Licensed Acupuncturist Female, age 32 (ID #1278) Check this profile out too: CPA
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We asked
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A day in the life of…
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Ask me
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Jobs
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Alice123: Does it matter what type of acupuncture school you go to? How do you find if they are credible or not?
Profiler: The
most important factors in finding a school are: a city and/or
environment you are able to afford living in, a school that is
responsive to your questions (whether by phone, e-mail, or in person),
and a school environment that you are comfortable in when you visit.
Know all schools have some issues (usually administrative) – no school
is perfect, so try to find the one that is easy for you personally to
deal with.You can find out if the schools are credentialed at www.ccaom.org and find other students’ opinions of schools on the forum areas of www.tcmstudent.com or www.gancao.net.
James99: What do you do when people are skeptical about your position? What do you do about your patients being skeptical?
Profiler: Often, people are a combination of curious and skeptical about my
work. If
someone just finding out what I do seems more curious than skeptical, I
will explain my work, however, if someone is skeptical to an extreme, I
tend to shrug it off and move on to another topic. When
I have a new patient who is skeptical, I explain that we will do a
short series of treatments to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture
for his/her condition. Most people coming in for acupuncture are either not skeptical enough not to try, or acupuncture is the
last resort for that person’s condition and they feel like it’s at least worth a try.
CareerDesp: How long is an actual appointment with a patient?
Profiler: In my office, an initial visit lasts between one to one and a half hours. It includes new patient paperwork, a health history intake, and the acupuncture treatment. Follow-up appointments last between forty-five minutes to an hour. Follow-ups include questions about results from the last
treatment, changes in symptoms, and the acupuncture treatment. Needles are retained for 10 – 20 minutes.
LittleBear469: Were you ever nervous about putting needles into people?
Profiler: While in school, the first people you needle are your fellow students and yourself. It was nerve wracking
the first few times in general and for the first time for more difficult points. My
first treatment in student clinic was a success, even though I my
sweaty hands were shaking horribly. Since then, I have been fine.
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7 am - 8 am
Get ready for work and pack lunch.
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8 am - 9 am
8:15 call voice mail for private practice - listen to messages. 8:30 leave the house to drive to the office. Get to the office at 9:40.
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9 am - 10 am
9:40 get to office. Set up room by putting sheets on the treatment table, getting acupuncture supplies out, pull patient files for the day, and review first patient's chart. 10 am first patient shows up for appointment.
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10 am - 11 am
Discuss patient's health issues, treat patient with appropriate acupuncture points/protocal. Leave the room for about 20 minutes to finish paperwork for the chart while treatment occurs. Re-enter the room, remove needles, discuss when to schedule next appointment. Change sheets for next appointment.
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11 am - 12 pm
No patient scheduled during this time. Step out for a personal appointment. Return to office at 11:45 and read.
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12 pm - 1 pm
12 eat lunch and read a little more. Check voicemail at private practice for patient calls. Review next patient's chart.
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1 pm - 2 pm
1:05 Next patient arrives. Discuss patient's health issues, treat patient with appropriate acupuncture points/protocal. Leave the room for about 20 minutes to finish paperwork for the chart while treatment occurs. Re-enter the room, remove needles, discuss when to schedule next appointment. Change sheets for next appointment.
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2 pm - 3 pm
2:00 Next patient arrives. Discuss patient's health issues, treat patient with appropriate acupuncture points/protocal. Leave the room for about 20 minutes to finish paperwork for the chart while treatment occurs. Re-enter the room, remove needles, discuss when to schedule next appointment. Change sheets for next appointment.
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3 pm - 4 pm
3:00 next patient arrives. Discuss patient's health issues, treat patient with appropriate acupuncture points/protocal. Leave the room for about 20 minutes to finish paperwork for the chart while treatment occurs. Re-enter the room, remove needles, discuss when to schedule next appointment. Remove sheets from the treatment table, place in dirty laundry.
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4 pm - 5 pm
4:05 leave office to drive home. Arrive at home 4:50, relax after a pretty good day.
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5 pm - 6 pm
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6 pm - 7 pm
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7 pm - 8 pm
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8 pm - 9 pm
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9 pm - 10 pm
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10 pm - 11 pm
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11 pm - 12 am
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| 1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a Licensed Acupuncturist do? |
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What field is your job in?
Alternative/Complementary Health Care
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What is your job title?
Licensed Acupuncturist
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I am both self employed and a contract employee at a chiropractor's office. In my private practice, I am the only employee. The chiropractor's office has 3 chiropractors, an office manager, 4 massage therapists.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
Self employed for 3 years, contract employee for 1 year.
