Frequently Asked Questions

Creating accounts and purchasing classes

Q: How do I create an account to register for a class?

Your account will automatically be created in the course of your first purchase. All you need to do is to load the class(es) you are interested into your shopping cart, then click on the cart icon, which will take you to the checkout page. Once you enter your information and complete your purchase, you will be able to log in to view your purchase receipt(s), access course materials, and download certificates of completion.

Q: I’ve purchased a class, how do I access the materials? How do I log in to a webinar?

• You can always access your classes, including videos, slideshows, and any webinar login instructions or other notes and forms, by logging in to your account, clicking on the “Courses” tab, and scrolling down to find the specific course you are working on. The green “Continue Study” buttons take you to course homepages, which contain the course completion instructions, videos, slideshows and any live webinar login instruction links or other notes.
• The course homepage links are also contained in your receipt which is automatically emailed to you when you first purchase a class (please check your spam filter and add www.aomprofessional.com to your safe senders list).

Q: Can I do the entire program on-line?

All of our regular class offerings available as webinars and/or self-paced distance-learning courses, except that the Labs are only offered as In-Person classes. The Review & Practicum Labs (40 hours) are required to obtain the Certification in Acupuncture Orthopedics. We are aware that there are other programs that offer “certification” in acupuncture orthopedics and sports medicine entirely from a distance, but in our experience, the hands-on nature of the material does require some in-person instruction for the skills to be safely and effectively transmitted. You may thus take most of the classes from a distance, but if you want AOM Professional to certify that you have mastered acupuncture orthopedics, you must eventually take the Review & Practicum Labs when they are offered in-person.

Q: When and where are the In-person Labs held?

The Anatomy for Acupuncturists Labs, and the Review and Practicum Labs, are generally held on the Friday and Monday on either side of the five 2-day History, Exam, Assessment and Treatment weekend didactic modules throughout a 2-year cycle at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland, CA. A 5-day Review & Practicum Lab intensive is also usually offered at the end of the 2-year program cycle. To participate in the Review & Practicum Labs, you must have completed the associated didactic Spine & Extremities module as a live webinar, in-person, or distance learning class.

Q: How much does the program cost?

Our three types of classes are priced differently, from low-cost distance-learning classes,  medium-priced live webinars, to higher-cost in-person classes.Your total cost will thus depend on the particular mix of in-person, live webinars, and distance-learning classes that you choose. The total cost ranges from approximately $4,500 (maximum possible classes taken as distance-learning self-study) to about $7,500 (all classes taken in-person). We say “approximately” and “about” because you can further reduce your costs by taking advantage of our discounts (see next FAQ). Also, prices may change without notice.

Q: Are there discounts available?

Yes, we offer two types of discounts:

1. Multiple class purchase: for 2 or more classes purchased at the same time, we offer -10% off all products in your shopping cart. This discount does not apply to multiple classes purchased in separate transactions.

2. Members of US state, national or international acupuncture professional associations: we are glad to support the acupuncture professions by offering -10% off classes upon evidence of membership. To obtain professional discounts, please email a copy of your membership card, dues receipt, member database screenshot, or other evidence to info@aomprofessional.com, and we will email you a discount code as soon as we can–please make your request well in advance, not when you want to purchase a class the night before it starts!

Q: I’m interested in a class, but it says PDAs and/or CEUs are “pending.” When will I know whether they have been approved?

We submit applications to the NCCAOM for PDAs, and to the California Acupuncture Board (CAB) for CEUs, more than the required 6 weeks in advance of class dates. The NCCAOM and CAB do not permit providers to advertise PDAs & CEUs as “approved” until we have received confirmation from the NCCAOM and CAB (which may be just before the class date). While we cannot guarantee approval, since we began teaching multiple classes/year in 2015, we have never had an application denied or rejected. If for some reason a class is not approved by the date of the class, we would issue full refunds on request.

