Acupuncture Examination

Transcription

1 Examination Information NATIONAL BOARD OF CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINERS Ensuring Professional Competency Through Excellence in Testing 2015 Acupuncture Examination OVERVIEW General Information Examination Dates and Deadlines Mail application, documentation and examination fees to: NBCE Application ACU th Ave Greeley CO Application Procedures and Eligibility Test Plans Reference Texts and Resources List Transcript Request Form More than 40% of states allow chiropractors to perform acupuncture with appropriate training, and the NBCE Acupuncture Examination is the most commonly accepted examination required for states providing certification. By completing your acupuncture training while in chiropractic college, you can be state certified to perform acupuncture the day you start practice.

2 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Dates And Deadlines Schedule... 2 The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners... 3 The Acupuncture Examination... 3 Applicant Eligibility... 3 General Requirements... 3 Establishing Eligibility... 3 Application Procedures... 4 Test Accommodations... 4 Examination And Other Related Fees... 4 Application Confirmation... 4 Locating A Testing Center... 5 At the Testing Center... 5 Examinee Withdrawal... 5 Examinee Postponement... 6 NBCE Cancellation... 6 Score Reporting... 6 Address or Name Changes... 6 Contacting The NBCE... 6 Acupuncture Test Plan... 7 Reference Texts... 7 Acupuncture Sample Test... 7 Test Committee Members... 8 NBCE Board of Directors... 8 Transcript Request Form... 9 DATES AND DEADLINES SCHEDULE The Acupuncture Examination is administered nationwide six times each year at computerized testing centers. Applications MUST BE RECEIVED by the NBCE by the application deadlines listed below. Requests to withdraw from an examination MUST BE RECEIVED by the NBCE by the cancellation deadlines listed below. No exceptions are granted. Examination Date Application Receipt Deadline * (no exceptions) Cancellation Receipt Deadline (no exceptions) Scores Mailed to Examinees and State Boards February 2-7, /08/15 01/15/15 02/26/15 April 6-11, /12/15 03/19/15 04/30/15 June 1-6, /07/15 05/14/15 06/25/15 August 3-8, /09/15 07/16/15 08/27/15 September 28- October 3, /03/15 09/10/15 10/22/15 November 30 - December 5, /05/15 11/12/15 12/23/15 * Deadlines for test accommodation requests and documentation are the same as application deadlines. The NBCE Examination Information brochure is published annually by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) as a general guide to the policies, procedures and descriptions of the NBCE, as well as the Acupuncture Examination. This brochure supersedes any information previously published by the NBCE. Copies are available at National Board of Chiropractic Examiners

3 3 THE NATIONAL BOARD OF CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINERS The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) was established in 1963 to address the testing needs of the chiropractic profession. The NBCE develops, administers and scores examinations and reports scores to licensing agencies for their use in evaluating various areas of competency. Licensing agencies that regulate the practice of chiropractic within each state and some foreign countries use NBCE examination scores in their evaluations of candidates for licensure, relicensure, registration or reciprocity/endorsement. The information included in this brochure reflects NBCE examination policies and procedures. Some licensing agencies may have varying requirements for licensure, and examinees are advised to contact licensing agencies of interest for specific requirements. THE ACUPUNCTURE EXAMINATION The NBCE Acupuncture Examination is an elective examination that is offered six times a year at Pearson Professional Centers throughout North America. It consists of 200 standard multiple-choice questions, divided into two equal sessions of 100 questions each. Test items are selected by a test committee composed of state licensing board members, chiropractic college faculty, and subject matter experts. The Acupuncture Examination requires approximately three hours of test administration time, divided into two equal sessions of 90 minutes each. Test appointments are scheduled for four hours to allow time for an optional, brief tutorial, an optional break between sessions and a post-examination survey. You must complete both sessions of the Acupuncture Examination in order to receive a score from the NBCE. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY GENERAL REQUIREMENTS To be able to take the Acupuncture Examination, you must have successfully completed 100 hours of instruction in acupuncture before the application deadline. The acupuncture instruction must be taken at and/or recognized by: one of the U.S. or international chiropractic colleges whose students are currently eligible to take the NBCE examinations, which are listed on the NBCE website at a college or university accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education ESTABLISHING ELIGIBILITY In order to establish eligibility, you must complete one of the following: submit an NBCE application to the college from which you took acupuncture courses to obtain a college authorization signature submit a letter from one of the NBCE-eligible chiropractic colleges, stating that you have completed 100 hours of acupuncture instruction submit a letter from an accredited college or university stating that you have completed 100 hours of acupuncture instruction Although NBCE policy does not limit the number of times an examinee may retake the Acupuncture Examination prior to passing, some state licensing boards may place restrictions on how many times one can do so. For information about ACU retakes, contact the licensing board of the state in which you intend to practice.

