Education Standards
Little Hover Commission 2004
Regulation of Acupuncture: A Complementary Therapy Framework
As of July 2004, ACAOM requires schools to have a minimum of 2,625 hours for its Oriental medicine accreditation, which includes both acupuncture and herbs.113 California's current requirement is 2,348 hours, but effective January 1, 2005, California's standard will increase to 3,000 hours. California's curriculum requirements also are more specific than ACAOM's.
While some respondents indicated that ACAOM's standards were geared to the "lowest common denominator," there is other evidence that ACAOM's standards are more rigorous. ACAOM, for instance, has denied and also terminated the accreditation of schools that the California Acupuncture Board continued to approve.114
Respondents provided numerous positive comments about the staff at both the Acupuncture Board and the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. However, UCSF researchers also were told repeatedly that California's staff seemed to be overburdened and did not have adequate resources to perform their required duties.115