Licensing, Registration, and Renewal

Board of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine: Licensing, Registration, and Renewal

Every applicant shall provide satisfactory proof that he completed a board-approved educational program as defined in 61-14A-14 of the act and 16.2.7 NMAC. If the educational program is no longer in existence, or if the applicant’s records are not available for good cause, the applicant shall submit an affidavit so stating and shall identify the educational program, and shall provide the address, dates of enrollment, and curriculum completed, along with such other information and documents as the board shall deem necessary. The board, in its sole and sound discretion, may accept or reject as adequate and sufficient such evidence presented in lieu of the records otherwise required.


Click here to apply or renew.

First-Time Licensure

Before applying for licensure, please review our rules and statutes to determine the most appropriate pathway to obtain your license. If you do not have an active license in another jurisdiction, you will apply via examination. If you have an active license in another jurisdiction, please review the list of eligible jurisdictions (see 16.2.6.7) for expedited licensure. If your active license is held in a disqualified jurisdiction (see 16.2.6.8), you can apply via endorsement. All materials for initial licensure should be mailed to the board office along with a check or money order for the associated application fee: P.O. Box 25101, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

 

License Renewal

License Renewal:

Annual renewal is required by July 31. After July 31, there is a 60-day grace period ending on September 30. If an application for renewal or required documentation is submitted during the 60-day grace period, it shall be considered a late renewal subject to penalty fees pursuant to 16.2.8.11 NMAC and 16.2.10.9 NMAC.

 

Following the 60-day grace period, a license not renewed before October 1 shall be considered expired. If a completed renewal application is provided to the board within one year of the last regular renewal date, the license shall be renewed but subject to penalty fees pursuant to 16.2.8.12 NMAC and 16.2.10.9 NMAC.

 

Expedited License Renewal: A licensee holding an expedited license may apply for license renewal in the manner provided by the board’s rules. However, if the licensee has not passed the NCCAOM in another jurisdiction, the licensee shall be required to take and pass the NCCAOM prior to renewing the license. Additionally, if the licensee has not passed any additional examinations as required by 16.2.4.10 NMAC, including the New Mexico clinical skills examination, the licensee shall be required to take and pass such examinations prior to renewing the license.

 

Download renewal application HERE.

 

Continuing Education Requirements for Renewal:

Pursuant to 16.2.9.8 NMAC, requirements for renewal include either NCCAOM recertification, or completion of 15 hours annually of NCCAAOM-approved continuing education courses, or courses approved by other acupuncture or oriental medicine licensing authorities.

 

Proof of current Basic Life Support, and CPR, completed through an American Heart Association or American Red Cross-approved course. Shall include hands-on supervised practice of clinical skills; the didactic portion may be completed online.

 

Continuing Education Requirements for Renewal of Certified Expanded Practice:

  • 3 hours every 3 years for recertification in basic injection therapy
  • 7 hours every 3 years for recertification in injection therapy
  • 7 hours every 3 years for recertification in intravenous therapies
  • 7 hours every 3 years for recertification in bioidentical hormone therapy
  • except that a doctor of oriental medicine recertifying in injection therapy or intravenous therapy need not complete an additional 3 hours in basic injection therapy
  • doctors of oriental medicine previously certified as Rx1 shall need 7 hours, every 3 years, for recertification in prolotherapy as specified in Section 16 of 16.2.19 NMAC

 

License holders who are newly certified for expanded practice shall complete continuing education hours on a prorated basis during the first years(s) of certification, and then shall comply with recertification requirements every 3 years thereafter.

Exam Information

The following shall be the examination requirements for licensure. All fees for nationally recognized examinations shall be paid by the applicant and are not included in fees charged by the board.

 

Achievement of a passing score as determined by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) on each of the following:

  1. NCCAOM Foundations of Oriental Medicine Module
  2. NCCAOM Acupuncture Module
  3. NCCAOM Chinese Herbology Module
  4. NCCAOM Biomedicine Module
  5. NCCAOM Point Location Module
  6. NCCAOM-approved Clean Needle Technique Course

 

Applicants who completed the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) examinations in acupuncture and Chinese herbology prior to June 2004 are not required to pass the NCCAOM Foundations of Oriental Medicine Module.

 

Successful completion of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine-approved Clean Needle Technique course.

 

Achievement of a passing score of at least 75% on the clinical skills examination. To determine a passing score when the applicant is examined by more than one examiner, if the applicant is examined by two examiners, the applicant must receive a score of at least 75% after both scores are averaged and if the applicant is examined by three examiners, the applicant must receive a score of at least 75% from a majority of the examiners. The clinical skills examination is normally offered in the spring and in the fall.

 

Achievement of a passing score of not less than 90% on the board-approved and board-administered jurisprudence examination covering the act and the rules. This is an open-book examination and can be obtained by calling the board office.

 

The 2023 Spring and Fall clinical skills examinations have been scheduled; please review the documents below for more information.

 

May 2023 Clinical Exam Schedule and Deadlines

 

October 2023 Clinical Exam Schedule and Deadlines

 

Clinical Exam General Information

 

Clinical Skills Exam Tips

 

For more information, please contact acuormedboard@rld.nm.gov.

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