| --Type Summary Here-- |
| June 20, 2002 |
| Senator Liz Figueroa |
| Chair, Senate Business and Professions Committee |
| State Capitol, Room 2053. |
| Sacramento, CA 95814 |
| phone: (916) 445-3435 fax: (916) 319-2149 |
| Re: AB 1943 (Chu) - Acupuncturist Education Improvements - Support as Amended |
| Dear Senator Figueroa and Committee Members: |
| I support Assembly Bill 1943, because it will require standardization of existing and future acupuncture and oriental medicine training programs. Too many of our schools are requiring hundreds of extra hours of widely varying subject matter. I am very concerned that they are becoming "diploma mills," and not teaching a proper balance of science, theory, and the practical skills of oriental medicine and general health care. I am dismayed that some schools may not be correcting the weaknesses in their educational programs that the profession has identified. Higher standards will promote competition to provide better patient services, and will encourage existing practitioners to continue improving and upgrading their skills. |
| Assembly Bill 1943 will: |
|
Set education standard for licensed acupuncturists to 3,000 hours for students entering after January 1, 2004. This is less hours than most schools are already teaching. |
|
Confirm the Legislature’s intent to raise education standard for licensed acupuncturists to 4,000 hours by 2010, the same number of hours that accredited doctoral programs are required to teach by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and less than schools in China and Korea require. |
|
Allow the Acupuncture Board to determine additional continuing education requirements for current acupuncturists. |
| Please support this important legislation to help student consumers of education and patient consumer of medical care. |
| Sincerely, |
| cc: Assembly Member Judy Chu |
| Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Associations (fax : 800-388-2928) |