FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A1:  A former Diplomate (anyone who was once certified by the NCCAOM) will be able to apply under the new Time-limited Reinstatement Route. The requirements listed below must be submitted within the 6-month open application period.

A.   Active Acupuncture State License:

An applicant must document they have an active state acupuncture license that is free of disciplinary action at the time they apply for reinstatement. The applicant must also submit documentation validating continuous state licensure that is clear of disciplinary actions during the terminated period. This includes all states where a license was or is currently held. Applicants with disciplinary actions may be considered and will follow the  NCCAOM^® Code of Ethics, NCCAOM^® Grounds for Professional Discipline, and NCCAOM^® Procedures for Upholding Professional Conduct.

B.   CPR:

Applicants must submit a CPR Certificate of Completion completed within four (4) years prior to their reinstatement application date. Only one (1) CPR Certificate is submitted for the reinstatement process. Four (4) PDA/CEU points may be applied to the Core Competency category.

C.   Safety:

      Applicants must complete a 2-hour safety (SA) course (2 PDA/CEU points) within four (4) years of the reinstatement application submission date.

D.  Ethics:

      Applicants must complete a 2-hour ethics (ET) course (2 PDA/CEU points) within four (4) years of the reinstatement application submission date.

E.  Clean Needle Technique (CNT):

Documentation for the original Clean Needle Technique course offered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (CCAHM) must be recorded on file of applicant’s online certification account. Applicants must also complete CCAHM’s online course CNT Review Course: Acupuncture Safety within four (4) years of the reinstatement application submission date. CNT Review course is not required for reinstatement to Chinese Herbology Certification. Applicants may report the CNT Review Course: Acupuncture Safety for 4 PDA/CEU credits to their reinstatement transcript.

F.  Background Screening:

      Applicants must complete background screening through NCCAOM’s vendor, Private Eyes. The minimal fee $30 is paid directly to the vendor.

G.  Core Competency Maintenance:

Documentation of PDAs/CEUs in the Core Competency categories are required based on each individual’s certification expiration date.  All PDA/CEUs may be earned as coursework completed in a classroom or e-learning environment and may be earned at any point of time during the individual’s terminated period.

H.  Reinstatement Safety Evaluation:

All applicants must pass the NCCAOM^® Reinstatement Safety-Evaluation by 75%. The Safety Evaluation is a set of 50 questions completed online in the allotted time of one (1) hour. If the applicant scores less than 75%, five (5) PDAs/CEUs in continuing education coursework must be completed in each weak domain area. There is no fee for taking the safety-evaluation.

H.  Reinstatement Final Assessment (8+ years Terminated):

Applicants who are terminated  for eight (8) years or more must successfully pass the NCCAOM^® Reinstatement Final Assessment by 75%. Fifty (50) questions are on the Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology Assessment which must be completed online in one (1) hour. Oriental Medicine has 75 questions and applicants are given one (1) hour and 15 minutes to complete the Assessment. Scores less than 75% require the applicant to complete five (5) PDAs/CEUs in each weak domain area and then retake the Final Assessment. There is a $40 fee for each attempt to pass the assessment.

H.  Reinstatement Application:

Submission of the NCCAOM^® Reinstatement to Active Certification Status Application is located in the former Diplomate’s online account. Instructions on “How to Complete a Reinstatement Application” are available on the website for applicants to view the steps of the online application.
The NCCAOM staff have created a Reinstatement Requirement Calculator, available on the NCCAOM website, to help calculate the number of points and fees for each applicant. To stay within the 12-month application validity timeline, it is recommended that applicants report their PDA/CEU certificates in their online Certification account before submitting their reinstatement application.

A2: All former Diplomates in Terminated status already have an Online Portal with the NCCAOM.   Within the portal, there are two links which must be used to complete the eligibility requirements for reinstatement:

Report Reinst. CE – A designated area where all PDA/CEU requirements are reported, and PDA/CEU certificates of completion uploaded.

Reinstate App  – This link is used to access the NCCAOM^® Reinstatement to Active Certification Application. All NCCAOM application fees must be paid by credit card at the time of application submission. If payment is not made when the application is submitted, the system will time-out in 24 hours and the application must be re-started. Each applicant must be prepared to upload the following documents during their application process:

A.   A copy of each state license(s) to practice acupuncture. If the applicant practiced in different states during the terminated the years, all licenses must be reported;

B.   Proof of a free and clear active license for the current state in which the applicant is licensed. This document can be obtained from the state regulatory agency website or requested from the agency;

C.   Certificates of completion for CPR, Safety, and Ethics Coursework.

NOTE:  The applicant may complete the requirements in any order. However, it is strongly recommended to Report CE first, prior to submitting a Reinstatement application (Reinstate App.).
REMINDER: The Reinstatement application is valid for 12 months.  If requirements for certification are not met within 12, the applicant must reapply.

A3: JOBS!. As acupuncture and herbal medicine (AHM) becomes more widely accepted in the United States and with the opioid crisis bringing to the forefront the need for non-pharmaceutical treatment methods, employers, such as the Veterans Administration and federal government agencies, as well as third-party payors, are requiring NCCAOM certification. In addition, federal agencies rely on national standards such as NCCAOM National Board Certification. Twenty-seven (27) states require NCCAOM certification to ensure a national standard of competency knowledge.

