The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

1. (1) Acupuncture Act or "the Act"--Texas Occupations Code, Chapter 205.
2. (2) Acupuncture Board or "board"--The Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners.

3. (3) Acceptable approved acupuncture school--Effective January 1, 1996, and in addition to and consistent with the requirements of §205.206 of the Act:

   1. (A) a school of acupuncture located in the United States or Canada which, at the time of the applicant's graduation, was a candidate for accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) or another accrediting body recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, provides certification that the curriculum at the time of the applicant's graduation was equivalent to the curriculum upon which accreditation granted, offered a master's degree or a professional certificate or diploma upon graduation, and had a curriculum of 1,800 hours with at least 450 hours of herbal studies which at a minimum included the following:

      1. (i) basic herbology including recognition, nomenclature, functions, temperature, taste, contraindications, and therapeutic combinations of herbs;
      2. (ii) herbal formulas including traditional herbal formulas and their modifications or variations based on traditional methods of herbal therapy;
      3. (iii) patent herbs including the names of the more common patent herbal medications and their uses; and
      4. (iv) clinical training emphasizing herbal uses; or

   2. (B) a school of acupuncture located in the United States or Canada which, at the time of the applicant's graduation, was accredited by ACAHM or another accrediting body recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, offered a master's degree or a professional certificate or diploma upon graduation, and had a curriculum of 1,800 hours with at least 450 hours of herbal studies which at a minimum included the following:

      1. (i) basic herbology including recognition, nomenclature, functions, temperature, taste, contraindications, and therapeutic combinations of herbs;
      2. (ii) herbal formulas including traditional herbal formulas and their modifications or variations based on traditional methods of herbal therapy;
      3. (iii) patent herbs including the names of the more common patent herbal medications and their uses; and
      4. (iv) clinical training emphasizing herbal uses; or
   3. (C) a school of acupuncture located outside the United States or Canada that is determined by the board to be substantially equivalent to a Texas acupuncture school or a school defined in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph. An evaluation by the Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA) or an evaluation requested by the board may be utilized when making a determination of substantial equivalence.
4. (4) Medical Practice Act--Texas Occupations Code Annotated, Title 3, Subtitle B, as amended.

Source Note:The provisions of this §184.1 adopted to be effective January 9, 2025, 50 TexReg 384.