Giving physical therapists the right to use acupuncture and labeling this practice as the erroneous and misleading term, "dry-needling," is nonsensical and irrational. This is a practice that takes acupuncture out of context and uses it incorrectly. The level of knowledge of TCM theory and diagnosis in themselves require tremendously more than 54 hours. The university that I attend requires a total of 432 hours in the core TCM courses that make up the Masters of Acupuncture, which include classes like TCM Foundations, Medical Modalities, Diagnosis with Lab, Tongue and Pulse Lab, Meridians and Acupuncture I & II (two separate semesters!), Extra Points and Microsystems, etc.

54 hours is a joke! This is basically asking physical therapists to practice entirely out of their scope with highly insufficient training, which is quite dangerous! It is misleading to the general public, especially those unfamiliar with or unexposed to Traditional Chinese Medicine or true acupuncture in its traditional context. The effectiveness in needling acupuncture points relies greatly upon the knowledge of TCM and its complex theories. 

One cannot simply "learn where the points are and what they do" as though they directly provide symptomatic relief. I cannot imagine how else a 54 hour course would even look like. 

This is also disrespectful toward those practitioners who have devoted years of high-responsibility, effort, and diligence to become knowledgeable and skillful practitioners of TCM. Granting physical therapists the ability to use acupuncture in this way completely denies the value of true acupuncture. 

If physical therapists want to practice acupuncture, they must honor and respect the requirements to learn Traditional Chinese Medicine--of which acupuncture is only one branch. They should recieve the same training that acupuncturists do.