If you have an interest in acupuncture as a career, this is your guide on how to become an acupuncturist.
Acupuncture is a three-millennia-old Chinese healing therapy. It is based on the belief that the body has an energy flow, and that when this flow is disrupted you fall sick.
Acupuncture as an alternative medicine practice has become popular in the Western world recently.
Acupuncturists use tiny needles to stimulate the flow of energy through their proper channels -removing any blockages in their path.
The ancient healing therapy is today helping people deal with chronic pain, migraines, depression, and anxiety.
How To Become An Acupuncturist – License Requirements
If you wish to become a licensed acupuncturist, you will need to complete an acupuncture course from a recognized institution. Once you have completed the course (which usually lasts three years), you can sit for the licensing exams which are held in many US states. The National Certification Commission For Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine also holds licensing exams that an aspiring acupuncturist can take.
Beginning Your Career
Once you have understood how to become an acupuncturist, you will need to start looking at career prospects. About twenty years back, acupuncture was an unknown word in the US. Practitioners were few, schools nonexistent, and a career in the field was limited to treatment of expatriate Asians. Things are very different today.
A licensed acupuncturist can earn around $50,000 at the beginning of his career, and can work in centers of natural healing, spas, or team up with other practitioners of alternate therapies. Many US states allow acupuncturists to diagnose people in the same capacity as a health care provider.
Some licensed practitioners go on to start their own businesses.
Starting A Business As An Acupuncturist
Learning how to become an acupuncturist is not just about the practical and theoretical aspects of the medicine. If you want to be your own boss, you also need to learn how to operate an acupuncture business. You must be able to run a clinic, fill in for the receptionist on her day off, and delegate tasks shrewdly. You need to understand how to manage time wisely because you will have two jobs – acupuncture specialist and business administrator.
You will need additional licenses for running a business. You will also have to understand the system of taxation for the business. There will be paperwork as well, and a business plan will have to be chalked out. Delegate some of these jobs to lawyers and part-time accountants if possible to save yourself undue efforts.
Your clients are not going to be very healthy people, or else they wouldn’t be coming to you. They will have special needs – wheelchairs, stair ramps, comfortable waiting areas, clean toilets, etc. Consider working in partnership if you feel that you will be unable to manage the entire business on your own. Having a few years of industry experience when you start out on a business venture is always a good idea.
The field is challenging, and the career choices many. Whether you work as a paid employee, a non-profit volunteer, or a business person, you will experience the joy of helping people find health and happiness when you learn how to become an acupuncturist.
