POCA Tech is licensed in Oregon as a private career school by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
Higher Education Coordinating Commission
775 Court St. NE, Salem, OR 97310-1300
Tel (503) 947-5751
POCA Technical Institute and its following program are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM):
(1) Master of Acupuncture]
ACAHM does not accredit any programs at the undergraduate/bachelor level.
Accreditation status and notes may be viewed on the ACAHM Directory.
ACAHM is recognized by the United States Department of Education as the specialized accreditation agency for institutions/programs preparing acupuncture practitioners. ACAHM is located at 500 Lake Street, Suite 204, Excelsior, Minnesota 55331; phone 952/212-2434; https://acahm.org
The People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture (POCA or POCA Cooperative), and POCA Dept. of Education are separate and distinct entities from POCA Tech. Educational courses and programs offered by POCA or POCA Dept. of Education including, but not limited to, continuing education, Auricular Acu-Technician Training and POCAfests are not controlled or delivered by PTI and are not accredited by ACAOM. Questions about professional licensure or certification for education received at POCA and/or POCA Dept. of Education should be directed to your local state’s higher education authorizing agency or relevant state licensing/certification authority.
Practitioner Licensing
Each State licenses practitioners, and has individual licensing requirements. Here’s a chart of state-by-state licensing requirements from the NCCAOM.
Oregon: Oregon Medical Board
1500 SW 1st Ave., Suite 620, Portland, OR 97201-5847
Phone: 971-673-2700
Washington: Washington State Department of Health
P.O. Box 47865, Olympia, WA 98504-7865
email: hsqa.csc@doh.wa.gov
I want to practice in California. Can I go to POCA Tech?
Unfortunately, no. Certain states require more educational hours than POCA Tech’s program offers, and/or training in herbs: California, Florida, Texas, Nevada and New Mexico are among them. We ask prospective students to research the acupuncture licensing laws in the state(s) they want to practice in.
Where are POCA Tech graduates licensed to practice acupuncture?
POCA Tech’s first cohort graduated in 2017. As of February 2023, POCA Tech graduates have been granted acupuncture licenses in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.