Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Licensing Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews licensing statistics and hears strong push from schools and stakeholders for doctoral entry‑level programs
Summary
Licensing staff reported stable but slightly declining license counts and a 63% overall exam pass rate; board members and many public commenters urged consolidation of degree titles and consideration of a professional doctoral entry level to strengthen public confidence and integration with health systems.
At its Nov. 6 meeting the California Acupuncture Board reviewed licensing and exam statistics and devoted substantial discussion to education standards, including a recurring push from stakeholders for a unified doctoral entry‑level degree.
Licensing staff reported Q4 (FY 24‑25) and Q1 (FY 25‑26) figures: active licensees were approximately 10,109 (Q4) and 10,086 (Q1); total valid licenses that can be renewed were 13,052 (Q4) and 12,912 (Q1). Staff said initial licenses approved per quarter were modest (60s–70s), cancellations occur automatically after three years of non‑renewal, and the board has increased outreach and delinquency reminders. On exam performance, first‑time pass rates for a reporting period were reported at about 76% for first‑time takers with an overall pass rate near 63% across all takers and languages.
Board members asked about the gap between ‘‘active’’ and ‘‘wall’’ licenses (practices’ posted wall‑license) and noted many licensees hold a valid license but do not report a regular place of practice or are part‑time. Staff said the board can cite noncompliant wall‑license holders (up to $2,500 depending on the case) and is pursuing improved communications to raise compliance. The board has added a consumer guide reminder that patients should expect to see a wall license and a notice about verifying license status online.
A major policy thread during public comment and committee reports was education standards. The licensing committee report (Nov. 5) recapped debate over doctoral‑level naming/unification, externship hours and curriculum quality. Several stakeholder speakers (Philip Young, Gina Huang, Philip Young representing ACMA/CUSV, and others) urged support for an entry‑level professional doctoral degree (Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine or similar), consolidation of degree titles for public clarity, stronger clinical training and more exam analytics for schools. Board members discussed that changing the entry‑level degree is a legislative matter and urged stakeholders to coordinate a unified proposal for the legislature and joint legislative review committees.
Board President Yongping Chen said unification can reduce consumer confusion and welcomed stakeholder coordination. Several commenters noted program closures and market pressures among schools and proposed better regional capacity analysis and exam analytics to help schools and students.
