CTCMA is an official professional licensing authority established in 1996 by the Government of British Columbia, Canada to regulate the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture in the Province. The College is a self regulatory body that operates under the auspices of the Provincial Government and through the Health Professions Act the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists Regulation and Bylaws.

CTCMA is an expansion of the original College of Acupuncturists of British Columbia, which was created in 1996 by the Government. The College began designating professional acupuncturists as "Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac.)" in 1999.

Effective April 12, 2003, a valid registration (professional licence) issued by CTCMA is required in order to practise TCM and acupuncture in British Columbia.

After almost 30 years of creating a regulatory system for TCM., British Columbia is the first jurisdiction in North America to officially designate TCM practice. A short history of the struggle is available here.

The College grants the following titles after an applicant with the appropriate educational training passes the associated licensing examinations and safety courses:

- Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Dr.TCM), or

- Registered TCM practitioner (R.TCM.P.), or

- Registered TCM herbalist (R.TCM.H.) or

- Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac.).

The CTCMA seeks to protect the public by ensuring that anyone holding themselves out as practicing or qualified to practice TCM or acupuncture is registered through the College. In addition to the titles listed above, the CTCMA has adopted and uses the following marks: Dr. TCM; D.T.C.M.; Registered D.T.C.M.; D.T.C.M.(Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine); R. Ac.; Acupuncturist; Registered Acupuncturist; R. Ac. (Registered Acupuncturist); Registered D.P.C.M.; D.P.C.M. (Doctorate of Philosophy in Chinese Medicine); Traditional Chinese Medicine; Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine; R.TCM.P.; R.TCM.P. (Registered TCM Practitioner); R.TCM.H. and R.TCM.H. (Registered TCM Herbalist). The services of the CTCMA in educating the public and its members, and regulating and granting licenses to TCM practitioners and acupuncturists, relate to these and other marks of the CTCMA found throughout this website.

Our Mission
Our mission is to protect the public by establishing a system of mandatory registration in which practitioners have to meet and maintain standards in TCM and acupuncture care established by the College.
The College, as an institution, is politically unaligned and all its activities are entirely separate from electoral politics.

This page was updated on Dec 8th, 2009