A4: Yes, all PDA/CEU points earned may be counted toward the total due based on your NCCAOM^® Certification expiration date. In order to use the coursework for both, an eligibility requirement and towards the total PDA/CEU count due, the certificate of completion must be uploaded twice: Once during the application process and a second time as part of the “Report Reinst. CE” upload to the PDA/CEU transcript.

A5:The Core Competency categories consist of AHM theory and foundations of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, biomedicine, safety, ethics, patient communications, legal and regulatory compliance. The Core Competency categories are listed in the NCCAOM^® Recertification Handbook on pages 11-14.

A6: The number of points is determined by the amount of time an individual’s certification is past its expiration date. The NCCAOM staff have created a Reinstatement requirement calculator, available on the NCCAOM website, to help calculate the number of points and fees for each application. The calculator will require the individual to enter the NCCAOM certification expiration date in order to receive the exact requirements for PDA/CEU points and application fees necessary to return to active NCCAOM certification status. The applicant can access their NCCAOM Certification expiration date in the NCCAOM Registry.

A7: Every practitioner who was NCCAOM certified at any point of time since 1982 is listed in the NCCAOM Registry. Applicants can locate their NCCAOM ID# and NCCAOM Certification expiration date in the Registry.

A8: If an applicant is not able to locate their information in the NCCAOM Registry, they should contact NCCAOM via email at [email protected] for help. Each situation is unique and will require an additional investigation on a case by case basis.

A9:The NCCAOM^® Reinstatement to Active Certification Application is currently available in the applicant’s Certification account. How to Submit the Application for Reinstatement provides information and screen shots of the application process.

A10:Yes, you may submit PDA/CEU courses that you are currently taking to meet reinstatement requirements. The total PDA/CEU points due is the documentation of competency maintenance during the terminated period (i.e., 60 PDAs/CEUs per each four (4) year NCCAOM recertification cycle). All PDAs/CEUs must be earned in coursework completed in a classroom or e-learning environment in the Core Competency recertification category only.

• One PDA/CEU is equal to one hour of active, instructor-led learning.
• CEU certificates submitted and approved for state license renewal may be submitted for reinstatement.
• One credit earned in a formal degree program (e.g., DACM, DAOM, etc.) reported on a school transcript is equal to fifteen (15) PDAs/CEUs.

A11: Yes. The time-limited reinstatement process closed on June 30, 2022. Former applicants who did not satisfy the prior reinstatement requirements must resubmit the current NCCAOM^® Reinstatement to Active Certification Application and meet all eligibility requirements as of July 1, 2022.

A12:Yes. An applicant must document they have an active state license that is free of disciplinary action at the time they apply for reinstatement. The applicant must also submit documentation validating a continuous state licensure that is clear of disciplinary actions during the terminated period. This includes all states where a license was or is currently held. Applicants with disciplinary actions may be considered and will follow the NCCAOM’s current NCCAOM^® Procedures for Upholding Professional Conduct.

A13: NCCAOM policy requires Diplomates to return to active status in their original certification(s).  Former Diplomates who held certifications in both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology must first return to Active status in each certification. However, the required 60 hours of coursework per recertification cycle can be applied to both certifications. Once certified in both programs, the Diplomate has the option to apply for NCCAOM^® Conversion to Oriental Medicine.

A14: No. An applicant must hold an active, free and clear state license at the time of application. All applicants for NCCAOM Certification via Reinstatement must hold a continuous and active state acupuncture license that is in good standing. Verification of all licenses must be provided during the online application process and copies of all licenses attached. It is an applicant’s responsibility to provide proof of their current free and clear active license from the state acupuncture board at the time of the application submission.

A15: The NCCAOM^® Reinstatement to Active Certification Application expires 12 months from the date the application submission date. All documents must be reported to the applicant’s online Certification account before the application expires. The former Diplomate can report course certificates into their online educational transcript at any time. It is advised to report all PDA/CEU certificates and other required documents before submitting the reinstatement application. Please contact [email protected] if assistance is needed to access the Certification portal.

A16: Licensure requirements vary from state to state; therefore, it is important to contact the state licensing board before applying for licensure. Some states require that candidates for state licensure send their NCCAOM exam results, while other states only require demonstration of NCCAOM Certification; therefore, the NCCAOM cannot guarantee portability to practice in any other state. For details on each state’s regulatory requirements for licensure as an acupuncturist, please see the interactive NCCAOM State Regulatory Map.

A17: Yes. A state license to practice and NCCAOM National Board Certification are two completely different credentials and have to be obtained and maintained separately. Maintaining one does not guarantee for the other. However, earned PDAs/CEUs can be used for both the state license renewal and the NCCAOM recertification. To maintain an NCCAOM Certification, a Diplomate must recertify every four (4) years by completing all recertification requirements (NCCAOM^® Recertification Handbook, pg. 11) and submitting the online NCCAOM^® Recertification Application.

A18: Diplomates are required to maintain their NCCAOM Certification by meeting recertification requirements every four (4) years. Sixty (60) hours of professional development and a current CPR certification are required in the four-year recertification cycle. A minimum of thirty (30) hours of continuing education coursework is required in the Core Competency Section. Current NCCAOM recertification requirements can be found in the NCCAOM^® Recertification Handbook, pages 11-14.