Becoming An Acupuncturist

If you’re considering becoming an acupuncturist, there has never been a better time to begin. Whether you are already in health care, perhaps a podiatrist looking to branch out, or are a complete novice looking to start from the beginning, now is the best time to learn the art of acupuncture. 

Did you know that in the US, more than 10 million acupuncture treatments are administered annually? Acupuncture treatment is on the rise worldwide; that’s why taking acupuncture courses and learning acupuncture skills can be incredibly beneficial to you!

The NHS are also now recommending acupuncture for a wide array of conditions, and NICE is also suggesting that acupuncture can be used to treat tension‑type headaches. 

Since gaining a solid reputation as an effective form of complementary therapy, resources and training have become widely available for those looking to broaden their skills and learn all about acupuncture. 

What Does It Take To Be An Acupuncturist?

In most cases, acupuncturists are self-employed and tend to have their own practices, or I’ve also known some to rent separate rooms in an existing healthcare clinic. Also, some clinics will employ acupuncturists as well as the NHS.

When you have completed your acupuncture training courses, you will still need a couple more things. 

As with anything related to health care, a good bedside manner is essential to help your patients feel at ease and find the treatment a lot more comfortable. Not to mention if you plan to run your own business providing acupuncture, you will need to have a couple of basic business managing skills.

As an acupuncturist, you will have to pay close attention to the issues that your clients may be suffering from as well as their background health information and current lifestyle choices. It’s essential to understand all of this to understand how acupuncture may benefit the patient. 

When completing your training, you will learn how to use acupuncture to stimulate the correct acupoints in the body to provide the relief your client is looking for. You could also learn about acupuncture for specific conditions such as Achilles tendinopathy.

What are the skills you need outside of acupuncture?

When you are looking to become an acupuncturist, there are simply some things that aren’t taught. Much like any other health care career, you will be treating and helping a wide range of patients that could have any number of different needs. Because of this, it’s important that you have experience or some practice in managing clientele and keep notes on every one of your customers to ensure you are providing the best care possible to each and every patient. 

It would help if you also had good communication skills to discuss their needs with your clients and understand how you can best help them. It’s also great being able to explain to a patient what you are doing without confusing them with technical medical jargon. Having the skills to lay out the information in a way that is helpful and easy to understand will go a long way in helping your patients feel comfortable and at ease under your care. 

While these skills may come naturally to some, others may struggle. But don’t worry, with practice it becomes a lot easier and you’ll very quickly find your rhythm. 

How much does an acupuncturist earn?

In the UK, a fully qualified and full-time acupuncturist can make on average £22,000 a year. In the early stages of your career, you will typically treat 1-4 clients a day at a rate of roughly £30 – £80. This usually includes an initial consultation fee of around £25-£50.

Once you have become a more established and practised acupuncturist, you can expect this to go up as you will be treating many more patients, some as many as 30-40 a week, and the fee will typically depend on the success of the practice. 

What are the skills you need outside of acupuncture?

When you are looking to become an acupuncturist, there are simply some things that aren’t taught. Much like any other health care career, you will be treating and helping a wide range of patients that could have any number of different needs. Because of this, it’s important that you have experience or some practice in managing clientele and keep notes on every one of your customers to ensure you are providing the best care possible to each and every patient. 

It would help if you also had good communication skills to discuss their needs with your clients and understand how you can best help them. It’s also great being able to explain to a patient what you are doing without confusing them with technical medical jargon. Having the skills to lay out the information in a way that is helpful and easy to understand will go a long way in helping your patients feel comfortable and at ease under your care. 

While these skills may come naturally to some, others may struggle. But don’t worry, with practice, it becomes a lot easier, and you’ll very quickly find your rhythm. 

Some of the other skills beyond knowing where to place the needles are:

• An understanding of the human anatomy and medicine 
• A good knowledge of physiology 
• A non-judgmental and sensitive nature
• A good level of customer service skills 
• The ability to remain calm and collected under pressure
• The ability to pay close attention to detail

How to Train As An Acupuncturist

Acupuncture is rewarding for both you and your patient; there is no better feeling than knowing you have helped ease someone else’s pain and generally improved their life.  

Although that being said, learning all there is to know about acupuncture is not an easy feat. Acupuncture is a complex field to study and requires a moderate time commitment before considering yourself fully trained.

Fortunately, there are many sources of information available now to help you study and become a master acupuncturist. Our workshops, for example, offer online training and help you gain confidence in acupuncture point selection and your dry needling technique and increase your ability to assess, diagnose, and treat a range of musculoskeletal disorders. 

Our online courses also provide other benefits such as:

• Unlimited access to online medical acupuncture and dry needling courses.
• Monthly live zoom workshops on a range of musculoskeletal disorders.
• New content is added each month.
• A constantly growing resource of information in medical acupuncture, sports and exercise medicine.
• Qualifications up to a diploma in medical acupuncture.
• 5% discount on courses, workshops and conferences.
• It saves time in travel, overnight accommodation, and expenses and allows you to enjoy studying acupuncture CPD from the comfort of your own home.
• Learn from some of the world experts in acupuncture and sports medicine at a time convenient to yourself.

So, if you are looking to train as an acupuncturist in London or anywhere in the UK, there has never been a better time to begin. Please take a look at our courses to begin your journey and if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call.