Occupation: Acupuncturists

Acupuncturists

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.

29-1291.00 | 18 tasks | 9 job titles
Reported Job Titles (9)
  • Acupuncture Physician
  • Acupuncture Provider
  • Acupuncturist
  • Chinese Medical Doctor
  • Herbalist
  • Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC)
  • Oriental Medicine Provider
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner
Core Tasks (18)
  • Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
  • Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
  • Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
  • 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.
  • Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients.
  • Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
  • Analyze physical findings and medical histories to make diagnoses according to Oriental medicine traditions.
  • Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
  • Educate patients on topics, such as meditation, ergonomics, stretching, exercise, nutrition, the healing process, breathing, or relaxation techniques.
  • Dispense herbal formulas and inform patients of dosages and frequencies, treatment duration, possible side effects, and drug interactions.
  • Maintain detailed and complete records of health care plans and prognoses.
  • Assess patients' general physical appearance to make diagnoses.
  • Formulate herbal preparations to treat conditions considering herbal properties, such as taste, toxicity, effects of preparation, contraindications, and incompatibilities.
  • Apply heat or cold therapy to patients using materials, such as heat pads, hydrocollator packs, warm compresses, cold compresses, heat lamps, or vapor coolants.
  • Consider Western medical procedures in health assessment, health care team communication, and care referrals.
  • Evaluate treatment outcomes and recommend new or altered treatments as necessary to further promote, restore, or maintain health.
  • Treat medical conditions, using techniques such as acupressure, shiatsu, or tuina.
  • Apply moxibustion directly or indirectly to patients using Chinese, non-scarring, stick, or pole moxa.