Continuing Education Requirements
The Board believes that careful oversight of its continuing education requirements is important in implementing its mission and goals. Continuing education is a means for practitioners to stay abreast of current knowledge, practices and regulations -- thereby providing better services to consumers.
In order to renew an active license, licensees must complete continuing education units (CEUs). These CEUs must be submitted with the renewal fee before the expiration date. It is illegal to practice with an expired license. Licensees found to be practicing with an expired license are subject to disciplinary action.
When renewing an initial license that has been issued for less than two (2) years, below is the number of board-approved continuing education hours that must be completed based on the number of months the license was issued:
| Period of Initial Licensure | Required CE Hours |
|---|---|
| 13 to 16 months | 35 |
| 17 to 20 months | 40 |
| 21 to 23 months | 45 |
Thereafter, all acupuncturists renewing their license are required to complete and list 50 hours of board-approved continuing education courses on their renewal application and sign under penalty of perjury.
Up to 50% of the continuing education requirement may be completed through distance education (online courses, correspondence courses, etc.) In addition, no more than five (5) hours of continuing education may be earned from courses in Category 2. Please note that although CE courses in Category 2 may be approved for more than 5 hours of credit, only 5 hours of credit may be reported for each renewal period. Each acupuncturist is required to retain records of all continuing education courses attended for a minimum of four (4) years..
If a licensee is not currently practicing in California and wishes to place his or her license on "Inactive Status," he or she must contact the Board. Inactive licensees are required to submit the same renewal fee amount as 'active' licensees ($500 for a 2-year renewal period); however 'inactive' licensees are not required to complete the CE requirement (C.C.R. Title 16, section 1399.489.1). If the licensee would like to reactivate the license, he or she must contact the Board in order to determine the number of CE Unit hours and the fee required to be submitted before the license can become active.