Q: Why is the class only approved for NCCAOM PDAs? And it says “Contact us to request CAB CEUs–” what does that mean?

All our classes are approved by the NCCAOM for PDAs, unless otherwise stated. Many classes are also approved by the California Acupuncture Board (CAB). For some classes, we apply to the CAB for CEUs only upon request. Although the CAB application process says to allow 4-6 weeks for course approval, in practice we usually are able to obtain approval within one business week of receiving a request. Since we began teaching multiple classes/year in 2015, we have never had an application to the CAB denied or rejected. If for some reason a class is not approved by the date of the class, we would issue full refunds on request.

Q: When and how do I obtain my PDA/CEU certificates?

1. CEU certificates are available immediately for download through the website upon completion of the course. Instructions for obtaining CEU certificates are included in the course homepage and also at the beginning of each slideshow. Once you have (1) marked each lesson in the course as “complete,” and (2) for webinars or distance-learning classes, you have completed the course quiz and worksheets, and (3) filled out the course evaluation required by the California Acupuncture Board, you may download, print or email your certificate at any time by logging in and viewing the “Certificates of Completion” column in your account.

2. PDAs are issued only by the NCCAOM. The NCCAOM does not permit providers to issue their own PDA certificates (for the NCCAOM, our certificate is only considered a provisional placeholder). When you have completed the course evaluation, we will automatically be notified by email and will report your course completion to the NCCAOM within 2 weeks of your completion date. If you need your PDA certificate ASAP for license renewal, please let us know in advance of the class, and we will report your course completion to the NCCAOM just as soon as we can. You will receive your official PDA certificate directly from the NCCAOM via email. Once we have uploaded your attendance record to the NCCAOM with your name and email address that you have provided us, you are advised to contact the NCCAOM directly regarding any delays in the NCCAOM’s certificate distribution system.

The NCCAOM and the California Acupuncture Board both require PDA & CEU providers to have a way of verifying attendance throughout live webinars in order to issue course credit. To verify attendance, we give out a “course completion code” at the end of the course, which is the “answer” to a 1-question course completion “quiz.”  This means that you must be logged in and in attendance at the end of live webinars and in-person classes, to obtain the code and obtain your certificate of completion 

If you know you will not be in attendance at the end of the course, please notify the instructor before the start of the class, or consider a distance-learning of the class, or another class. We will not be able to give out “make-up” codes later, as this would violate our agreement with the NCAAOM and CAB regarding webinar attendance verification, and you will not be able to obtain credit for the course. We will not issue refunds for failure to be in attendance to receive the code–please see our refund policies. So, please plan to be in attendance at the end of all live webinars in order to obtain the code and your certificate of completion!

Q: I completed the quiz, but I can’t access my certificate.

After you complete the quiz (and for distance-learning courses, a worksheet), a course evaluation form should “pop up.” Course evaluation is required by the NCCAOM and California Acupuncture Board, and we cannot issue certificates without completion of the evaluation. If the evaluation does not pop up, please (1) check to make sure that your browser is not blocking pop-ups from www.aomprofessional.com, and (2) make sure that you have marked all the “lessons” as complete by (please return to the course home page, open up each lesson, and mark it as “complete”); and (3) for distance-learning classes, complete the worksheet.  The course evaluation should then appear. When you have completed the course evaluation, you will be able to access your certificate.

If you have completed all these steps and are still having trouble accessing your certificate, please Contact Us. To help us help you as quickly as possible, please include the exact name of the course(s), along with any screenshots, the exact wording of any error messages, and any page URLs where you are encountering any problems, along with a list of any steps you have taken to try to access your certificate on your own.

Q: Are the classes modular, can I take them in any order, or are there prerequisites?

