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ACCREDITATION AND
LICENSURE
CANADA
ONTARIO
Previously, the practice of acupuncture was unregulated in Ontario.
Legislation regulating the practice of traditional Chinese medicine
(TCM) received Royal Assent on December 20, 2006 and specific
sections of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act 2006 are now
law in Ontario.
As a result of the new law:
- A self-governing profession will be created with the authority
to set standards of practice and entry to practice requirements
for the profession
- A new, self-financing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario will be established,
with the mandate of insuring that the profession is regulated
in the interest of the public
- The scope of practice and titles that may be used by certain
members of the profession have been defined
- The performance of acupuncture will be restricted to members
of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners
and Acupuncturists of Ontario, members of certain other regulated
health professions and when acupuncture is performed as part
of an addiction treatment program and the person performs the
acupuncture within a health facility
A Transitional Council has been formed and is in the process of
setting up the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners
and Acupuncturists of Ontario. It is anticipated that the
newly formed College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners
and Acupuncturists of Ontario will take 2-3 years to set standards
and be ready to accept members. It is expected that Ontario’s
regulatory college will form similar requirements to those of British
Columbia.
Ontario may indeed follow the Core Competencies of Regulated Acupuncturists
in Canada (entry-level knowledge, skills and abilities), approved
as Appendix A of the Mutual Recognition Agreement developed by
the representatives of Regulatory Authorities from Quebec, Alberta
and British Columbia in November 2001. The Professional Diploma
of Acupuncture and Moxibustion offered by Ongiara College exceeds
the Standards of Competency and the Specific Competencies detailed
in the above document. While students at Ongiara will receive a
firm foundation in the core competencies as currently laid out
in the CTCMA guidelines and exceed both instructional and clinical
hours, completion of Ongiara’s program does not automatically
confer the right to practice in Ontario.
QUEBEC, ALBERTA AND BRITISH
COLUMBIA
These provinces are currently the only three (plus Ontario) to
regulate the practice of acupuncture, although there are Acupuncture
Associations and practitioners in other provinces. British Columbia
is the only province to regulate both acupuncture and traditional
Chinese medicine.
Alberta has regulations under the Health Disciplines Act (1991)
administered by the Alberta Acupuncture Board.
British Columbia has regulations under the Health Professions
Act with guidelines for an education/training program, issued by the College
of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British
Columbia (CTCMA).
Quebec has regulations under the Medical Act, R.S.Q.c.M-9
administered by the Corporation professionnelle des medecins du Quebec.
If you intend to practice in an as yet unregulated province, we
suggest you contact local Acupuncture Associations and/or practitioners
for further information, as well as the relevant government department(s).
USA
ACAOM
The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) is the national accreditation agency
recognized by the US Department of Education to accredit programs
in the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession.
Ongiara College wishes to enter into the accreditation process
with the ACAOM and this is a process with a clearly defined timetable.
Information is available at: www.acaom.org/
NCCAOM
The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine was established in 1982 to establish, assess and promote
recognized standards of competence and safety in acupuncture
and Oriental medicine. Its acupuncture examination consists of
3 modules: Acupuncture, Point Location, Biomedicine. NCCAOM
Certification allows the designation "Diplomate in Acupuncture
or Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)". Many US states require NCCAOM
certification as a condition of licensing.
Candidates applying for NCCAOM Certification in Acupuncture who
have graduated from an educational institution outside the United
States must submit a Foreign Education Review Application (FERA)
directly to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers (AACRAO). AACRAO determines whether the
course an applicant has taken is equivalent to the Accreditation
Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental medicine (ACAOM) curricular
requirements.
NCCAOM publishes a list of schools outside the United States that
have been previously evaluated by AACRAO and where, after a case-by-case
evaluation of each applicant's transcript, the program of education
completed at that school is substantially equivalent to a program
at a school accredited by ACAOM.
Graduates from a school on this list will not automatically be
regarded as eligible for NCCAOM certification but will still need
to have their graduation transcript individually evaluated by AACRAO
to ensure that it is substantially equivalent to an ACAOM approved
program. Three Canadian schools/colleges currently appear
on this list.
Graduates from educational institutions based in Canada that are
either accredited or a candidate for accreditation by ACAOM do
not need to submit a FERA to AACRAO.
Information is available at: www.nccaom.org/educatedoutus.htm
CNT
Successful completion of the Clean Needle Technique (CNT) course,
administered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (CCAOM) is one of the requirements for NCCAOM certification.
Information is available at: www.ccaom.org/CNTOver.html
NEW YORK STATE
In order to practice acupuncture in New York, the applicant must
- have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours of study with
at least 9 hours of biosciences at an accredited institution prior to
application to an acupuncture program
- have successfully completed a course of study in acupuncture
registered by the state education department or determined by
the department to be the equivalent of such a registered program
- successfully complete the NCCAOM exam
- be a minimum of 21 years of age
The recommended course of study must provide 4050 hours
(classroom instruction, supervised clinical experience and independent
study assignments), including 200 hours of biosciences, 600 hours
of acupuncture instruction and 650 hours of supervised clinical
experience: the Ongiara Professional Diploma of Acupuncture and
Moxibustion exceeds these requirements.
United Kingdom
BAcC
Applicants from abroad may apply to join the British Acupuncture
Council. The whole process is described on their website
at www.acupuncture.org.uk . Ongiara
College believes that its Professional Diploma of Acupuncture and
Moxibustion would fulfill the course requirements laid down by
the BAcC. Ongiara College has used and will continue to use
principles and procedures established by the British Acupuncture
Accreditation Board in the development and ongoing running of its
program.
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Ongiara College
of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
1198 Ridge Rd. North, Ridgeway, Ontario, Canada, L0S 1N0. Telephone (905) 894 1323
info@ongiaracollege.ca
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