New law loosens regulations for acupuncturists

Tuesday, June 5, 2001 | 10:13 a.m.

Nevadans can expect to see a sharp increase in the number of individuals who practice acupuncture or Oriental medicine, thanks to a new state law that eases licensing requirements.

Gov. Kenny Guinn last week signed Assembly Bill 302, which eliminated a requirement that all license applicants have at least six years of experience outside Nevada before they could practice in this state.

Defenders of the old law, including some members of the Nevada Board of Oriental Medicine, said the six-year requirement safeguarded the public from inexperienced practitioners. But critics charged that Nevada's law was the toughest in the nation. They said the former law prevented qualified applicants with sound educational backgrounds from practicing in this state, creating a monopoly for Nevada's 17 existing practitioners.

Dr. Sae Eun Lee, vice chairman of the state board from Las Vegas, said the new law will be fair as long as Guinn signs an emergency amendment approved by the Nevada Legislature over the weekend.

"This bill will be the best in the nation," Lee said. "This will open the door more for applicants. We could easily have 15 to 20 new applicants in the next 18 months."

Assuming Guinn signs the amendment, applicants will need four years of schooling in Oriental medicine and either a bachelor's degree or four years of experience outside Nevada in order to qualify for a license.

One benefactor is expected to be Southern Nevada native Sharon Roth, a San Diego acupuncturist who is poised to become the first non-Asian-American practitioner in the state. Roth is licensed to practice in California and even passed tests in Nevada but was not granted a practitioner's license in this state because the board felt she did not have six years of experience.

Instead, the board only approved her as an assistant, a license she has been unable to use because no current Nevada practitioners would hire her. Under the new law she meets the licensing requirements and intends to open a practice in Las Vegas as soon as possible.

"I'm really looking forward to bringing some new thinking into the state of Nevada," Roth said. "I'm coming to Las Vegas in about two weeks to look for office space and plan to make house calls almost immediately."

Fellow native Nevadan Cameron Bishop, who practices Oriental medicine at real estate tycoon Donald Trump's spa in Palm Beach, Fla., also said he will apply for a Nevada license because of the new law.

"The problem is that I have already established a successful practice here," Bishop said. "I see 40 to 50 patients a week."

Bishop said he did not foresee a problem starting from scratch in Las Vegas.

"If you're good at what you do, you'll attract clients," he said.

Oriental medicine board member Tom Stewart of Reno said the new law ought to be particularly helpful in Northern Nevada, which now has only two licensed practitioners. As the owner of an herbal store, Stewart said he was often frustrated by his inability to refer customers to practitioners.

"There's certainly going to be a pretty good influx of new practitioners into the state," Stewart said.

Las Vegas chiropractor Michael Labrum, who holds a California license in Oriental medicine, also said he will apply for a Nevada license if he likes the way the state board enforces the new law. Labrum will be paying close attention to seven new applicants who are scheduled to take their state tests later this month.

He said one problem with the new law is that it does not clarify whether the board must accept applicants who graduated from any accredited Oriental medicine school in the country. Labrum also said the testing requirements in the new law remain vague.

"That's been my goal all along, to be in a position where I could be licensed in Nevada," Labrum said. "I'm hoping that this new law has opened things up."