• To maintain a personal file of each member and their level of training in the use of ear acupuncture;

• To provide ongoing education in the application of ear acupuncture;

• To provide support and guidance to its members on all issues related to the application of ear acupuncture;

• To provide statutory and non statutory bodies with a list of qualified members on request;

• To continuously update membership lists for the networking of its members;

• To provide a newsletter for its members;

• To hold an annual meeting of its members;

• To assess its members annually in the application of ear acupuncture;

• To ensure Health and Safety in the application of ear acupuncture for its members and their clients.

• To use auricular acupuncture in a supportive and nurturing way in the recognition of the right to humane treatment of persons who are suffering.

• Never to withhold treatment as punishment or to use ear acupuncture in a pragmatically punitive manner.

• To adhere strictly to the established rules of confidentiality of all records, materials and knowledge concerning persons, served in accordance with all current government regulations.

• To maintain dignity and integrity in the workplace and a professional relationship with all persons served and to refer them promptly when this is not possible.

• To refrain from undertaking any activity where any personal conduct is likely to result in inferior professional services, denigrate the profession in general, or constitute a violation of law.

• To continue to be aware that positive intentions towards patients affect this treatment in an important manner.

• To keep fees within the reach of the general public, and to have provision for flexibility in fees for low-income patients, and not to exploit ear acupuncture for personal gain.

• To avoid claiming directly, or by implication, professional qualifications that exceed those actually obtained.

• To accept the fact that professional competency to use the auricular acupuncture technique does not imply competency to use body acupuncture in general.

• To use auricular acupuncture in conjunction with appropriate counselling and supportive services where necessary.

• To regularly evaluate personal professional strengths and limitations, biases and levels of effectiveness, striving for self-improvement and seeking professional development through further education and training, to agree to periodic review of technical competency by an Ear Acupuncture Register designated consultant.

• To provide accurate information regarding education, training and experience, professional affiliations and certification.

• To make public statements regarding the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture that are within the generally accepted experience of the professional as a whole or within the individual practitioner’s experience.

• The Ear Acupuncture Register is constituted to provide education, certification of standards and technical consultation for the newly forming field of auricular acupuncture. This field rests on the combination of skills from modern and ancient Chinese medicine. Our work will focus on acupuncture but will include herbology, Qi Gong, and other related clinical treatments.

Essential Skills of Ear Acupuncture Practitioners

• Health and Safety: Theory and practice.

• Point location: Exact description and demonstration.

• Needle technique: Perfection.

• Client handling: To minimize any transference or projections and support the client.

• Communication: Clear, friendly and reassuring.

• Attitude: A good host: open, calm, nurturing, non judgmental.

• Crisis intervention: Mental and emotional reactions.  Fainting, bleeding.

• Qi Gong: The practice of Qi Gong to locate active points.