With A.B. 918, legislation that would replace California's acupuncture licensing exam (CALE) with one or more National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine exams as determined by the board, generating considerable debate, the legislation has become a two-year bill. This is generally reserved for legislation introduced early in the first half of a session that may not be able to meet specific progress deadlines mandated by the legislature.
According to the California State Oriental Medicine Association in announcing the change to its members: "In the world of legislative policy, this means:
Acupuncture stays on the table and top of mind for California policymakers;
We now have MORE time to collaborate with allied professions and acupuncture stakeholders;
Potential additions and enhancements can be made to the existing bill, to even better serve our profession."
Introduced on Feb. 17, 2021, by Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva, A.B. 918 would "amend Section 4938 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts" to require that an applicant for an acupuncture license in California, among other stipulations, obtain "a passing score on one or more examinations administered by the [NCCAOM], as determined by the board based on the skills, standards, and knowledge required for licensure pursuant to this act." Among several concerns voiced thus far regarding the current bill text is whether CALE should remain as an exam option.
Click here to track the progress of A.B. 918, including any amendments from the original and its progress through the California Assembly & Senate.
A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.
Acupuncture can be highly effective in cases of nasal congestion so common in allergy presentations; so much so that I often treat such issues using acupuncture protocols alone. In cases of seasonal allergies with highly predictable causes such as obvious elevations of environmental allergens, I use a skeleton acupuncture prescription that can easily be fleshed out to target potential underlying patterns and effectively customized to the patient.
The field of acupuncture in the U.S. continues to grow in visibility, patient demand and clinical effectiveness. Yet behind the curtain, many acupuncturists are quietly struggling to keep their doors open. While the profession is rooted in centuries of healing tradition, modern economic pressures – particularly those driven by insurance limitations, low reimbursement rates and job-market saturation – are making it increasingly difficult for licensed acupuncturists to thrive.
