Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists – Resources

Practice Standards

Practice Standards are established in order to assist registrants by setting out the minimum level of traditional Chinese medicine care and for the registrants to better understanding their professional obligations, support their professional development, and define and resolve professional practice issues.

The Practice Standards also serve as information to the public and to our patients to better understand the level of care they can expect from a registered traditional Chinese medicine professional.

• Acupuncture for Induction of Labour
• Clinical Record Keeping with Sample Form
• Communicable Diseases: Preventing Practitioner-to-Patient Transmission
• Consent to Treatment
• Resources – Consent to the Treatment handbook
• Draping for Patients
• Ethical Practice and Professional Accountability
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Professional Duty of Candour
• Sexual Misconduct
• Practice Standard on Providing Virtual Care Services to Patient(s)
• Indigenous Cultural Safety, Humility, and Anti-Racism
• Registrants’ Notice & Resources 

Practice Guidance

Practice Guidance are established to provide clarity related to specific areas of professional practice, to assist with clinical decision making, and to help registrants better understand their responsibilities and the regulatory requirements set by the College.

While Practice Guidance documents may reference specific requirements for practice, they are different from Practice Standards. Practice Guidance provides registrants with practical advice to inform their decision-making and enhance quality of care, whereas Practice Standards establish the minimum requirements for practice. Practice Standards also serve the public by informing them of the care to expect from a registered traditional Chinese medicine professional.

• Consent to Treatment
• Where’s the Line
• Billing & Insurance
• Marketing & Advertising
• Photos and Recording in the Practice Environment
• Ethical Principles for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in TCM/A Practices
• Communication Challenges & Equitable Care in Clinical Practice
• Leaving Practice Setting
• TCM Treatments for Cosmetic/Aesthetic Purposes
• Preventing Injuries in Cupping & Moxibustion Practices
• Infection Prevention and Control in Practice Environments
• Preventing Pneumothorax Accidents in Acupuncture Practice

Practice Notice

• Point Injection Therapy (PIT) & Tuina Techniques Using High Velocity Low Amplitude
• Point Injection Therapy

For More Information

TCMA registrants can contact PracticeSupport@cchpbc.ca with questions related to professional practice standards, guidance, and notices.

The purpose of the CCHPBC’s Quality Assurance Program (QAP) for traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture is to promote and facilitate high practice standards and competencies, ensuring that TCMA registrants deliver safe and ethical care in an evidence-informed and self-reflective manner. Whereas traditionally, regulators viewed continuing education as a matter of taking education courses and earning specified number of credits, it is now agreed that building competence involves more than simply earning course credits. Contemporary regulation is now a matter of supporting registrants throughout their careers and facilitating their ability to develop personal learning plans.

Meeting QAP requirements is not only necessary for registration renewal with the College, but also an important step in maintaining the public’s trust.

Practice Support Program

The College’s mandate as a provincial healthcare regulator is to act in the public interest and ensure public safety. The Practice Support Program (PSP) supports this mandate by ensuring registrants actively participate in quality improvement measures related to the services they provide that better patient outcomes and enhance public safety.

The PSP is designed to support registrants in ongoing career development by promoting professional behaviour, self-evaluation, peer mentorship and continued learning. This supportive approach works by facilitating registrant development in all workplace settings and across their career-span, respecting that TCMA registrants are responsible health professionals with a broad scope that are expected to be lifelong learners.

The PSP is based on the framework for career-span competence. The following documents provide more information about this framework:

• Framework for Career-Span Competence
• Career-Span Competencies
• Career-Span Competencies Validation Survey Results

For More Information

For questions related to the Quality Assurance Program please contact QAPrograms@cchpbc.ca.

The specific requirements to maintain Continuing Competency are set out in the following document:

• Continuing Competency Requirements (updated July 2023)

Compliance with the Continuing Competency Requirements Policy is required for renewing registration with the College. A minimum of 50 hours should be reported per reporting period. 

For current QA cycles starting on or after August 1, 2023, TCMA registrants must earn 50 CE in their QA cycle by completing all 5 PSP steps:

• Step 1: Self-Reflective Assessment (10 CE credits)
• Step 2: Setting Up Learning Objectives (10 CE credits)
• Step 3: Planning & Undertaking Learning Activities (1 CE credit hour of activity)
• Step 4: Evaluating Completed Learning Activities (5CE credits per evaluation; up to 20 CE)
• Step 5: End of QA Cycle Overall Evaluation (5 CE credits)

There are no maximums for specific types of learning activities to take within PSP. A minimum of 4 hours must focus on ethical practice. Activities related to the career-span competencies 1 through 6 can be counted as “Ethical” hours.