The classes are designed to be modular, and you can take them in any order, except that the Review and Practicum labs must be taken in-person after completing the associated didactic module as a live class (i.e., to take the Head, Neck, Thorax Review & Practicum Lab, you must first have completed the 16-hour Head, Neck, Thorax: History, Exam, Assessment, Treatment didactic module at some time in the past. Review & Practicum Labs are typically offered the Monday following the weekend didactic Spine & Extremities modules, and every other year we also typically offer a Lab intensive 5-day weekend after the conclusion of the Spine & Extremities series.

Q: What are the requirements for Certification? And how long does it take to complete the Certification Program?

You can view the requirements for Certification here. The course offerings are designed and scheduled such that one may complete them within 1-2 years. Please note that in addition to the classes, there is also an on-line final exam as well as 33 required Case Consultation and Clinical Support hours, which will allow you to complete the case presentation requirements.

Q: How do I enroll in the Certificate Program?

There are no enrollment requirements for the Certification Program, other than for the classes themselves. You can begin taking classes towards Certification at any time.

Q: I’ve taken a live webinar or in-person class. When and how can I review the videos?

We do our best to upload our videos to the associated course as soon as possible after the class. Typically, raw videos will be available within 2 weeks after the class, and edited videos several months later. We sometimes encounter unanticipated delays in processing and uploading the videos, so feel free to let us know if there’s a particular video for a class you’ve purchased that you wish to see right away, and we will prioritize uploading it as soon as possible.

To watch the videos, log in to your account, and then find your class under the “Courses” tab. Clicking on the green “Continue Study” button will take you to the course homepage. Videos are posted as lessons under the Course Content at the bottom of the page.

Q: There’s an live webinar or in-person class that I want to take, but I am not free on that date. Can I register and watch the videos later and get credit?

Yes, you can–however, if you want “live” (not distance-learning) PDAs or CEUs, you must enroll and be in attendance throughout the live webinar or in-person class in order to obtain your certificate. If credit for the live hours is not important, then you can watch the videos when they are uploaded after the class, and/or wait to purchase the lower-cost self-paced distance-learning course.

Q: I registered for a live webinar or in-person class for a date I thought I would be available–but I had to leave part-way through, or missed the class entirely. Can I still get Live PDA/CEU credit for watching the videos later? Or at least distance-learning credit?

Unfortunately the NCCAOM and the California Acupuncture Board require that to obtain live PDA/CEU hours, you must be in attendance throughout the entire time the class is taught to receive credit. Providers are not permitted to issue partial credit for classes not completed.

If you want distance-learning credit for a live class you missed, you will need to re-purchase the self-paced distance-learning version of the class, if one is available. The distance learning classes require completion of a worksheet and quiz which are not required of the live classes–they are separate classes, and not interchangeable.

To avoid paying for a class that you miss and can’t get credit for, please review your calendar carefully before your purchase–we cannot offer refunds for missed live classes after the class date.

Q: There is a live class that I want to take, but I can’t make that date. Can I take it as a distance-learning class?

You can review our list of currently available distance-learning classes to see if it includes the class you are interested in. We have made most of our live classes (except the Labs) available for self-paced distance-learning as well. However, we cannot guarantee that any particular live class will be available for distance-learning by any certain date.

If you want access right away to the class material for informational purposes only, and don’t need the PDAs or CEUs, you can register for the live class even though you know you will miss it, and access the class videos, slideshows and any additional notes immediately.

Q: I missed the live didactic Spine and Extremities class, but I can still take the Review & Practicum Lab?

To enroll in a Review & Practicum Lab, you must have first completed the associated Spine and Extremities didactic course either as a live in-person or webinar, or self-paced distance-learning class. We offer our distance-learning purchasers a full year to complete their course at their own pace, but we need to ensure that all Lab participants have already completed the associated class and are fully-prepared for and ready to focus on the practical, hands-on materials, rather than needing lecture/demonstration of basic information that has already been covered in the live classes.

Q: I registered for a live class, but now I can’t take it. Also, I decided I’m not interested in a distance-learning class that I purchased. Can I get a refund?

Please review below our Refund and Terms of Enrollment Policies, as posted on the course purchase galleries.