Acupuncturists Job Description: Duties, Education, Training and Certification Requirements, Job Outlook and Salary
Submitted by: Gypsy Santiago
Job Overview: Acupuncturists are medical professionals who study and heal people using the ancient Asian art of acupuncture, which has been used for thousands of years in preventing diseases, alleviating pain, treating illnesses and maintaining health through natural healing.
Education, Training and Knowledge Requirements: Those interested in this field must take courses in English, psychology, physiology, biology, mathematics, computer and business in high school. One must then obtain a bachelor’s degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine, followed by a master’s level program. Some employers would require a bachelor’s degree in premed, nursing, science or a related field. When choosing an acupuncture program, a factor to consider is the type of acupuncture you wish to study. Obtaining certification and licensing are needed before practicing this field and each state has varying requirements.
Skills & Abilities: Acupuncturists must work well with people and possess effective written and verbal communication skills, time management skills, problem-solving skills and interpersonal skills. They must be patient, compassionate, good listeners and have sensitive hands.
Duties: Acupuncture has a variety of natural healing practices, such as exercise, dietary therapy, herbal therapy, massage, or nutritional counseling, but these professionals usually chose only 1 or 2 specializations. Treating patients involve inserting needles into specific acupuncture points on the skin (called qi), which they believe is related to a particular organ or physiological system in the body. Since they believe that physical or emotional conditions are caused by the imbalance or blockage of qi, they stimulate these acupuncture points to make or remove blockage of qi.
Unlike traditional medicine that treats specific organs or body parts, acupuncture aims at restoring whole body balance. However, these professionals work the same as traditional doctors since they listen to patients’ complaints, diagnose the problem, treat problematic areas and recommend lifestyle changes or herbal medication. Acupuncturists treat patients with high blood pressure, back pain, asthma, headache, substance abuse and those with body pain.
Earnings & Job Outlook: Acupuncturists find work in private companies, health care clinics, and hospitals. The employment outlook in this field is good because more and more people are becoming aware of the practice and accepting natural healing as an alternative to traditional medication. Positions are expected to increase faster than average of all jobs through 2015. Salary of these health care professionals starts at around $22,000 to $32,000 per year, but increase with experience. The median annual salary in this field is $45,000, but those who are highly experience can earn more than $100,000 yearly. Those with their own clinics earn higher than their counterparts in privately-owned or government institutions.
Gypsy Santiago is a professional resume writer and career search strategy/career branding coach with years of experience in assisting job seekers prepare for the job market. She helps create career-targeted resumes, provides useful tips about career transition, offers future career ideas and guide jobseekers about effective job search techniques.
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