The Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners convenes three times a year and consists of nine members appointed by the Governor for six-year staggered terms not requiring Senate confirmation. The presiding officer of the Board is also appointed by the Governor. The Board consists of the following: four acupuncturists with at least five years in the practice of acupuncture in Texas and are not licensed in this state as physicians; two physicians who are licensed in Texas and are experienced in the practice of acupuncture; and three members of the public who are not licensed or trained in a health care profession.
Statutorily mandated activities of the Board include: regulating acupuncturists in Texas through registration; determining acupuncturists’ eligibility for licensure; conducting investigations based on complaints filed against acupuncturists to determine if a licensee is in violation the Texas Occupations Code (Chapter 205) and/or the Board's rules; and exercising the authority to cancel, revoke, restrict, suspend or otherwise limit the license of any acupuncturist upon proof of violation.
The Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners’ mission is to protect and enhance the public's health, safety, and welfare by establishing and maintaining standards of excellence used in regulating the practice of acupuncture and ensuring quality health care for the citizens of Texas through licensure, discipline, and education.
An Acupuncturist is an individual who is licensed to practice acupuncture. The practice of acupuncture is the nonsurgical, nonincisive insertion of an acupuncture needle and the application of moxibustion to specific areas of the human body as a primary mode of therapy to treat and mitigate a human condition, including evaluation and assessment of the condition; and the administration of thermal or electrical treatments or the recommendation of dietary guidelines, energy flow exercise, or dietary or herbal supplements in conjunction with the treatment.