Photo by Bill Green Jessica Feltz Wolfson, an acupuncturist, is shown at the The Turning Point: A Community Acupuncture Center at 243 W. Patrick Street.

At The Turning Point: A Community Acupuncture Center on West Patrick Street, Feltz-Wolfson offers acupuncture on a sliding scale. Patients pay what they can afford, some as little as $15 a session.

Future acupuncturists may not be able to establish such community clinics if a new First Professional Doctorate requirement for acupuncture and oriental medicine takes effect, she said.

The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the national accrediting agency for master's-level acupuncture and oriental medicine programs, is considering requiring acupuncturists to obtain a doctorate degree before becoming licensed.

This First Professional Doctorate is similar to the degree requirements for physical and occupational therapists, according to the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Entry-level acupuncturists must currently hold a master's degree from an accredited school, Feltz-Wolfson said. Specific licensing requirements vary from state to state, she said.

The requirement would add a year to the required course work for acupuncturists, which would increase the cost of an acupuncture education with no change in the scope of acupuncture practice, she said. The requirement would limit the number of students who are able to obtain a license, and the increased cost to students would be passed on to future patients, reducing the number of affordable acupuncture clinics, she said.

The Community Acupuncture Network, a 1,000-member international organization, is leading the fight against the FPD requirement. Feltz-Wolfson is the president of the organization's board of directors.

"We place a high value on our patients' access to care, which would stand to suffer given higher debt loads and smaller graduating classes," she said.

Feltz-Wolfson said the FPD requirement would also subject students to "information overload."

"There are some academic types who would do well in a doctorate program, such as the optional Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, which is currently available," she said. "But there are many more patients in our communities who would be better served by a shorter more cost-effective, simpler, educational path. All they need to be a good needler is meridian theory, point combinations and clean needle technique."

Feltz-Wolfson holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and social welfare, and a master's in oriental medicine.

According to an article in the December issue of Acupuncture Today, a majority of respondents to a survey conducted by the accreditation commission support the offering of a first professional doctorate in both acupuncture and oriental medicine. Respondents included both students and practitioners.

Adoption of an FPD requirement for acupuncturists will not affect those who already have a license, according to the commission.

The accrediting commission has put the doctorate process on hold while it accepts comments from those within the profession. After the Jan. 15 deadline, the commission will decide whether to continue formulating guidelines for the FPD.

Patients are interested in the debate as well.

Amy Morrow of Frederick has been receiving acupuncture occasionally at The Turning Point for almost a year. She said she couldn't afford treatment at many centers, but the sliding scale approach at The Turning Point made treatment accessible, she said.

Morrow broke her ankle three months ago, and after surgery to insert screws and a plate, she began receiving acupuncture three times a week for a month. She said she thinks the treatment drastically reduced her healing time, as she was back to work four weeks after her surgery.

"Based on this experience, yes, I most certainly believe that practitioners who do not have a (doctorate) can certainly provide successful and skillful treatment," she said.

Morrow said she thinks the doctorate requirement will reduce health care options for all patients.

"It is my opinion that this would be taking options away from individuals seeking to explore all possible methods of treatment for the betterment of their health (or) condition," she said.