Frequently Asked Questions

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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), course(s) and Ebooks, and access certificates of completion.

Q: Do I need to purchase the E-book in addition to the class in order to access slides, notes and videos?

No. Access to all course materials--slideshows, notes, videos--are included when you register for a class. The E-books are made available for users who aren't registering for a class and don't need PDAs/CEUs, but just want access notes and slides at a lower cost.

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, and scrolling down to find the course link(s) under "Courses." The course links 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 to the videos, slideshows, and any webinar login instruction links or other notes are also contained in your receipt which is automatically emailed to you when you first purchase a class or Ebook (please check your spam filter and add www.aomprofessional.com to your safe senders list).

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

We are working towards making all of our class offerings available as webinars and/or distance-learning self-study courses. except for the Practicum Labs (40 hours), which must be taken in person. The labs 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 Practicum Labs when they are offered in-person.

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

The Labs are generally held once a year at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland, CA. To participate in the Labs, you must have completed the associated didactic Spine & Extremities module as a live webinar, in-person, or distance learning class (not an E-book).

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 E-books, or to multiple classes purchased individually 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 (not E-books) 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--in other words, 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/CEUs 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. We do not advertise the 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, in 8+ years of teaching multiple classes/year, 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 CEUs--" what does that mean?

All classes are approved by the NCCAOM for PDAs, unless otherwise stated. For some classes we apply to the California Acupuncture Board (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 day of receiving a request.

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

1. CEU certificates are available immediately for download through the website upon completion of the course. Instructions for obtaining your CEUs are included in the course homepage and also at the beginning of each slideshow. Once you have marked each lesson in the course as "complete," and you have completed the course "quiz" with the completion code, and filled out the course evaluation required by the 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 through the NCCAOM. We will report your course completion to the NCCAOM within 2 weeks after the (last) day of the class. 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 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 and classes in order to issue course credit. Our way of meeting their requirement is to 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 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 classes 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, a course evaluation form should "pop up." (Course evaluation is required by the California Acupuncture Board and the NCCAOM, 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.") The course evaluation should then appear. When you have completed the course evaluation, you will be able to access your certificate.

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

Yes, the classes are designed to be modular and you can take them in any order, except that the Practicum labs must be taken in-person after taking the associated didactic module as a live class (i.e., to take the Head/Neck/Thorax Practicum Lab, you must first have taken the Head, Neck, Thorax didactic module at some time in the past. Practicum labs are typically offered the Monday following 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 (next intensive: 2024, dates TBD).

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 21 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 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, you must log in to your account, and then open up your course.

Q: There's a live webinar I want to take, but I am not free on that date. Can I register and watch the videos later?

Yes, you can--however, if you want "Live" (not distance) CEUs or PDAs, you must enroll and be in attendance throughout the live webinar 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 distance-learning class when it becomes available.

Q: I registered for a live webinar or in-person class for a date I thought I would be available--but I missed the class. 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 at the time the class is taught to receive credit. (You will still have access to the videos and other course materials).

For distance-learning credit, you will need to re-purchase the distance-learning version of the class, if one is available. The distance learning classes require completion of activities and a 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.

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. If not, we are in the process of making all our live classes (except the labs) available for distance-learning as well. However, we cannot guarantee that we will make any particular live class available for distance-learning by a certain date.

If you want access right away to the class material for informational purposes only, and don't need the CEUs or PDAs, you can register for the live class even though you know you will miss it, and access the written class notes immediately, and watch the videos as soon as they are uploaded (typically within 2 weeks after class--see FAQ above). Or you can purchase the low-cost E-book, which contains only the written materials.

Q: I missed the live didactic Spine and Extremities class, but I can still take the lab?

To enroll in a lab, you must have completed the associated Spine and Extremities didactic course either as a live or 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 review of basic information that has already been covered.

Q: I subscribed to an E-book, and now I wish to cancel my subscription. How do I do that?

You will receive subscription renewal emails from info@aomprofessional.com 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day prior to your subscription renewal date. The emails contain a link that allow you to cancel your subscription. To make sure that you receive the emails with the cancellation link, please add info@aomprofessional.com to your safe-senders list, and/or check your spam folder.

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 or E-book that I purchased. Can I get a refund?

• Non-refundable classes and products:
  • Distance-learning/Home-study classes
  • The Anatomy/Cadaver Lab
  • Interactive E-Books