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Acupuncturists

Acupuncturists is the O*NET name for people who diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. With a code of SIR, this is mostly a job for people drawn to helping, teaching or caring for people. Investigative interests also help, rated 5.5 out of 7. The preparation level is extensive preparation, typically graduate school and often five years or more of related experience. O*NET’s skill data points to active listening, social perceptiveness, and service orientation as the ones to build. Expect to maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need leading, persuading and making business decisions.

What they do

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.

Skills

  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Service Orientation
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Judgment and Decision Making

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on active listening and social perceptiveness.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.6 out of 7 here.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIR takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Master's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Acupuncture Doctor
  • Acupuncture Physician
  • Acupuncture Provider
  • Acupuncturist
  • Chinese Medical Doctor (Chinese MD)

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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.