4 4 APPLICATION PROCEDURES The ACU application is available to complete or download online at You may also complete applications at the secure online portal MyNBCE, located at You must submit the following as required parts of the ACU application process: 1. A completed, notarized application along with the appropriate fees and your signature. 2. One of the following forms of documentation to establish your eligibility: an authorized college signature on your application a letter that meets the requirements described in the Establishing Eligibility section of this brochure. Mail application, fees and required forms to NBCE Application ACU th Ave Greeley, CO The NBCE may deny your application for any of the following reasons: It is incomplete. It is illegible. It is received by the NBCE after the published deadline. The NBCE will contact you if your application is not accepted. You must then correct the application by the NBCE deadline. Make a copy of your application for your personal records. TEST ACCOMMODATIONS The NBCE and Pearson VUE make every attempt to honor requests for applicants who require special testing arrangements due to a disability, including a temporary limitation and/or a physical or learning disability. To be eligible for test accommodations, you must submit a current test accommodation request form each time you apply for an examination. You must also submit a disability report when requesting test accommodations due to a physical or learning disability. To review specific documentation guidelines, see the Computer-Based Examinations Test Accommodations brochure, available at Each request is reviewed on an individual basis, and appropriate accommodations are granted if approved. Standards for test accommodations vary. You are not guaranteed approval of accommodations by the NBCE, even if you have previously received test accommodations from your college or other testing organization. Send your test accommodation request forms along with your completed ACU application to the NBCE by the application deadline. The NBCE may annotate transcripts of scores for individuals taking NBCE examinations with testing accommodations. NOTE: If you are approved for testing accommodations, you must contact Pearson VUE customer service at to confirm that those arrangements will be available for your testing appointment. EXAMINATION AND OTHER RELATED FEES All fees must accompany your fully completed application and must be made payable to NBCE in the form of a money order or cashier s check (U.S. funds only). The NBCE does not accept credit cards, personal checks, or business checks. Fees: ACU Examination...$675 Additional transcript request:... $25 Refused/Returned bank funds:... $45 APPLICATION CONFIRMATION The NBCE will you once your application has been processed. After you receive the , which contains specific contact information, you should immediately contact Pearson Professional Centers to schedule your testing appointment. Appointment times are dependent upon available space at testing centers. To schedule your testing appointment, you may: Call Pearson Professional Centers at Go online to

5 5 The NBCE will also mail you a confirmation letter that provides additional testing information. The confirmation letter and identify the six-day test administration in which you may take the examination. (You may take ACU any day within that test administration.) LOCATING A TESTING CENTER Testing centers are located throughout North America. To find a testing center near you: Go to Click on Locate a test center. Follow the prompts. AT THE TESTING CENTER Plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled testing appointment to complete admission procedures. You must present two forms of identification including one government-issued photo ID at the testing center. Acceptable forms of the primary identification include a valid driver s license, state/province identification card, passport or military ID. An acceptable form of secondary identification is a U.S. Social Security card, a valid credit card or bank ATM card. Both forms of identification must bear your signature. If you fail to bring proper identification, you will not be admitted to the testing center. Testing aids of any kind will not be permitted in the testing center. You must store all personal items in a locker. You will be monitored at all times by audio and video recorders. Smoking is not permitted in the testing facilities. Once checked in and seated at a testing computer, you have up to 10 minutes to read and agree to the Non-Disclosure Agreement. If you do not accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement within 10 minutes, you will not be allowed to take the exam. A brief tutorial will follow, after which you will be prompted to start the exam. A white board will be available for notations during the exam. You will be allowed 90 minutes for each of the two test sessions. The computer monitor will display the remaining time. It is your responsibility to monitor the time available to complete the examination. After the exam, you will have an opportunity to make comments and answer a post-exam survey. A test administrator assigned to the testing center is responsible for overseeing all aspects of test administration and monitoring test security. Should there be a disruption in the administration of the test, Pearson Professional Center staff will attempt to resolve the problem immediately. You can be disqualified from taking or continuing an examination or from receiving scores if any NBCE or testing center official concludes that: 1. You have provided false or misleading information on the ACU application. 2. You take an examination for another person or another person takes an examination in your place. 3. You have given or received aid in the examination as evidenced by observation or statistical analyses. 4. You engage in any act or conduct that has jeopardized or could jeopardize the security or integrity of NBCE examinations; such actions may include, but are not limited to, copying or reproducing any portion of the examination, or memorizing questions and or answers, and furnishing those memorized questions to another person at any time. 5. You have engaged in any other conduct that may invalidate the examination results, including, but not limited to, removing items from the testing room. 6. You engage in any behavior that is deemed to be disruptive, offensive or inappropriate in any way to the testing environment. The NBCE may annotate transcripts of examinees who engage in any of the aforementioned behaviors. EXAMINEE WITHDRAWAL The NBCE will accept a request to withdraw if it is received by the cancellation deadline. (See the Dates and Deadlines Schedule.) The NBCE will issue a partial refund in approximately three weeks. Please contact the NBCE Processing Department at for further instructions. Refund for Withdrawal ACU... $418 All administrative fees... No refund Fax or your requests to withdraw to: FAX: processing@nbce.org

