Articles about
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October 29th, 2022 — For over a decade, all signs have pointed to the acupuncture profession being on a road (by choice) that leads to the edge of a cliff. That cliff can be defined as the point at which the cost of an acupuncture education is so clearly not a good investment that people stop entering the profession and thus stop funding its infrastructure (particularly the NCCAOM, which is one of the main gatekeepers for entry into the profession and so depends on, you know, people wanting to enter the profession).
January 23rd, 2023 — Myths aren’t the same as fairy tales or folktales or any other story; they’re powerful and generative in a distinct way. Myths can make things happen, for better or worse. I think the acupuncture profession in the US possesses, and is possessed by, one of these: the myth of the scholar-physician with a hospital job.
January 30th, 2023 — Acupuncturists (at least in the US) have a lot of trouble navigating the tension between autonomy and security. We struggle to understand the tradeoffs between the two, and this can result in a weird, tortured, destructive relationship with organizations.
February 6th, 2023 — Practicing acupuncture in a way that allowed me to make my living was more like raising a child than having a job or a career. And this isn’t because I’m a community acupuncturist instead of a private room acupuncturist, it’s because I was running a small business, period.
February 13th, 2023 — Dalton, Price and Thompson's model for leadership development applied to the acupuncture profession...and the acupocalypse.
February 16th, 2023 — It’s common for acupuncturists to suggest that acupuncture schools should teach more business and practice management. I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that, but teaching skills without being clear about the level of self-leadership needed to enact them isn’t helpful. A person at Stage 1 who took fantastic classes in marketing, bookkeeping and acupuncture business management but who can’t put any of it into practice without supervision isn’t going to be able to run a small business. It’s not about what you know, it’s about what you’re able to motivate yourself to DO.
February 24th, 2023 — In community acupuncture, in acupuncture safety, and in running a small business, I’ve found that order of operations often represents the difference between being effective in solving a problem, versus unproductively spinning my wheels. You have to know where to start.
May 18th, 2023 — Dalton, Price and Thompson’s research helped me recognize that while acupuncturists want professional careers, collectively we just haven’t put in the work to create the underpinnings that professional careers require.
May 30th, 2023 — Leadership is less about making decisions and more about making things happen, with and for and through other people. Contributing through other people creates interdependence and requires surrendering some of your independence and autonomy -- which a lot of acupuncturists really don’t want to do.
June 9th, 2023 — Acupuncture is full of uncertainty. Sometimes people are drawn to acupuncture’s other good qualities without realizing that uncertainty is part of the package.