First of all, it must be explained that there is no "Chinese medicine practitioner license" in the United States. "Chinese medicine" is not a (licensed) doctor in America. In fact, there is no such title at all, no matter which state. The United States has a "Chinese medicine acupuncturist license" and a "Chinese medicine practitioner license". According to the statistics of the American Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Qualification Committee (NCCAOM), there are now 465,438+0 states in the United States that allow licensed acupuncturists to practice (data in 2004). So if you want to open a Chinese medicine health care institution, you may only focus on acupuncture.
Secondly, licensed acupuncturists in the United States are mainly composed of four parts: American western doctors who have been trained for 300 hours, graduates of three-year acupuncture schools in the United States, graduates of Chinese medicine colleges in China, and some western doctors who have been trained in Chinese medicine in China. Many licenses in the United States are related to States and are formulated by state legislation. For example, the State of New York stipulates that any acupuncturist who applies for a license must pass a special exam of NCCAOM. Licensed acupuncturists must complete a certain number of acupuncture and oriental medicine courses every four years in order for their licenses to remain valid. The American Acupuncture School may be attached to a medical university, but it is not a medical school in China. It only trains acupuncturists (masters), not "Chinese medicine". In other words, you must first determine which state the clinic is located in, as the netizen above replied. The situation in each state is different, and the regulations will be different.
Third, the U.S. government or state governments are not very friendly to Chinese medicine and refuse to recognize Chinese medicine. Some medical departments of American universities offer traditional medicine courses in China. However, this is not to cultivate the kind of' Chinese medicine' that we think. The American Medical Association once said, "There is no evidence to prove the effectiveness and safety of most alternative medicine. Doctors should know whether patients are using alternative medicine or unconventional medicine to treat diseases. If the ongoing routine treatment is interrupted, the patient must be informed of the possible dangers. "
Fourth, all Chinese patent medicines sold in the United States are not FDA-approved drugs, so they are not considered as' medicines'. Generally, it is imported in the name of complementary food. Therefore, "Chinese medicine practitioners" (such as acupuncturists) who prescribe Chinese medicine do not need professional license approval, and anyone can prescribe medicine. It's like writing a recipe for someone else, the ingredients of a dish. Can Chinese medicine apply for FDA approval? Of course it is possible in theory, but it is actually impossible for almost all Chinese medicines: FDA's approval of drugs is extremely strict and time-consuming. However, most traditional Chinese medicines are not clear about their ingredients, curative effects and side effects. Want to pass, no way! So if you run a clinic or a health care institution, the medicine you sell is not what we usually say. In the eyes of Americans, they are health care products and dietotherapy products, and are not recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration. You must be clear, or you may be sued in the future. Please remember this!