Relaxing of licensing for acupuncturists proposed

Friday, March 9, 2001 | 12:01 p.m.

A bill that would relax the requirements necessary to obtain a license to practice acupuncture or Oriental medicine in Nevada was introduced by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas.

But Assembly Bill 302, introduced Thursday and backed by the Nevada Board of Oriental Medicine, already faces opposition from at least two other lawmakers and prospective license applicants who believe the legislation does not go far enough.

The bill, which was referred to the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee, would lower from six to four years the amount of post-education professional experience required to get a license from the state board.

Dr. Sae Eun Lee, a board member and licensed practitioner from Las Vegas, said the board would be willing to lower the post-education experience requirement to perhaps two years but not less.

"The six years, we agree, was far too long," Lee said. "We'd like to reduce it down to at least four years. I'm not saying we're the same as medical doctors but we treat patients and like doctors we need experience. It's necessary to have experience when you stick a three-inch needle into a person's body."

But the Sun reported in January that Nevada is the only state among the 39 that license Oriental medicine practitioners to require any post-education experience. Critics say the Nevada law is draconian because it prevents many otherwise qualified applicants from obtaining a license, making it possible for existing practitioners to monopolize the market.

One such critic is Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who plans next week to introduce a competing bill with co-sponsor Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno. He said their bill would eliminate the post-education experience requirement, adopt the standardized licensing tests used in 36 other states and compel the state board to recognize applicants who have graduated from any accredited Oriental medicine or acupuncture school.

"We will not have a post-education experience requirement because the education they get already includes experience," Beers said.

Michael Labrum, a Las Vegas chiropractor who graduated from an accredited Oriental medicine school, said he will not apply for an Oriental medicine license until the state law is changed. He said he will support Beers' legislation.

"I still believe that asking for any experience when a person has already gone through a fully accredited professional school of Oriental medicine is ludicrous," Labrum said.

He said he also supports the idea of compelling the state board to recognize all accredited schools in this country. The board now recognizes only two such schools in the United States and one in Asia.