TCM Registration of Acupuncture Practitioners

In 1999 the BC Government announced the long-awaited legislation of Acupuncture practitioners. Registration of all Acupuncturists practicing in BC followed, and effective June 22, 2003 it became illegal for a non-registered person to perform acupuncture in the province. The legislation ensures a level of competency that allows public confidence in their practitioner, providing he or she can present proper documentation.

Coincidental with Acupuncture registration, the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CTCMA) announced the government legislation of all Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners in the province. In order to expedite public protection by registration, a short registration was offered by the College.

Qualified practitioners who have been practicing in the province prior to the legislation are allowed to register under the “Grandparented Practitioner“ section of the Bylaws. I am proud to say that my formal education and practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine was more than adequate to meet the requirements for the title of “Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine“. The verification of all the documents submitted by the applicants will take approximately seven months. We expect that the CTCMA will announce a list of the registered applicants in May or June 2002. It will elevate the standard of practice within BC, the first province to legislate TCM in Canada.

Registration—the Process

One of the requirements was to provide proof of patient visits to the CTCMA. The time frame allotted for registration made it impossible for me to contact all of my patients to have them sign a treatment certification form prior to the application deadline. I used a random group of patients for my proof of practice, and had the list notarized for submission with my documentation

I can assure you that strict patient confidentiality was maintained in the process. The only information provided to the college was the name, year and number of treatments, and a contact phone number. The CTCMA Registrar or his representative will be contacting a random sampling of the names submitted for confirmation.

I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this process will cause and I sincerely appreciate your confirmation of the fact that you did receive treatment from me. If you require clarification or wish to be removed from the list, please contact me at your convenience by phone at (604) 438-4584, toll free at 1-800-813-1168 or via e-mail.

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