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Alamo Colleges DistrictCareer Explorer

Acupuncturists

Part of Health Science, in the Therapeutic Services pathway.

Bright outlookJob zone 5: extensive preparationO*NET 29-1291.00

What the work is

Diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. May also use cups, nutritional supplements, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and other alternative health therapies.

On a typical day

  • Formulate herbal preparations to treat conditions considering herbal properties, such as taste, toxicity, effects of preparation, contraindications, and incompatibilities.
  • Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
  • Maintain detailed and complete records of health care plans and prognoses.
  • Dispense herbal formulas and inform patients of dosages and frequencies, treatment duration, possible side effects, and drug interactions.
  • Consider Western medical procedures in health assessment, health care team communication, and care referrals.
  • Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.

What it pays

$66,530
Median pay per year, Texas (no San Antonio figure published)
New workers start near $31,470
Experienced workers reach $90,420
  1. $31k10th
  2. $33k25th
  3. $67kMedian
  4. $90k75th
  5. $90k90th
Wage percentiles: 10th $31,470, 25th $33,170, Median $66,530, 75th $90,420, 90th $90,420

Job outlook

U.S. projection, 2024 to 2034.

+7%

U.S. employment change

900

openings a year nationwide, from growth and people leaving

15,300

employed nationwide in 2024

Typical entry education: Master's degree

Skills this career uses

The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.

  1. Active Listening4.0
  2. Critical Thinking3.9
  3. Social Perceptiveness3.9
  4. Service Orientation3.5
  5. Speaking3.9
  6. Judgment and Decision Making3.6
  7. Reading Comprehension4.0
  8. Monitoring3.5

Education people in this job have

Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.

  1. Master's degree77%
  2. Doctoral or professional23%

Job zone 5, extensive preparation: A graduate or professional degree, usually after a bachelor's.

Alamo programs that lead here

No Alamo program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.

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