Acupuncturist Pleased with Licensing Law

Acupuncturist Pleased with Licensing Law

Governor Brownback signing the Kansas Acupuncture Practice Act with members of the Kansas Association of Oriental Medicine & legislators.

Kansas has joined 45 other states in regulating and licensing professional acupuncturists with the signing of the Kansas Acupuncture Practice Act.  The Kansas Association of Oriental Medicine has worked to pass law to this effect for over fifteen years.  The Association says the new licensing requirements for acupuncturists protect both patients and acupuncturists.  Patients will now be assured that their acupuncturist is qualified with a license, and acupuncturists are now allowed to practice legally in Kansas as health care professionals. The new law goes into effect June 2017.

Rhonda K. Bathurst, acupuncturist at Memorial Health System’s Comprehensive Pain Solutions, is an active member of the Kansas Association of Oriental Medicine and she serves on the organization’s legislative committee. Bathurst is very pleased that Kansas is now licensing acupuncturists and requiring entry level competencies for practice to protect patients.  She states, “The new law protects the public, defines the practice scope, and recognizes acupuncturists as independent health care professionals.” 

Bathurst is a graduate of Kansas State University and American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  She is a board certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and maintains acupuncturist licenses in New York and California. Bathurst also serves on the board of directors of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine where she was appointed chair of the Public Policy Committee last year. Bathurst brings over twenty years of experience to patients receiving acupuncturist services in Comprehensive Pain Solutions.