It is appalling that physical therapists think that they could practice acupuncture with only 54 hours of training.  54 hours of training is a completely inadequate level of training to qualify a physical therapist to safely insert acupuncture needles into patients and the regulations therefore are a serious threat to public safety.  The dry needling rules are illegal, because they would allow physical therapists to engage in acts that are outside the legal scope of practice for physical therapy as defined by Virginia's General Assembly. There is no evidence that the General Assembly intended to allow physical therapists to insert acupuncture needles without the same level of training required for licensed acupuncturists.  If I had 54 hours of physical therapy and said I could practice PT on my patients, physical therapists would raise up in arms and protest vehemently against me practicing their medicine.  It is insulting and even more so, dangerous, that severly undertrained practitioners would even consider doing acupuncture with slight knowledge of what they are doing.  This must be nipped in the bud and stopped. 

Sincerely,

Shelley Werner, L Ac