6 6 EXAMINEE POSTPONEMENT The NBCE allows you a one-time opportunity to postpone the ACU Exam to the next exam administration. If you need to postpone, you must notify NBCE at least two business days (Monday-Friday) before your scheduled exam administration. Please call the NBCE Processing Department at for further instructions. The NBCE will issue NO refunds to: 1. examinees who fail to take the examination. 2. examinees who apply, but take only a portion of the examination. 3. examinees who withdraw from the exam after the cancellation deadline. 4. examinees who fail to comply with the testing center s policy and are therefore unable to take or complete the examination. 5. examinees who fail to read and accept the Non- Disclosure agreement (NDA) within the allotted time and examination timed out. In all such cases, you must submit a new application with correct fees when applying for a future ACU exam. NBCE CANCELLATION In the event of an emergency (such as flood, hurricane, earthquake, fire or national emergency) or administrative irregularity, the NBCE reserves the right to make adjustments in administration procedures, to withhold reporting of scores and/or order the re-administration of an examination which may involve postponement or cancellation of the examination. The NBCE is responsible for making the final decision on examination cancellations or postponements. In such cases the NBCE will offer you an opportunity to reschedule for the next available computerized administration or refund your exam fees. SCORE REPORTING Approximately three weeks following an exam, the NBCE will mail score letters to all examinees. You will not receive scores at the testing center. The NBCE recommends a passing score of 375. If you score below 375, you will be required to retake the entire examination. Attaining an NBCE recommended passing score does not guarantee acceptance by a state licensing agency. The use of ACU scores for any purpose is at the discretion of individual state licensing boards. Each individual licensing board has the sole authority to determine utilization of ACU examination results with regard to licensure. If you wish to have a transcript of your scores sent to a state licensing board, indicate the state board in the appropriate box found on the application form. A separate transcript form is not required in this case. The transcript will include the most recent ACU score and will be sent immediately following the release of scores, at no cost. Subsequent transcript requests are subject to published transcript fees. The Transcript Request Form is available at ADDRESS OR NAME CHANGES Please notify the NBCE if you change your address. This will help avoid delays in receiving important information. For name changes, send a copy of a certificate of marriage or court-ordered name change. Records will be entered under a new name only after this information is received. CONTACTING THE NBCE Web site:... Online Application... Address... processing@nbce.org Telephone Toll Free Telephone FAX Toll Free FAX

7 7 ACUPUNCTURE TEST PLAN To more effectively assist examinees with examination preparation, the NBCE supplies weightings (the emphasis devoted to each subject category) that appear as a percentage beside the categories that comprise a subject. 1. History/Philosophy of Acupuncture in a Chiropractic Setting (5%) A. Yin-Yang theory B. Five Elements theory C. Chiropractic and acupuncture history and philosophy 2. Organs, Qi, and Fluid (12%) A. Yin/Zang organs B. Yang/Fu organs C. Qi and fluids 3. Channels/Pathways (18%) A. Meridians and collaterals B. Eight Extra meridians 4. Acupoints (30%) A. Classification and nomenclature B. Methods of locating acupoints C. Specific points of limbs D. Specific points on head and trunk E. Eight Influential points F. Extraordinary points G. Auriculotherapy 5. Acupuncture Techniques (5%) A. Moxibustion B. Needling methods C. Cupping 6. Basic Treatment Tenets/Protocols (20%) A. Headaches B. Back/neck C. Extremities D. Organ dysfunction 7. Safety and Hygiene (10%) A. Clean Needle Technique B. Precautions/contraindications to treatment C. Management of possible accidents END ACUPUNCTURE TEST PLAN REFERENCE TEXTS Deadman, P., & Al-Khafaji, M. (2007). A Manual of Acupuncture (2nd ed.). East Sussex, UK: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications. Given, S. (Ed.). (2009). Clean Needle Technique Manual for Acupuncturists: Guidelines and Standards for the Clean and Safe Clinical Practice of Acupuncture (6th ed.). Gig Harbor, WA: National Acupuncture Foundation. Maciocia, G. (2005). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text for Acupuncturists and Herbalists (2nd ed.). (Chapters 1 through 3; Chapters 5 through 18; Chapters 50 through 68) New York: Churchill Livingstone. Oleson, T. (2003). Auriculotherapy Manual: Chinese and Western Systems of Ear Acupuncture (3rd ed.). New York: Churchill Livingstone. Xinnong, C. (Ed.) (2010). Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion. (3rd ed.) (Chapters 1 and 2; Sections I and II of Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Sections I, II, and III of Chapter 5; Chapters 6 through 11; Sections I, II and III of Chapter 14; Chapters 15 and 16; and Supplementary Section on Ear Acupuncture Therapy.) Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. * The listed chapters in the Maciocia and Xinnong texts include content usually covered by the typical curriculum for a 100-hour acupuncture course for chiropractors. However, the chapter references are to be understood as areas of emphasis. Some courses and the NBCE examination may cover content from other chapters. ACUPUNCTURE SAMPLE TEST A thorough review of the subjects to be tested is the most appropriate preparation for NBCE examinations. As part of your preparation for the NBCE Acupuncture Exam, you may also access an online sample test. The Acupuncture sample test consists of 25 multiple-choice questions for a cost of $ The sample test must be completed at the time of purchase. The Acupuncture sample test is available by following the link at or it can be accessed directly at

