How to become an Acupuncturist
Official title: Acupuncturists
Also called: Acupuncture Doctor, Acupuncture Physician, Acupuncture Provider, Acupuncturist, Chinese Medical Doctor (Chinese MD), Chinese Medicine Doctor, Herbalist, Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC), Oriental Medicine Provider, Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor
Diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. May also use cups, nutritional supplements, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and other alternative health therapies.
Main tasks
- Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
- Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
- Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
- Identify correct anatomical and proportional point locations based on patients' anatomy and positions, contraindications, and precautions related to treatments, such as intradermal needles, moxibustion, electricity, guasha, or bleeding.
- Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
- Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
- Evaluate treatment outcomes and recommend new or altered treatments as necessary to further promote, restore, or maintain health.
- Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients.
How to become one
Typical education to start: Master's degree
Ways in
- College: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the US
- Licence: A licence is required in 44 states.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $76,040 a year The middle half earn $55,380 to $102,280.
- About 14,800 people work in this job now, and about 16,000 are projected by 2035. (+8.6%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an Acupuncturist?
Ways in include: Medicine & Dentistry degrees.
How much does an Acupuncturist earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $76,040 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $55,380 to $102,280.
Is an Acupuncturist a growing career in the US?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 9% by 2035, from about 14,800 to about 16,000 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become an Acupuncturist?
Usually. 93% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an Acupuncturist?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.