Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Human edge, growing
Acupuncturists
Diagnose, treat, and prevent disorders by stimulating specific acupuncture points within the body using acupuncture needles. May also use cups, nutritional supplements, therapeutic massage, acupressure, and other alternative health therapies.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 85% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +8.6% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $76,040
- Job growth to 2035
- +8.6%
- Openings a year
- 800
- People doing it (2025)
- 14,800
- Usual route in
- Master's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise patients or clients on medical issues
- Prepare mixtures or solutions
- Analyze health or medical data
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases
- Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members
- Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options
What the work looks like
- Maintain and follow standard quality, safety, environmental, and infection control policies and procedures.
- Treat patients using tools, such as needles, cups, ear balls, seeds, pellets, or nutritional supplements.
- Adhere to local, state, and federal laws, regulations, and statutes.
- Identify correct anatomical and proportional point locations based on patients' anatomy and positions, contraindications, and precautions related to treatments, such as intradermal needles, moxibustion, electricity, guasha, or bleeding.
- Develop individual treatment plans and strategies.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- OptometristsHuman edge, growing, Index 89, +9.5%
- Occupational health and safety specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 93, +18.5%
- Orthotists and prosthetistsHuman edge, growing, Index 96, +12.9%
- Physician assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +21.1%
Also known as: Acupuncture Physician, Acupuncturist, Herbalist, Licensed Acupuncturist (LAC), Acupuncture Doctor, Acupuncture Provider, Chinese Medical Doctor (Chinese MD), Chinese Medicine Doctor.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.