32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists

What this occupation covers

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists assess, treat and prevent diseases, conditions, disorders or imbalances of patients' using various forms of treatment including acupuncture, herbology or other holistic health approaches. They usually work in private practice, including group or team practices, clinics, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres and health clubs.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 14 main duties for this code.

• Diagnose within the framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine the diseases, physiological disorders and injuries of patients
• Explain procedures, risks and benefits of treatments to patients
• Prescribe and administer treatment such as acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), scraping (Gua Sha), cupping therapy, moxibustion, acupressure, and auriculotherapy
• May prescribe and administer Chinese manipulative therapy (Tui Na), energy control therapy (Qi Gong) and laser therapy
• May suggest home care instructions and provide information about life therapies including energy control therapy (Qi Gong), Chinese shadow boxing (Tai Ji Quan) and Chinese food cure recipes (Shi Liao)
• Maintain patient records
• Prescribe and administer treatment using raw or granule herbs and other medicines or dietary supplements
• May collaborate with other health care professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians and psychologists when developing treatment plans for patients.
• Diagnose symptoms, imbalances, physiological disorders and injuries of patients according to Chinese medicine traditions
• Educate patients on risks and benefits of treatments
• Develop and implement treatment plans including acupuncture acupressure, moxibustion, cupping, scraping or electrical current
• Evaluate and document patients' progress
• May provide dietary and lifestyle advice including information on life therapies such as energy control therapy (Qi Gong)
• May develop treatment plans in collaboration with other health care professionals.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 3 of its 14 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 31201 Chiropractors
• 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
• 32201 Massage therapists
• 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
• 32209 Other practitioners of natural healing
• 31202 Physiotherapists

Excluded from this code

• Chiropractors (See 31201 Chiropractors)
• Doctor of osteopathic medicine (See 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating)
• Massage therapists (See 32201 Massage therapists)
• Midwife (See 31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals)
• Naturopathic physician (See 31209 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating)
• Other practitioners of natural healing (See 32209 Other practitioners of natural healing)
• Physiotherapists (See 31202 Physiotherapists)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

acupuncturist · Chinese medicine doctor · Chinese medicine herbalist · Chinese medicine practitioner · doctor of acupuncture · doctor of Chinese medicine · doctor of Oriental medicine · doctor of traditional Chinese medicine · medical Qi gong practitioner · Oriental medical practitioner · registered acupuncture practitioner · registered acupuncturist · registered traditional Chinese medicine herbalist · registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner · traditional Chinese medicine practitioner · traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist

Employment requirements

• Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners usually require completion of a four- to five-year diploma program in traditional Chinese medicine from a private institute or completion of a program in traditional Chinese medicine from recognized medical schools abroad.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Ontario and British Columbia, which includes completion of an approved registration examination.
• Acupuncturists usually require completion of a three- to four-year diploma program in acupuncture from a private institute or completion of some university undergraduate studies in science and training in a related health care discipline or work experience under the supervision of a registered acupuncturist.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for acupuncturists in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, which includes completion of an approved registration examination.