Position Statement on New Mexico Acupuncture Clinical Skills Exam
It is the opinion of the New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine that:
The clinical skills examination specified in Paragraph (2) of Subsection B of 16.2.4.8 NMAC is both necessary and sufficient to protect public safety. The New Mexico Society for Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (NMSAAM) strongly supports the clinical skills examination as currently administered.
The exam authorized by the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice Act and defined in Paragraph (2) of Subsection B of 16.2.4.8 NMAC, hereafter “the exam”, has been a requirement for the practice of acupuncture in New Mexico since the act was passed in 1981. Since that time, there have been very few adverse events relating to the practice of acupuncture in the state. This is, in part, due to the exam requirement.
The exam as currently administered has been evaluated by outside PhDs in psychometrics. This was done by the Board of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, “the board”, at the board’s expense. It was established that the current exam:
- Is objective in its testing of licensee candidates;
- Tests objectively different criteria than any exams offered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).
The practical nature of the exam is similar in scope and rigor to those required by other health providers, including but not limited to optometrists and emergency medical technicians (EMT).
As a matter of high professional standards and public safety, NMSAAM strongly supports the continued administration of the exam.
NMSAAM Board of Directors
Approved October, 2020