How do I know my acupuncturist is safe and competent?

An important question for any potential acupuncture patient is “How do I know my acupuncturist is safe and competent?”  Statutory Regulation will help with this – but is not yet with us, and in any case needs to be backed up with systems specifying the standards that acupuncturists have to meet to qualify for state registration.

This is where BAAB comes in.  BAAB has for some years now been working to raise educational standards in acupuncture.  It has drawn up standards and has a specialist subcommittee that nominates accreditation teams which goes around the country visiting colleges and universities, recommending for accreditation only those colleges and courses that meet its high standards.  BAAB is proud to be serving the public in this function as well as doing a service to the acupuncture profession.   Both BAAB and its subcommittee have members with a specific remit to represent the public interest in decision-making (the rest of the membership compromises mainly educationalists and professional acupuncturists). Both bodies have a non-acupuncturist chairman (chairwoman to be precise) to ensure a balanced point of view.  The accreditation system means that potential patients can be assured that acupuncturists who have graduated from an accredited establishment have had a thorough and rigorous grounding in both the theory and practice of acupuncture.   Students who want to enrol for training as an acupuncturist can be sure of the quality of the course and its delivery.

The standards BAAB promotes are those expected of health professionals who aspire to qualify for Statutory Registration as an acupuncturist.  The current voluntary system does not cover all those who practise as acupuncturists at present but can guarantee the quality of training for a sizeable proportion.  Members of the public wanting to know more about the standards that have to be met can read the Boards Essential Requirements and the Annual Report.

If you would like to find an Acupuncturist in your area please check the BAcC Website.