For current QA cycles that started before August 1, 2023, TCMA registrants are only required to complete PSP Step 1. Completion of PSP Step 1 will result in earning 10 CE Credits towards the required 50 CE credits. The remaining CE credits can be achieved by either completing PSP steps 2 to 5 or completing Category A, B, C, D.

CE hours from one QA cycle cannot be banked or carried forward into a new QA cycle. Courses necessary to fulfil TCMA registration requirements, such as Standard First Aid and CPR-C cannot be counted as CE credits for PSP.

The following documents provide further information regarding the PSP:

• Quality Assurance Program Handbook
• Quality Assurance Frequently Asked Questions
• Practice Support Program Information Session (Nov. 2024)

Registrants make a declaration during annual registration renewal that they are complying with College Bylaws.

For More Information

For questions related to the Quality Assurance Program please contact QAPrograms@cchpbc.ca.

Practice Support Program Step 1-5 Templates

Step 1 – Assessment – Self-Reflective Assessment

Step 2 – Professional Development – Learning Objectives

Step 3 – Professional Development – Plan and Complete Activities

Step 4 – Professional Development – Evaluate Activities

Step 5 – Professional Development – QA Cycle Evaluation

Activity Logs

The Activity Log serves as record for the number of CE hours achieved in a QA reporting cycle and must be completed.

TCMA Continuing Competency Activity Log (Pre-August 1, 2023 Cycle) – This activity log is for TCMA registrants whose current QA cycle began before August 1, 2023.

TCMA Continuing Competency Activity Log (PSP) – This activity log is for TCMA registrants whose current QA cycle begins on or after August 1, 2023.

Samples of Completed Templates and Activity Log:

Disclaimer: The following sample templates are provided for illustrative and educational purposes only. They are created to show how PSP templates can be used to complete each step of the Practice Support Program.

• Sample 1 (Registrant “Joe”)
  • Step 2
  • Step 3
  • Step 4
  • Step 5

• Sample 2 (Registrant “Shelly”)
  • Step 2
  • Step 3
  • Step 4
  • Step 5

• Sample 3 (Registrant “June”)
  • TCMA Continuing Competency Activity Log (PSP)

For More Information

For questions related to the Quality Assurance Program please contact QAPrograms@cchpbc.ca.

As part of Step 3, TCMA registrants will select and plan the learning opportunities that can best fulfill their objectives.

Before enrolling in or selecting a learning activity, the following should be considered:

• Does the course content align with the learning goals you’ve identified?
• Does it relate to the 14 Career-Span Competencies under the PSP?
• Does it meet the TCMA Continuing Competency Requirements?
• If the learning activity is instructor led, does the instructor have the appropriate qualifications and experience?
  • Instructor must have at least 7 years of experience in the treatment/competency/skill they are teaching OR a university degree with 3 years of experience in the treatment/competency/skill they are teaching, and;
  • Instructors must demonstrate through knowledge of the subject matter or possess credentials recognised by the College.

There are three categories of learning activities that can qualify for CE credit:

• Direct Participatory, Formal Programs
• Self-Study
• Structured Interactive Activities

Only actual instructional hours should be counted.

TCMA registrants may find this Learning Resource Guide by the Career-Span Competence Collaborative helpful in identifying learning opportunities.

The College does not endorse or guarantee the content of the listed courses, programs and activities, and takes no responsibility for the descriptions of them. Registrants are advised to use their own judgment before registering to attend the programs, especially if there is a cost to participate.

The guide is provided to inform registrants about continuing education courses and professional activity opportunities which are offered from time-to-time.  Please note that registrants can source other activities that are not listed to be included in their professional development learning plan. Registrants must justify how the activity directly benefits their practice quality.

Audit

Each year the College randomly selects a number of renewing registrants, who are at the end of a reporting period, to audit the individual records of Continuing Competency Activity Log.

Registrants make a declaration during annual registration renewal that they are complying with College Bylaws.

If it is your reporting year, please make sure you are fulfilling the requirements when making the declaration during registration renewal, having the templates and activity log completed, and keeping records and supporting documents of activities in the Professional Development Plan.  If a registrant is selected for the audit, they will receive a written request to send in their Continuing Competency Activity Log (as the first step).  Registrants only need to provide proof of complying with this requirement when requested by the College.

For More Information

For questions related to the Quality Assurance Program please contact QAPrograms@cchpbc.ca.

