Acupuncturists
Also called Acupuncture Physician, Acupuncturist, Herbalist, or Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC)
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Acupuncturists do
You place very thin needles at precise points on a person's body, then track how their pain, sleep, or stress changes over weeks.
Acupuncturists treat health problems by stimulating specific points on the body, usually with hair-thin needles. You also use other tools: cups (glass or plastic domes that create suction on the skin), moxibustion (burning a dried herb near the skin to warm a point), tiny seeds or pellets taped to the ear, guasha (scraping the skin with a smooth edge), and nutritional supplements. Some acupuncturists also work with herbs.
Most of the job is quiet, careful, one-on-one work. You ask a lot of questions about a person's history, sleep, diet, and stress. You feel for landmarks on the body to find each point correctly, decide what is safe to do, and write a treatment plan. Then you check whether it is working and adjust.
A day in the life
You start indoors in a warm, quiet treatment room, checking your schedule and email. Your first patient is new, so you spend time collecting their health history and lifestyle details, then explain what you plan to do and why. You locate points by touch, insert needles, and let them rest while you check on another patient in the next room. Between sessions you clean and follow infection control rules, since you are close to sick people all day. You add cups or ear seeds for one person, adjust the plan for someone whose shoulder pain has not shifted, and teach another patient stretches and breathing. You write detailed notes after each visit. The day ends with records, supply orders, and messages.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like close, calm conversation with one person at a time
- ✓Enjoy using your hands with care and precision
- ✓Want to figure out patterns from a person's history and symptoms
- ✓Can keep detailed records and follow safety rules exactly
- ✓Are comfortable committing to several years of study
You might not like it if you…
- –Dislike being around people who are ill or in pain
- –Want to start earning soon after high school, since a master's degree is typical
- –Find paperwork and careful note-keeping draining
- –Prefer variety in your surroundings over being indoors in one room
How people get in
- 1Build a base in biology and science in high school or college, and get comfortable talking with people.
- 2Look into state rules where you want to work, since acupuncture is licensed and the requirements vary.
- 3Complete a master's degree program in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, which is the typical entry education.
- 4Do the hands-on clinical training built into your program, treating patients under supervision.
- 5Meet your state's licensing requirements so you can practice, often using the title Licensed Acupuncturist.
- 6Start out in an existing clinic or group practice to build experience before considering your own practice.
Who tends to enjoy it
Helping
People who like teaching, caring for, and working closely with people.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Official task list
Acupuncturists diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. May also use cups, nutritional supplements, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and other alternative health therapies. (O*NET)
- Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
- Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
- Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
- Identify correct anatomical and proportional point locations based on patients' anatomy and positions, contraindications, and precautions related to treatments, such as intradermal needles, moxibustion, electricity, guasha, or bleeding.
- Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
- Insert needles to provide acupuncture treatment.
- Evaluate treatment outcomes and recommend new or altered treatments as necessary to further promote, restore, or maintain health.
- Collect medical histories and general health and lifestyle information from patients.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Speaking
- Judgment and Decision Making
What you'll need to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Psychology
- Biology
- English Language
How much Acupuncturists make
The median pay for Acupuncturists in the U.S. is $76,040 a year ($36.56 an hour). Most earn between $38,830 and $161,470. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Tennessee ($141,430) and lowest in Colorado ($56,950).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $85,300 | 70 |
| California | $75,530 | 2,520 |
| Colorado | $56,950 | — |
| Florida | $69,990 | 900 |
| Georgia | $73,980 | 140 |
| Hawaii | $64,570 | — |
| Indiana | $120,490 | 30 |
| Kentucky | $85,130 | 60 |
| Maine | $83,040 | — |
| Maryland | $101,650 | — |
| Massachusetts | $93,360 | — |
| Michigan | $65,490 | — |
| Minnesota | $69,690 | 210 |
| Missouri | $89,000 | — |
| New Hampshire | $77,470 | — |
| New Jersey | $125,260 | 240 |
| New York | $86,120 | 1,160 |
| North Carolina | $76,500 | 320 |
| Oregon | $64,870 | 360 |
| Tennessee | $141,430 | — |
| Texas | $66,530 | — |
| Utah | $58,620 | — |
| Washington | $83,200 | — |
| Wisconsin | $84,820 | 170 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine 46 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 29-1291.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 29-1291. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.