SECTION .0300 – CONTINUING EDUCATION

21 NCAC 01 .0301 STANDARDS FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

(a) Unless otherwise indicated, one CEU, as used in this Rule, shall be equal to one contact hour or 50 minutes of instruction.

(b) All licensees shall complete 40 Continuing Education Units (CEU) every two years as follows:

(1) 25 CEUs shall be obtained from courses that have content relating to the scope of the practice of acupuncture. Fifteen of these 25 hours shall contain course content related to the insertion of acupuncture needles and the application of moxibustion to the human body. The remaining 10 hours of CEUs may be obtained from course content related to adjunctive therapies including massage, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and electromagnetic treatment and the recommendation of herbs, dietary guidelines, and therapeutic exercise; and

(2) the remaining 15 CEUs may be comprised of any combination of the following:

(A) 15 CEUs related to any of the content contained in Subparagraph (b)(1) of this Rule;

(B) up to 10 CEUs for acupuncture or Chinese medicine research studies in hospitals or institutions as set forth in Paragraph (e) of this Rule;

(C) up to 10 CEUs for teaching of Chinese medicine in a formally organized course as set forth in Paragraph (c)(2) of this Rule;

(D) up to 10 CEUs for published work in peer-reviewed journals as set forth in Paragraph (g) of this Rule; or

(E) two CEUs for obtaining or maintaining CPR certification.

(1) be approved by one or more of the following organizations or their successor organizations:

(A) Acupuncture schools in candidacy status or accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.(ACAOM);

(B) National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine;

(D) National Acupuncture Detoxification Association;

(E) American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA); or

(F) North Carolina Acupuncture Licensing Board (NCALB); and

(2) be formally organized. A formally organized course shall meet the following requirements:

(A) the sponsor shall maintain a record of attendance for four years. Records shall be made available to the Board upon request;

(B) the instructor shall hold credentials to practice in the field that is the subject of the course or the instructor shall be competent to teach the designated course and be permitted to perform acupuncture needling techniques for the purposes of demonstration, as determined by the Board based upon the instructor's educations, training, and experience;

(C) the course shall have stated objectives and a syllabus or a description of the content of the course with a class outline;

(D) the course shall be evaluated by each participant on an evaluation form provided by the instructor; and

(E) upon completion of each course, the provider shall issue a certificate of completion to each participant to include the following information:

(i) the title of the course;

(ii) the name of the participant;

(iii) the name of the instructors;

(iv) the name of the provider;

(v) the date and location of the course;

(vi) the number of CEUs completed.

(d) Licensees may obtain up to 28 hours of CEUs by completing online courses approved by an organization set forth in Subparagraph (c)(1) of this Rule.

(e) 10 CEUs may be obtained in each renewal period by licensees who are involved in acupuncture or Chinese medicine research studies in accredited hospitals or educational institutions. A research project may only be submitted once for the purpose of obtaining CEU credit. In order to obtain Research approved CEUs the following must be submitted to the Board for review and approval:

(1) The Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval;

(2) A summary of the study; and

(3) The names and credentials of researchers involved.

(f) A maximum of 10 CEUs may be obtained in each renewal period by teaching acupuncture education in an educational institution accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) or a CEU course approved by the NCALB. One hour of CEU credit shall be awarded for every three hours of teaching up to 30 hours. All CEUs for teaching shall be approved in advance by the Board prior to the date of the class. For approval the licensee shall submit the following information:

(1) the title of the course;

(2) a summary of course content or class syllabus;

(3) the location of the course;

(4) the dates of the course;

(5) the total number of classroom hours taught;

(6) a copy of course evaluation to be provided students; and

(7) the course fees and refund policy.

(g) 10 CEUs may be obtained by authoring an article in a peer-reviewed journal of acupuncture or Chinese medicine. Examples of journals that shall be considered by the Board include:

(1) The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine;

(2) The American Journal of Chinese Medicine; and

(3) The World Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

(h) CEUs from any given course may be used to satisfy the requirements of only one renewal period.

(i) Each licensee shall retain for four years records of all continuing education programs attended, indicating:

(1) the title of the course or program;

(2) the name of the participant;

(3) the name of all instructors;

(4) the name of the provider;

(5) the date and location of the course; and

(6) the number of CEUs completed.

(j) Pursuant to G.S. 90-457.1(b), the Board may audit the records of any licensee to ensure compliance with the continuing education requirements of this Rule. No licensee shall be subject to audit more than once every two years.

(k) All applications for pre-approval for CEU courses must be submitted 60 days prior to the date of the course.

(l) A licensee may apply to the Board for an extension of time to complete continuing education requirements in accordance with G.S. 90-457.1(f).

History Note: Authority G.S. 90-451; 90-454; 90-455(b)(3); 90-457.1;

Eff. July 1, 1995;

Temporary Amendment Eff. January 26, 1996;

Temporary Amendment Expired November 11, 1996;

Amended Eff. August 1, 2007; August 1, 2002;

Readopted eff. April 1, 2018.