Other TCM/Acupuncture Regulatory Organizations in Canada

• College of Acupuncturists of Alberta
• College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario
• Order of Acupuncturists of Quebec
• College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of NL
• Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists

Other Provincial Health Regulatory Colleges in BC

• BC Health Regulators
• British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives
• British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals
• College of Health and Care Professionals of BC
• College of Pharmacists of British Columbia
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia
• College of Podiatric Surgeons of British Columbia

BC Public Health Agencies

• First Nations Health Authority

Resources For Internationally Trained Applicants

• Welcome BC
• Foreign Credential Recognition Loan Project

Professional Associations in BC

• List of TCM Associations

The College is governed by the Health Professions Act and the Regulations and Bylaws made under the Act. How the College conducts its operations is provided for in the Bylaws. The Bylaws and amendments to the Bylaws are approved by the BC government.

• Health Professions Act
• Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists Regulation
• Ministry of Health BC Professional Regulation

Privacy Legislation

• Access to Information Act of Canada
• British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
• Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner
• Freedom of Information and Protection Act (FOIPPA)
• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act of Canada
• Privacy Act of Canada

Other Enactments and Regulations

• Health Care (Consent) and Facilities (Admissions) Act
• Infants Act
• Health Legislation and Professional Regulation
• Limitation Act
• Medicare Protection Act and Regulations

Jurisprudence Handbook

The purpose of the Jurisprudence Handbook is to provide information on the ethical and legal framework within which TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists are expected to practice in British Columbia. It is expected that registrants will use the Handbook as a clinic reference manual, students will use the Handbook as a guide in their studies, and public health authorities and members of the public will use the Handbook as a source of information.

A significant portion of the Handbook was adapted from the Jurisprudence Course Handbook developed by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario. The College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia gratefully acknowledges permission from the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario to adapt the document for use in British Columbia.

Jurisprudence Course Handbook (English)

Jurisprudence Course Handbook (Simplified Chinese)

Jurisprudence Course Handbook (Traditional Chinese)

Safety Program Handbook

The Handbook has been developed for TCM professionals to use as a clinic reference manual, for the student to use as a handbook for the Safety Examinations, remedial application for registrants not meeting accepted standards of practice, and as a source of information for public health authorities and members of the public.

The Handbook was developed over a 2-year period with a team of consultants working with more than two dozen content experts and practitioners from the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario. Participants from both provinces spent significant hours in research and development. The assessment tools for testing in the Safety Examinations were validated by test-writing practitioners in both provinces.

In development of the Handbook content, experts drew extensively from the mandatory safety courses developed by CTCMA-BC and the College and Association of Alberta. A significant portion of the Herbology section 5.3 was adapted from guidelines developed by the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria, Australia. CCHPBC gratefully acknowledges the contribution made by the participants.

DOWNLOAD THE SAFETY PROGRAM HANDBOOK

Schools offering Traditional Chinese Medicine education programs in British Columbia that meet the College’s requirements will be recognized by listing under the College Bylaws. Below is the application package for the Education Program Review (EPR), which schools may use to apply for recognition.

• Education Program Review – NEW – Updated 2023-11-08 
• Education Program Review Application Form – NEW – Updated 2023-11
• Education Program Review – Form A – 1
• Education Program Review – Form A – 2
• Education Program Review – Form B (i)
• Education Program Review – Form B (ii)
• Education Program Review – Form B (iii)
• Education Program Review – Form B (iv)
• Education Program Review – Form C – NEW updated June 10, 2020
• Education Program Review – Guiding Review Principles for TCM Education Program with Online Learning Components _ New 2023-11-21

Application Forms

• Full Registration Application Form
• Reciprocity Registration Application Form
• Statutory Declaration (Form 1) available for Full/Reciprocity Registration
• Student Registration Application Form
• Statutory Declaration (Form 1.1) _ available for Student Registration

Address Change

• Registrant Portal: Online Address Change
• Paper Address Change Form

The College is required under the Health Professions Act (HPA) to maintain a public register. Your name, registration status and business contact information may be provided upon request to the general public. To update your information, please use the member portal or complete the form above and submit to the College. It is the registrant’s responsibility to immediately notify the Registrar of any change of address, name or any other registration information previously provided to the Registrar.

Business Name

• Business Name Application Form

Approval of Business Name can be requested by completing the Business Name Application form above. The College’s application form must be completed in accordance with the format provided, with an originally signed document provided to the College. Amendments or alterations to the Application are not accepted. A copy of the Results of Name Request from BC Registry Services as well as the processing fee of $25 must accompany all applications.

