Acupuncturist – Licensure by Examination

• Applicants must show evidence of successful completion of a course of study and residency,
  

  •  The equivalent of at least two consecutive years of full-time education and clinical work in Oriental diagnostic and therapeutic theories and practices at school accredited by the National Accreditation Commission for Schools and Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NACSCAOM) or the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM), formerly NCCAOM.

• Applicants must complete the Clean Needle Technique Course offered by the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (CCAHM), formerly CCAOM. 

Applicants must take and pass the following exams:

• After June 2004:

  • “Foundations of Oriental Medicine-English-Adaptive”

  • “Acupuncture with Point Location-English-Adaptive”

• Prior to June 2004:

  • “Acupuncture Comprehensive Examination (ACE)” / “Chinese Herbology Comprehensive Examination”

  • “Point Location Examination (PLE)

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging in, select Apply for a License and choose:

Category: Health

License Type: Acupuncturist

Application Method: Licensure by Examination

Required Documents:

• Official Transcripts

• NCBAHM Score Results

• CCAHM Clean Needle Technique Course Completion

Required, If Applicable:

• License Verifications (Must Come from Each State)

• Name Change Documentation (e.g. Court Order or Government Issued ID)

• Form 1051 Instructions for Applicants or Credential Holders Without A Social Security Number

• Form 2829 Malpractice Suits or Claims Form

• Disciplinary Documentation (e.g. Orders, Consent Agreements)

Applicant will need to request official transcripts for their acupuncture program be sent directly to the department from the school or transcript clearinghouse.

Applicant will need to have the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (CCAOM) upload verification of completion of the clean needle technique course to the supporting documents of their LicensE application using our LicensE third-party document upload tab. 

Applicant must provide passing examination results completed through the National Certification Board of Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM) formerly known as the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

Passing scores for the following modules must be submitted:

• Acupuncture with Point Location

• Foundations of Oriental Medicine

Applicant will need to contact NCBAHM to ensure score results are available to Wisconsin in the NCBAHM results portal.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.