My fear with allowing non-certified, non-trained healthcare providers (such as athletic trainers) to provide acupuncture is that patients will suffer the consequences. I'm currently a graduate student, studying acupuncture, and our program is four years of education and clinical training. At the end of the program, we must also pass a national exam for our certification. This level of rigor is necessary because, when administered incorrectly, acupuncture can be VERY harmful to the patients. Side effects from untrained practitioners include infection, punctured organs, punctured arteries, needle breakage (leaving fragments under the skin), pneumothorax, miscarriage, and death. For the safety of patients, please do not allow this petition to go through.