Name Change in Register

• Request for Name Change In Register

If you have legally changed your name and you would like to change your practice name registered with the College, please complete and submit this form and supporting documents by mail to CCHPBC.

Change Registration Class

• Current Full Registrant Applying for Non-Practising Registration Application Form

Current Full registrants may apply to change their registration class from Full to Non-Practising.

Student School Transfer

• School Transfer

Your student registration is portable (no transfer fee) if you transfer to a different school. You are required to submit a School Transfer form and a Confirmation Form of Education Standing with a photo to CCHPBC before you transfer to another school.  After your application is approved by CCHPBC, a new student badge will be mailed to you.

Cancellation of Registration

If registrant wish to cancel their current registrations, please fully complete and submit a “Registration Cancellation Request Form for Full or Non-Practising Registrant ” to the College. It is registrants’ responsibilities to consult the “Closing Practice / Leaving / Resignation” section of the Practice Standard – Clinical Record Keeping, page 8, and follow up responsibly notifying patients, and transferring and retaining records.

All applicants seeking to register with the College must complete the registration examinations.  The registration examinations measure the competencies required of entry-level traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for safe, ethical and effective practice.  For more information on registration requirements, please refer to the Application section of the website.

The College offers the following examinations:

• Doctor of TCM Written and Clinical Examinations
• Pan-Canadian Written and Clinical Case-study Examinations for Acupuncturists, TCM Herbalists and TCM Practitioners
• Safety Competency
• Jurisprudence Examination

Important Announcement

Beginning February 1, 2023, the procedure to take the Online Jurisprudence Exam through remote proctoring will be updated to include using the Guardian Secure Browser (GSB) developed by Meazure Learning.  Downloading the Guardian Browser will be one of the first steps to begin a proctored exam session.

For detailed information about preparing and using the Guardian Secure Browser (GSB) to launch a proctored exam session, please check:

• Updated Guardian Help Articles

Resources for taking Online proctored exam with Meazure Learning:

• Meazure Online Proctoring FAQ Page
• What to Expect Video

All applicants applying for registration with the College must successfully complete the Jurisprudence Examination.

In order to enhance the candidate experience with the Jurisprudence Examination administration, CCHPBC has collaborated with Yardstick to officially launch the Online Jurisprudence Examination with Remote Examination Proctoring in August 2020.

Application Procedure

The College contracted with Yardstick to administer the Jurisprudence Examination. Please follow the procedures below to apply to write the Jurisprudence Examination:

1. Go to the Jurisprudence Examination Site.
2. Click the ‘sign up’ button to create an account (if this is your first application to write the Jurisprudence Examination).
3. Complete the required information in order to proceed with the application.
4. Click on the ‘products’ tab and purchase the Jurisprudence Examination. Purchases are made online using a credit card only (no other form of payment is accepted).  A Purchase Receipt Email is sent right after the exam is purchased.  A Booking Instructions email will be sent to you with information of the steps to book an online session and support information for Remote Proctoring from ProctorU.

Please keep the information email handy as you may need the information when having trouble booking online exam session, confirming setup preparedness, and/or experiencing technical difficulties on Exam Day.

Examination Resources

Jurisprudence Examination Candidate Handbook

The Jurisprudence Examination Candidate Handbook contains detailed information about the policies, procedures for the Examination, including examination format, scoring, passing grades, and application process.

• Jurisprudence Examination Candidate Handbook

Jurisprudence Course Handbook

The Jurisprudence Examination is based on the:

• Jurisprudence Course Handbook (English)
• Jurisprudence Course Handbook (Simplified Chinese)
• Jurisprudence Course Handbook (Traditional Chinese)

Jurisprudence Examination Accommodation

Candidates with a disability who requires examination accommodations must submit a request for consideration (in writing, signed, dated, and enclosed with supporting documentation) to the College at least twenty (20) business days prior to their anticipated examination write date.

• Jurisprudence Examination Accommodation for Special Needs Form

Except for those applying through reciprocity, all applicants seeking licensure as Registered Acupuncturists (R.Ac.), Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalists (R.TCM.H.), or Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (R.TCM.P.) must successfully complete the Pan-Canadian Written and Clinical Case-study Examinations in respect to the title of registration applying for.

