Acupuncturist

Diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. May also use cups, nutritional supplements, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and other alternative health therapies.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Acupuncture Doctor; Acupuncture Physician; Acupuncture Provider; Acupuncturist; Chinese Medical Doctor (Chinese MD); Chinese Medicine Doctor; Herbalist; Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC); Oriental Medicine Provider; Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor

Tasks

• Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
• Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
• Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
• Identify correct anatomical and proportional point locations based on patients' anatomy and positions, contraindications, and precautions related to treatments, such as intradermal needles, moxibustion, electricity, guasha, or bleeding.
• Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
• Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
• Evaluate treatment outcomes and recommend new or altered treatments as necessary to further promote, restore, or maintain health.
• Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients.
• Maintain detailed and complete records of health care plans and prognoses.
• Educate patients on topics, such as meditation, ergonomics, stretching, exercise, nutrition, the healing process, breathing, or relaxation techniques.
• Assess patients' general physical appearance to make diagnoses.
• Analyze physical findings and medical histories to make diagnoses according to Oriental medicine traditions.
• Consider Western medical procedures in health assessment, health care team communication, and care referrals.
• Dispense herbal formulas and inform patients of dosages and frequencies, treatment duration, possible side effects, and drug interactions.
• Apply heat or cold therapy to patients using materials, such as heat pads, hydrocollator packs, warm compresses, cold compresses, heat lamps, or vapor coolants.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Medicine and Dentistry
• Psychology
• Biology
• English Language
• Administrative
• Therapy and Counseling
• Administration and Management
• Education and Training
• Sales and Marketing
• Economics and Accounting

Skills

• Active Listening
• Critical Thinking
• Speaking
• Reading Comprehension
• Monitoring
• Writing
• Active Learning

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Near Vision
• Written Comprehension
• Inductive Reasoning
• Written Expression
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Finger Dexterity
• Speech Clarity
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Flexibility of Closure
• Selective Attention
• Speech Recognition