In preparation for the upcoming 2018 Sunset Review of the California Acupuncture Board (CAB), Assemblymember Evan Low will be holding three Acupuncture Association Stakeholder Meetings in both Southern and Northern California as well as in Sacramento over the next two months. Assemblymember Low chairs the Committee on Business and Professions, which oversees the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and the California Acupuncture Board (CAB).
These meetings will provide a unique opportunity for various acupuncture stakeholders and associations throughout the state to come together to discuss issues relating to the practice of acupuncture in the state of California as well as those pertaining to the Acupuncture Board directly. Key leadership on the Board of CSOMA will be in attendance at all three meetings, representing the interests of its members as well as the acupuncture community at-large. Among the topics for discussion are the upcoming changes to the California Acupuncture Licensing Examination (CALE).
After careful review of the findings from the DCA’s Office of Professional Examination Services (OPES) audit of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s (NCCAOM) examination program, CSOMA’s official position is in support of the decision made by the CAB in June of 2016 to use the NCCAOM entry-level certification examinations to replace the CALE, provided that they include the addition of a California supplemental exam. A national acupuncture licensing exam would establish national testing standards and improved test data collection, and it would translate into financial savings for test takers and lead to greater employment opportunities for licensed acupuncturists nationally.
CSOMA appreciates the opportunity provided by Assemblymember Low to be at the table with other stakeholders so that we may work towards common goals of the acupuncture profession and effectively communicate those goals as well as our needs and concerns to the Legislature. We will provide updates to our membership upon the conclusion of the meetings to our members.