Announcements

All exam application inquiries can be sent to applications@cchpbc.ca

Applicants can expect the following during CCHPBC’s holiday office closure (December 24, 2024 afternoon to January 1, 2025):

• The application fee payment link and the receipt confirmation will be emailed after January 2, 2025 for examination applications received between December 24, 2024 and January 1, 2025.
• Inquiries received between December 24, 2024 and January 1, 2025 will be answered after January 2, 2025.

Examination Schedule

The schedule for the April/May 2025 Pan-Canadian Examinations is posted below. To avoid delays with requesting official transcripts and/or credential evaluation reports during the busy application season, we would recommend that applicants interested in writing the April/May 2025 Pan-Canadian Examinations start preparing their application as early as possible.

PCE applications can be mailed or uploaded to the April/May 2025 PCE application site.  Please check Page 9 of the Application Guide for more details.

APRIL/MAY 2025 – PAN-CANADIAN EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULE

Important Notes:

1. The computer-based April/May 2025 Pan-Canadian Examinations will be delivered IN-PERSON at TESTING CENTERS across Canada. For the latest available testing center locations across Canada, please refer to the CARB-TCMPA website HERE.
2. Please refer to the CARB-TCMPA website for future exam dates HERE.
3. The languages offered for the April/May 2025 administration are still under review. Please refer to the CARB-TCMPA website HERE for more updates.

Examination Requirements and Forms

Education Requirements

Applicants are required to meet the education requirements (both TCM and two years liberal arts/sciences study) for the title of registration they are applying for. Please refer to the Registration section of the website for further information.

Application Forms and Fees

Please use the forms below to submit your examination application:

• 2025 April/May Pan-Canadian Entry-Level Examination – Application Form – NEW

You are required to complete a Refresher Program/Course prior to taking the registration examination if you have graduated from a TCM/A education program more than 3 years ago OR if you are attempting the registration examination for the 2nd or 3rd time. The Refresher Program/Course must be pre-approved by CCHPBC and it must be completed before the examination application deadline. Please use the following form to apply for Refresher Program/Course pre-approval:

• Application Form for Refresher Program/Course (NEW)

To request accommodation for special needs, please complete the following two forms and submit them to accommodations@carb-tcmpa.org directly. A new accommodation request is required for each examination administration. Approved accomodations are only applicable to the examination administration for which they were requested.

• CARB-TCMPA PCE Accommodations Request Form; and
• CARB-TCMPA PCE Accommodations Verification Form

Pan-Canadian Examinations Fee Chart:

CARB-TCMPA has updated the PCE examination fees effective April 2025 PCE administration. More details are available at 2025 Examination Fee Increase – CARB-TCMPA.

Effective April 2025 PCE – (one Application Fee when applying for more than 1 type of exam in the same administration)

PCE Acupuncturists Examination – ACU

• Non-refundable application fee $300
• Examination fee $942

PCE TCM Herbalists Examination – HER

• Non-refundable application fee $300
• Examination fee $942

PCE TCM Practitioners Examination – PRA

• Non-refundable application fee $300
• Examination fee $1295

(plus applicable tax)

Examination Resources

Application Guide

The Application Guide is designed to provide candidates with information on the application process, policies, and instructions for the Pan-Canadian Examinations.

• 2025 April/May Pan-Canadian Examination Application Guide – NEW 

Blueprint

The Blueprint document outlines the content candidates are tested on as part of the Pan-Canadian exam. The content of the Pan-Canadian Registration Examination for Acupuncturists, TCM Herbalists, and/or TCM Practitioners consists of the competencies that entry-level practitioners are required to possess to practise safely, effectively and ethically. Please refer to the Examination Blueprint Table(s) on Page 12 and 14 of the Pan-Canadian Examination Candidate Handbook – Updated November 26, 2023.

Entry-Level Competencies for TCM practitioners

For more information on the Entry-Level Competencies for TCM practitioners, please refer to the Entry-Level Occupational Competency Profile.

Pan-Canadian Examinations Candidate Handbook

The Examination Guide is designed by the Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies of TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CARB-TCMPA) to familiarize candidates with the format of the actual examination and to provide information on the content of the examination. More information is available at CARB-TCMPA.

Pan-Canadian Examination candidate Handbook – updated November 26, 2023

Important Note:

All applicants applying for registration as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Dr. TCM) must successfully complete the Doctor of TCM Written and Clinical Examinations.

Examination Schedule

Important Note: The 2025 Dr. TCM Written and Clinical Examinations will be delivered in-person at a testing center. The Dr. TCM Written Examination will be held at multiple testing centers. Applicant may choose from the locations listed on the application form. The Dr. TCM Clinical Examination will be held in the city of Vancouver.