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
30-40
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
Initial patient intake (health history), develop treatment plan, treat patient with acupuncture. Return phone calls, order supplies, bookkeeping, laundry.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
$29,000
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
50000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
self employed - I run my business as I see fit, set my own schedule. No medical/dental coverage.
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
I set my own fees, so I am pretty well compensated.
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| 2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
I work with my patients on a daily basis. When I am at the chiropractor's office, I interact with the office manager, chiropractors, and massage therapists. I enjoy the interaction. I don't have to answer to anyone other than my patients and myself which I like.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
No
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
No
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
My private practice in the same office as a massage therapist. It is open, spacious, and calming. It's a great environment. The chiropractor's office is also nice, but a little more medical in nature. I enjoy that office for the people more than the building itself.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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3 Income
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4 Work Environment - co-workers
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6 Work Environment - supervisors
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7 Benefits
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2 Hours
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5 Level of responsibility
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1 The actual "work" you do at your job
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8 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours?
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Be prepared to be self employed. A lot of acupuncturists would rather have a job for someone with a salary and benefits, but it doesn't happen as often as most of us would like.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
A true love for acupuncture. During (and after) school, learn about running a business. When first starting out, patience is important.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
The minimum requirement currently is a Masters degree.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be patient. The practice will grow over time. Enjoy what you do and don't get discouraged.
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| 4. How did you get your J-O-B |
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How did you find your current job? (e.g. newspaper, internet, referral, etc.)
Sent my professional information out to massage therapists, chiropractors, hospitals, and doctor's offices.
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What
was the application process for your job? (e.g. submitted resume, paper
application, electronic application, all, etc.)
Submitted resume, waited for a call or e-mail.
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Did
you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the
interview process entail? (e.g., number of interviews, who you
interviewed with, group interview, individual interview, etc.)
Sort of. I went in to see the office for my private practice, discussed cost of renting space, days the room was available, and general behavior guidlines. For the chiropractor's office, it was similar, but instead of rent, we discussed pay.
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If you can remember, what questions were you asked at your interview?
Don't remember specifics.
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Is this the job / field you planned to work in?
Yes
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If
your job is in a different field from your original plan how did you
get here? Explain (Plan can be from high school/college/post
college/personal plan)
n/a.
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| 5. Background: Are you qualified? |
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Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. It is a combined Bachelors and Masters degree in Oriental Medicine. After the required undergraduate credits to get into the school, the school takes 3-4 years.
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Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain
n/a
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Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain
Yes. I spent a lot of time while in school treating patients in the clinic. The course work and clinic work combined to give me a strong foundation.
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If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare you for your job?
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Name of School |
GPA |
Type of Degree |
Graduation Date |
| High School |
N/A |
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N/A |
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| College |
LFCC
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3.54
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Chemistry
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transferred
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| Graduate School |
Southwest Acupuncture College
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3.5
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Master of Science in Oriental Medicine
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July 2003
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Starting
with the most recent, please list your last two positions/jobs before
your CURRENT POSITION. If you have held internships or volunteer
positions, please include those in the count. If you require more space, please use it.
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Type of Company |
Job Title |
Length of Employment |
Salary (with bonus) |
| 1. |
Bank
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Temp.Receptionist
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3 months
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$ 1200/mo
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Description of Job
Answer phones, greet customers, etc.
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Type of Company |
Job Title |
Length of Employment |
Salary (with bonus) |
| 2. |
Hospital
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Temp. Medical Records clerk
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3 months
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$1100/mo
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Description of Job
Answer phones, direct mail, enter requests for records.
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| 6. The Future and Beyond (FINAL SECTION) |
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If someone were to observe you at work, what would he or she say is “fun” about your job?
I get to joke around with my patients, put needles in people, and make people feel better.
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What
is (are) the most fulfilling aspect(s) and least fulfilling aspect(s)
of your current employment? (e.g. fiscal, spiritual, type of work,
hours, commute, compensation, etc.)
Most fulfilling: I love my work, my patients, I get paid what I set the fees at. I don't have a boss. Least fulfilling: I do commute and dislike it. I don't have the security of an employee with sick/vacation days and benefits.
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Is your current employment part of your career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. I love my work. I don't want to do any other line of work.
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What are your current career goals? (Can be broad or specific)
Consolidate my offices. I don't want to commute as much, but I want my practice to grow.
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Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Be prepared to be questioned about being an acupuncturist. Be prepared for skeptics.
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