8 8 TEST COMMITTEE MEMBERS Gary L. Carver, D.C. Missouri State Board of Chiropractic Examiners Karen M. Dishauzi, D.C. Logan College of Chiropractic Kim A. F. Dorsey, D.C. Subject expert, private practice, Utah Walter S. Fung-on, D.C. Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine Bruce E. Johnson, D.C. Subject expert, private practice, South Dakota Julie A. Plezbert, D.C. New York Chiropractic College NBCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Donna L. Craft, D.C. President District II Director Paul N. Morin, D.C. Vice President District III Director Salvatore D. LaRusso, D.C. Treasurer At-Large Director Steven R. Conway, D.C., J.D. Secretary At-Large Director Daniel M. Côté, D.C. District I Director Ronald B. Tripp, Jr., D.C. District IV Director Lawrence O Connor, D.C. At-Large Director Gary R. Pennebaker, D.C. At-Large Director LeRoy F. Otto, D.C. FCLB Appointment FCLB President Farrel I. Grossman, D.C. FCLB Appointment FCLB Vice President Martin W. Kollasch, D.C., Ph.D. (c) Executive Vice President NBCE Headquarters th Avenue Greeley, Colorado Norman E. Ouzts, Jr., D.C. District V Director

9 TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, th Avenue, Greeley, CO Please send transcripts to the STATE (S) of: If Illinois is requested, I authorize the release of all historical scores. (Initial) And/or other agency: Print your legal name: (If you have legally changed your name since your last correspondence with the NBCE, see the instructions below.) Your mailing address: (Include street, city, state and zip code.) Your address: Date of birth: Phone number: NBCE examinee no.: The NBCE will send one transcript at no charge. (If you have been licensed by a state board, you have used your free transcript.) Additional transcript requests are processed at the rate of $25.00 per state board, payable to NBCE. We do not accept credit cards or temporary checks. See instructions below for information on expedited transcript mailing services and calculate charges accordingly. Please indicate below your request for transcripts to be sent now or held, pending release of scores from the most recent exam. Transcripts include all passing scores. Failing scores are not sent without your written permission via or letter. A) Send transcript now B) Hold transcript (For examinees whose current exam scores are pending: Transcripts are sent after scores are released online.) Fees: Transcript (First transcript is free; additional transcripts $25 per state) $25 x states Expedited Processing (processed same day received and sent Federal Express Overnight). For current exams, transcripts will be sent Federal Express Overnight $45 x states by published release date. TOTAL: I authorize the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners to release a transcript of my most recent scores to the licensing board(s) or entity(ies) indicated above. Signature: Date: Instructions for requesting NBCE transcripts: Transcript Request: Complete above form, enclose appropriate fees, and mail to address at top of the page. Please allow 5-10 business days for processing, unless you requested expedited processing. (See Mailing Charges below.) Name Changes: If your name has changed, include a copy of supporting documentation to ensure that the transcript is correct. Mailing Charges: To have your transcript processed and mailed the same day it is received, please include $45 in addition to the cost of the transcript. It will be mailed Federal Express Overnight. Part I, Part II, PHT, Acupuncture and Special Purposes Examination for Chiropractic (SPEC): Subject to varying state regulations, the NBCE releases transcripts containing the most recent scores. Part III: Can only be released upon successful completion (score 375 or above) of both Part I and Part II exams. A Part III transcript reports only the most recent score, unless a historical score record is required by the state licensing agency. Please refer questions to the state board. Part IV: Can only be released upon successful completion (score 375 or above) of the Part I, II and III exams. Please contact the NBCE for clarification if you were licensed prior to December 31, State Requirements: Each state board imposes unique requirements for licensure which are subject to change. Please contact the state board regarding current state licensing and score requirements. For NBCE use only Initials: Amt Received: Amt Refunded: Date Sent: