I believe it also inhibits the hope of the student to have a whole medicine to look forward to practicing with equal opportunity for an equitable livelihood. Acupuncture should not be subjected to a diluting process so that healthcare providers can tack on an additional charge to a medical bill. Because the American public pursues acupuncture and Oriental medicine as part of their healthcare, does not mean the profession should be adulterated for the convenience of providers. The American public deserves access to the finest the medicine has to offer, not what can pass for treatment. It is not a question of 'do no harm', it is that acupuncture and Oriental medicine has much to offer and should be offered as a whole, not piecemeal.
All medical professions excel at dealing with specific issues.
I think individual professions should cultivate the finest that their particular profession offers. If one is looking for treatment by an acupuncturist, one wants the provider with the most education and clinical experience available, not the one who took a quick survey course. The differences in medical care available in this country should be applauded as freedom of choice, and should continue to be cultivated in their own right. ASNY encourages the Commission to support the profession in it's belief that anyone wishing to practice acupuncture and Oriental medicine be required to complete a training program that is closely modeled after the extant accredited programs that currently exist for competent entry level into the profession. That the Commission support the 'wholeness' of the medicine of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and resist the political pressure that is applied in this country to 'piecemeal' the profession.