2025 DOCTOR OF TCM EXAMINATIONS

Examination Requirements and Forms

Education Requirements

Applicants for Dr. TCM examination must hold registration as R.TCM.P with the college (Bylaws Schedule 5 Section 11.2) and meet the education requirements set out in Bylaws Schedule 5 Section 10.

Please refer to the Applicants section of the website for further information.

*Applicants applying to write this examination must already be registered as R.TCM.P. or be eligible to apply for R.TCM.P. registration.

Application Forms and Fees

Please use the forms below to submit your application to register.

• 2025 Dr. TCM Clinical Examination Application Form – available on January 20, 2025

If you request accommodation for special needs, you are required to complete the following two forms and submit to CCHPBC by the application deadline

• 2025 Dr. TCM Clinical Examination Special Accommodation – Candidate Form – available on January 20, 2025
• 2025 Dr. TCM Clinical Examination Special Accommodation – Verification Form – available on January 20, 2025

If you plan to take the Registration Examination and graduated from a TCM/A education program for more than 3 years ago  OR failed an examination and will apply for the 2nd or 3rd attempt, you are required to complete a Refresher Program/Course that is pre-approved by CCHPBC. The Refresher Program/Course must be pre-approved by CCHPBC before you start it and completed before the examination application deadline. Please use the following form to apply for the pre-approval from the college:

• Application Form for Refresher Program/Course (NEW)

Application and registration fees are available under the College Bylaws and also in the application form.                                                                  

Dr.TCM Written and Clinical Examinations

• Application (Non-refundable) $- 300
• Written Examination – $800
• Clinical Examination – $800

Examination Resources

Examination Candidate Handbook

Detailed information about the policies and procedures for the examinations, including examination format, scoring, passing grades, and application process can be found in the:

• Dr. TCM Examination Candidate Handbook – 2025 – NEW

Entry-Level Competencies for Doctor of TCM

For more information on the Entry-Level Competencies for Doctor of TCM, please refer to the Entry-Level Competencies page.

All applicants applying for registration with the College must successfully complete the Interactive Safety Course. Please refer to the Registration section of the website for the examination required to register for each registration title.

To learn more about the Application Procedure and Extension Procedure. 

Course Resources

Interactive Safety Course Application Guide

The Interactive Safety Course Application Guide contains detailed information about the course overview, policies, procedures for the Course, including course format, technical specifications,  application process, and what a candidate needs to do to complete the course after enrollment is granted

• Interactive Safety Course Application Guide

The Interactive Safety Course is based on the:

• Safety Program Handbook (English) 
• Safety Program Handbook (Simplified Chinese)
• Safety Program Handbook (Traditional Chinese)

Interactive Safety Course – Modules

To become R.Ac.

1 – Infection and Prevention Control

2 – Risk Management of TCM Practice

3 – Safe Procedures and Practices – Acupuncture

To become R.TCM.H.

1 – Infection and Prevention Control

2 – Risk Management of TCM Practice

4 – Safe Procedures and Practices – Herbology

To become R.TCM.P. ***

1 – Infection and Prevention Control

2 – Risk Management of TCM Practice

3 – Safe Procedures and Practices – Acupuncture

4 – Safe Procedures and Practices – Herbology

To become Dr.TCM ***

1 – Infection and Prevention Control

2 – Risk Management of TCM Practice

3 – Safe Procedures and Practices – Acupuncture

4 – Safe Procedures and Practices – Herbology

*As of July 6, 2023, registrants with full or limited registration are required to hold current and valid Standard First Aid with Level C cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR-C) certifications under the College Bylaws. Student registrants and non-practicing registrants are not subject to this requirement unless they apply to become full registrants.

The Quality Assurance Committee has specified the following Standard First Aid and CPR-C certifications as acceptable to fulfill this requirement:

• Heart and Stroke Foundation – Standard First Aid CPR and AED Level C
• Canadian Red Cross – Standard First Aid & CPR
• St. John Ambulance  – Standard First Aid with CPR-C and AED
• Lifesaving Society – Standard First Aid (with CPR)
• Canadian Ski Patrol  – Standard First Aid and CPR training in the ski patrol training program

Certifications equivalent or exceeding the certification courses listed above are acceptable.

In general, courses that are titled “Emergency First Aid” are at a lower certification level than the “Standard First Aid” courses; and hence DO NOT satisfy the Standard First-Aid registration requirement in the College Bylaws.

*Please note: During annual registration renewal, all current and new registrants with full or limited registration must comply and report that they have met this requirement by March 31, 2024.