For physicians with little or no experience in acupuncture, but want to incorporate acupuncture into their practices, the core-curriculum (Phase 1 and 2), which can be completed in about six months, is recommended. A wide variety of techniques may be learned from different experts.

For moderately experienced and experienced acupuncture practitioners with more than 200 hours of formal training, both Phase 1 and Phase 2 may be suitable. Phase 2 provides training above and beyond the basics, including scalp acupuncture to treat neurological entities, the 66 point system to treat diverse medical conditions and clinical runs to demonstrate the therapeutic approach on real patients. Phase 1 presents a multitude of new concepts to vastly simplify the TCM clinical approach. Experienced practitioners have successfully used these educational activities as refresher courses, with minimal overlap with their previous training.