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August 13, 2008

R.Om. Application Information

Starting this year, there will be two Licenses available to Professional Acupuncturists. One for those who wish to practice both Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine and those that simply practice Acupuncture. If you plan to stay simply an Acupuncturist, this new registration will not affect you. However, if you wish to practice Herbal Medicine, you will have to apply for a new Registration of Oriental Medicine. Below is a link to the new application.

For licensees who have been an R.Ac. in Pennsylvania prior to April 14, 2007, there will be three ways to obtain an R.OM. The first is to prove that you have passed the NCCAOM Herbal Exam. The Second is to prove that you have passed another state herbal exam (e.g., California). The Third, is to petition the board with proof of previous training in herbal medicine. For licensees who have not been licensed by Pennsylvania prior to April 14, 2007, you will be required to have NCCAOM certification in Herbology or Oriental Medicine to receive R.Om.

This Third option is our way of grandfathering in senior herbal practitioners who never took any state or NCCAOM exam in herbs. The APA will be forming an Herbal Review Committee for current APA members' applications to be reviewed. This will help the Medical Board determine who qualifies for an R.OM. It is highly recommended that if you wish to petition the Medical Board you submit your application before the APA Herbal Review Committee and allow us to help you with the petitioning process. This process will be available freely to members of the APA only. More information can be obtained at the upcoming meeting and soon via email.

To download a copy of the form: follow this link. Look for Application for Registration-Practitioner of Oriental Medicine for current Acupuncturist Registraton Holders

If you wish to have your petition looked at by the Review Committee, and you're an APA member, please send your completed R.Om. application, with copies of all of your transcripts and proof of course completion to the APA post office box at:

APA
P.O.Box 1081
Glenside, PA 19038

The Medical Board will be approving R.Om. applications through the third option at their monthly board meeting in July. We hope to have our first wave of R.Om. applications prepared by the Herbal Review Committee by then, so if you get your application in by June 30 it's possible you can be appoved for an R.Om. by the end of July.

Posted by smavros at August 13, 2008 11:14 AM