique (CNT) certificate of completion on file with the NCCAOM, and completion of the CCAOM online CNT and Blood Borne Pathogen review course within the four (4) years prior to the application date (not required for Chinese Herbology certification reinstatement).
F. Completion of a background screening application through the NCCAOM's background screening vendor, Private Eyes. The minimal fee of $30 is paid directly to the vendor.
G. Documentation of PDAs/CEUs in the Core Competency categories are required based on each individual's certification expiration date. All PDAs / CEUs may be earned at any point of time during the individual's terminated period. An individual whose certification has been terminated for more than 12 years will have to report a specific number of PDAs / CEUs required in each core domain area.
H. Submission of the NCCAOM Reinstatement to Active Certification Status Application. The application will be available online as of Dec. 10, 2019 and is valid for six (6) months. If requirements for certification are not met within six months of application validity time, the applicant must reapply.
The NCCAOM recommends applicants gather PDA / CEU certificates and upload them prior to submission of the application to meet the six-month application timeline. We have developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for the NCCAOM Time-limited Reinstatement Route to Active Certification that can be found on the NCCAOM website. Click here to access the FAQ.
We look forward to providing this new 18-month time-limited route for former diplomates in terminated status to regain their NCCAOM certification. The NCCAOM Customer Relations Team may be contacted at reinstatement@thenccaom.org.
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