Practitioner resources

Verify a practitioner's licence

CCHPBC maintains a public registry where you can confirm whether a TCM practitioner, acupuncturist, TCM herbalist, or Doctor of TCM currently holds a valid licence in British Columbia — search by name, licence number, city, or postal code. Results show the practitioner's name, city, designation class, and licence status (valid — full, valid — non-practising, or expired/cancelled).

Check disciplinary history & public notices

Disciplinary orders, citations, and summary protection orders for all CCHPBC-regulated professions are published separately from the licence registry above, as required under BC's Health Professions and Occupations Act.

Understanding designation titles

BC recognizes four TCM/acupuncture licence classes under CCHPBC's Bylaws, each with a legally reserved title:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner — reserved title "traditional Chinese medicine practitioner" (often abbreviated R.TCM.P.)
• Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine — reserved titles "doctor" and "doctor of traditional Chinese medicine" (often abbreviated Dr. TCM); built on top of the TCM Practitioner licence
• Acupuncturist — reserved title "acupuncturist" (often abbreviated R.Ac.)
• Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalist — reserved title "traditional Chinese medicine herbalist" (often abbreviated R.TCM.H.)

Scope matters: an Acupuncturist (Full) licence does not authorize prescribing, compounding, or dispensing herbs, or recommending natural health products — that scope belongs to the TCM Practitioner, TCM Herbalist, and Doctor of TCM classes.

Recordkeeping requirements practitioners should know

CCHPBC's Professional Standard on Record-Keeping sets the baseline every BC TCM/acupuncture licensee must follow, regardless of what software they use:

• Retain patient health records, appointment logs, billing records, and receipts for a minimum of 16 years from the date of the last entry, or from the patient's age of majority, whichever is later.
• Document patient identifying information, referring practitioner, relevant communications, medical history, clinical assessments and diagnoses, treatment provided, and follow-up recommendations.
• Keep a daily appointment log and billing records separately from the clinical record itself.
• Informed consent may be captured electronically — a signed or electronically-indicated consent is required before initial treatment.
• Records must be securely stored and protected, consistent with BC's Personal Information Protection Act.

About the regulator

If you're used to hearing "CTCMA," here's what changed: on June 28, 2024, the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of BC (CTCMA) amalgamated with three other regulatory colleges — Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, and Naturopathic Physicians — to form the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC (CCHPBC). TCM and acupuncture are still regulated exactly as before; they're simply overseen by CCHPBC now, alongside three other professions.