It is expected that practitioners shall have the necessary training to provide any treatment offered by their practice in accordance with all relevant governing and regulatory guidelines under which they provide such practice. Practitioners may decide to incorporate auricular components from training they may have received without certification. However, there is absolutely no endorsement for practitioners who make claims to practice Auricular Medicine without certification. The Canadian Institute of Auricular Medicine (CIAM), the German Academy for Acupuncture (Deutsche Akademie für Akupunktur | DAA e.V.), the European Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (EATCM), and the Austrian Association for Standardized TCM (ÖGKA) all offer courses recognized for certification in Auricular Medicine (CIAM is an independent cooperation school of the DAA — with independent certification requirements applicable to the standards in North America — and otherwise independent from the institutions listed here).  

You need not be an acupuncturist or otherwise licensed to apply needles. Auricular Medicine lends itself to multiple fields of practice because the ear stimulation required for treatment can be applied — following general disinfection and sterilization guidelines and specific clinical guidelines for your field of practice — using any of the following methods:

• Acupressure (i.e. using ear seeds or an ear probe, such as a golf tee or stainless steel point stimulator),
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS, i.e. via the Pointoselect Digital DT by Schwa-medico GmbH or F-Hammer)
• Low-level therapeutic laser (such as the RJ-Laser™ LaserPen)
• Needles (recommended are the Carbo® 0.40 x 13 mm acupuncture needles specifically for Auricular practice) 

Certification affirms your ability in Auricular Medicine as well as your thorough understanding of its clinical applications. Certification shows esteem for the field and for your patients. Patients understand the importance and value of certification and endorsement by an approved continuing education provider such as CIAM with CEU/PDA instruction approved by NCCAOM, the California Board, the College of Massage Therapists and other organizational and commissioning bodies. The Canadian Institute of Auricular Medicine (CIAM), the German Academy for Acupuncture (Deutsche Akademie für Akupunktur | DAA e.V.), the European Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (EATCM), and the Austrian Association for Standardized TCM (ÖGKA) all offer courses recognized for certification in Auricular Medicine. CIAM is a cooperating institute independent of the institutions listed here. As such, CIAM’s certification requirements are independent of other associations and are modeled to the standards in North America.

Additionally, CIAM is a recognized by leading medical equipment suppliers to the field who show their endorsement by listing CIAM for training (e.g. Eastern Currents, RJ-Laser).

CIAM-certified practitioners are professionals who recognize the importance of certification to maintain standards and professionalism in the field of Auricular Medicine.

CIAM certification does not imply licensure of any kind. Although Auricular Medicine is recognized by health insurance in certain countries under the practice of acupuncture (i.e. in Germany and Switzerland), it is not currently a distinct area of medicine governed by a licensing or regulatory body.  

Your education with CIAM does not require that you become certified, however you have the opportunity to earn certification at any point (as long as certification requirements have been met). Enrollment in the CMCP automatically, or certain CORE course bundles, gives you the option to get certified.

The use of Auricular Medicine is not limited to a single modality. CIAM-Certified practitioners may be found in a range of healthcare and wellness modalities (i.e. acupuncture, allopathy, chiropractic, dentistry, naturopathy, psychology, physiotherapy) — the difference between, for example, a CIAM-certified Reiki practitioner and a CIAM-certified medical doctor is the set of experiences and education that inform their practice.