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OF ORIENTAL MEDICINE In many places in Asia and the rest of the world, practitioners with training similar to those who have been also board certified by the NCCAOM (National Commission for the Certification of Oriental Medicine), would be called "doctor". Even here in the U.S., some states (like Florida, New Mexico and Arkansas) allow the designation of doctor (or 'physician') for NCCAOM board credentialed practitioners. In some other states, we are licensed primary health care practitioners. In other words, the regulation of acupuncture health care practice differs greatly from state to state. All graduates who qualified to practice in the first few years in this country (from 1980 until perhaps 1985?) were at that time allowed to use the designation "O.M.D." (Oriental Medicine Doctor). Powerful, orthodox lobbyists from other medical professions who were uninformed about Oriental Medicine (and who shall remain nameless) convinced national legislators that this title was undeserved. From this point in time, individual states began to create their own legislation pertaining to acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Although immensely popular in many parts of America, at the time of this writing, Oklahoma does not yet recognize acupuncture or Oriental Medical with regard to legislating its professional practice. My personal view is that when the state of Oklahoma eventually provides official representation for Oriental Medicine professionals, it will probably be in line with some of the states that surround it (e.g., Texas, Missouri, and Colorado). Also as of this writing, a few Clinical Doctorate programs of Oriental Medicine are gaining national accreditation and being implemented at colleges around the country. This will obviously raise the bar of professionalism within our profession, and a "Clin.D.O.M." may well become the minimum level of education and training required to practice Oriental Medicine in this country. However, this will no doubt take some years to develop, and until then the public must do its best to decipher what’s going on locally with regard to Oriental Medicine. The profession’s sometimes ambiguous classification has, if anything, only slowed the inevitable spread of Oriental Medicine throughout the country. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine malpractice insurance is now widely available to its practitioners, and many progressive health insurance networks are including Oriental Medicine services to their coverage plans. A wide variety of supporters from the general public and some patients will sometimes refer to us as "doctors" in recognition of the knowledge, skills and dedication our profession has demonstrated through an effective system of healing. Ultimately, I believe that more important than a title, is the work of positively influencing our medical system and seamlessly integrating ourselves as allied health professionals. | How can TCM help you? | What health problems can TCM treat? | What training/experience do you have? | How much does it cost? | | Eastern Healing Arts - Trad'l Chinese Medicine | Testimonials | Common Questions | Privacy Practices | | Return Home | PATIENT ORIENTATION | SERVICES | CONTACT INFO | RESOURCES | News & Events | gawker | |
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