How to Become a Veterinary Acupuncturist

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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Veterinary acupuncture is a relatively new field in the United States. With acupuncture, needles are inserted at specific locations on the body to cure various ailments. Like human acupuncture, veterinary acupuncture works well with musculoskeletal problems, skin problems, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and some reproductive problems. Becoming a veterinary acupuncturist may be an interesting career if you're already a veterinarian and want to expand your practice to include some alternative medicines.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Step1
Become a veterinarian. You cannot be a veterinary acupuncturist unless you are already a practicing veterinarian. Since acupuncture is considered a surgical procedure, most states require that only vets may do acupuncture on animals. Acupuncture is used to treat large and small animals, so it doesn't matter if you're a large or small animal vet.
Step2
Contact the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) so you can become certified as a veterinary acupuncturist. They're the only certifying board in the United States.
Step3
Attend all four sessions of the IVAS Course in basic veterinary acupuncture. You'll learn when and how to use this treatment, what to expect from treatments. See the IVAS website for an updated schedule and more information.
Step4
Pay the fee, which includes the cost of the course and the examination.
Step5
Take and pass the written examination.
Step6
Pass your internship and/or submit your case studies to IVAS.

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