As a prerequisite for acupuncturist registration, practitioners are required to complete continuing acupuncture education.

Acupuncturists need to complete at least 17 hours of continuing acupuncture education every 12 months. CAE hours should be counted from December 1 - November 30. The Approved Courses List gives four types of courses: General, Herbal, Ethics, Practice Management/General and Biomedicine as well as whether the course is offered as a live lecture, distance learning or the internet.

Documentation of CE courses shall be made available to the Board upon request, but should not be submitted with the registration. Random audits will be made to assure compliance.

If you have any questions regarding continuing education requirements, please email us at registrations@tmb.state.tx.us .

The required hours shall be from courses that meet at least one of the qualificaitons listed below:

• designated or otherwise approved for credit by the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners based on a review and recommendation of the course content by the Education Committee of the board  (see “Board Approved CAE Courses” tab below),
• are offered by Approved Providers  (see “Board Approved CAE Providers” tab below),
• have been approved for CAE credit for a minimum of 3 years by another state acupuncture board after having gone through a formal approval process,
• approved by the NCCAOM for professional development activity credit, OR
• provided outside the United States by a provider of continuing acupuncture education that are acceptable to the Board.

To ensure compliance with Board Rules, the 17 hours must include include the following core hours: 

• At least 4 hours in general acupuncture therapies
• At least 2 hours in ethics and safety
• At least 3 hours in herbology
• At least 2 hours of biomedicine
• At least 2 hours in courses that primarily relate to business practices or office administration

Other course requirements:

• At least 9 hours each year must be approved for credit by the Education Committee of the board, offered by approved providers, or approved for CAE for 3 years by another state
• No more than a total of 8 hours per year completed under NCCAOM or provided outside the United States

Courses may be taught through live lecture, distance learning, or the Internet.

An acupuncturist must report on the registration permit application if she or he has completed the required CAE.

There is a maximum of 34 total excess credit hours that may be carried forward and a limit of two years from the date of the annual registration following the period during which the hours were earned. Excess hours are applied/reported according to their Category.   See Board Rule 183.20 for additional information.

Exemptions:

A licensee may request in writing an exemption* for the following reasons:

• the licensee's catastrophic illness;
• the licensee's military service of longer than one year's duration;
• the licensee's residence of longer than one year's duration outside the United States; or
• good cause shown submitted in writing by the licensee that gives satisfactory evidence to the board that the licensee is unable to comply with the requirement for continuing education.

*Exemptions are reviewed on a case by case basis and must be requested in writing at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the license.  An exemption may not exceed one registration period, but may be renewed, subject to approval.

Acupuncture Continuing Education Exemption Request Form