- knowledge of medicine and dentistry
- knowledge of psychology
- sensitivity and understanding
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to use your initiative
- counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Your day-to-day duties could include:
- taking a detailed history from clients
- talking about issues surrounding a client's symptoms, like lifestyle, diet and emotions
- diagnosing problems and deciding what action to take
- selecting points on the body to be treated
- inserting needles
- keeping records
- referring clients to medical practitioners
You could work from home, at a hospice, in a therapy clinic, at a GP practice or in an NHS or private hospital.
With experience you could move into teaching or research.
You can find out more about acupuncture careers from the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board and the British Acupuncture Council.
