Foundation in Medical Acupuncture

At a glance:

  • £655 (see payment options at checkout)

  • 54 lessons • 12 hours video content

  • Blended learning: practical workshop, live Zoom lessons and online interactive lessons

Outcomes

What you’ll be able to do after the Foundation in Acupuncture Course

  • Understand indications and contraindications for manual acupuncture

  • Apply safe needling technique with a strong emphasis on health and safety

  • Understand myofascial pain and how trigger points fit into MSK care

  • Build a simple, repeatable framework for point selection in MSK disorders

  • Explain the local, segmental and central physiological effects of acupuncture in pain management

  • Develop evidence-informed practice through clinical reasoning, reflective learning and critical appraisal

  • Recognise situations requiring referral/consultation and practise in a safe and prudent manner

Who is the course for?

Built for healthcare professionals

This Foundation in Acupuncture and Dry Needling course is designed for healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, nurses, sports therapists, osteopaths, etc.) and emphasises safe, responsible practice. 

Accreditation: The course is accredited by the CPD Standards Office and the Federation of Holistic Therapies.

Course recognition: Once you’ve finished the course, healthcare professionals may register with the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS). 

Entry requirements:

  • You must hold current malpractice / professional liability insurance that covers acupuncture. 
  • Not suitable for pregnant students due to the practical component and safety considerations. 

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How the course works

This course is designed to fit around clinical work and gives you a clear pathway from fundamentals to practical application.

Your learning includes:

  • Live Zoom pre-course lessons (including health and safety, point location and treatment planning) 
  • Online learning covering: introduction to acupuncture, mechanisms, meridians and point selection, and trigger points 
  • A practical workshop at your chosen location (dates below), plus a live Zoom introduction shortly before the workshop in each location 

Resources you’ll receive
 A practical resource library is included (e.g., consent form, acupuncture policy, insurance info, clinical reasoning model, evaluation forms). 

Choose your workshop location

Each workshop option includes a live Zoom introduction shortly beforehand (see dates below).

London

20–22 March 2026
Zoom live introduction: Tuesday 17 March 2026 

Nottingham

15–17 May 2026
Zoom live introduction: Monday 11 May 2026 

Malta (Naxxar)

19–21 June 2026
Zoom live workshop: Tuesday 16 June 2026 

Ireland

10–12 July 2026
Zoom live introduction: Tuesday 7 July 2026 

Scotland

7–9 August 2026
Zoom live introduction: Tuesday 4 August 2026 

Course price: £655 (payment options available at checkout).

You can pay in full or you can spread your payment over 4 months

Instructor(s)

Principle Lecture Steve Bailey

Steve Bailey is an experienced clinician, educator and researcher in medical acupuncture and musculoskeletal (MSK) medicine, with a career spanning private practice, postgraduate teaching and healthcare CPD delivery. He holds an MSc in Acupuncture, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, as well as earlier postgraduate training in health science and podiatry. Steve has run a successful clinical practice in Nottingham delivering podiatry, physiotherapy and acupuncture, with a specialist focus on sports injuries, lower-limb biomechanics, low back and lower-limb disorders, and the use of acupuncture to support performance and recovery in athletes. As an educator, Steve is the founder of Steve Bailey Acupuncture CPD Training, providing online and face-to-face international training in medical acupuncture for healthcare professionals. He has also taught on postgraduate programmes at Coventry University and previously delivered foundation and advanced acupuncture training for the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (AACP). Steve’s teaching is strongly evidence-based and clinically applied, emphasising safe practice, clinical reasoning, point selection, needling technique, electroacupuncture, and outcome-driven treatment planning. He is widely published in sports and MSK acupuncture, including systematic reviews and clinically focused papers, and has delivered keynote and conference presentations on acupuncture and performance-related topics.

Testimonials

What therapists say

5 star rating

Medical Acupuncture L1

Clare Thompson

I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the mix of online resources and practical was great. The support was also really good and I liked that it was a smaller ...

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I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the mix of online resources and practical was great. The support was also really good and I liked that it was a smaller group as I felt I gained a great deal more from it. I will definitely book onto other courses in the future but loved this one.

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5 star rating

Excellent well Informative course!

Melanie Axiak

I would like to thank you for this well organised and well informative course! The lectures were very interesting and relevant and the lecturer was friendly...

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I would like to thank you for this well organised and well informative course! The lectures were very interesting and relevant and the lecturer was friendly, very knowledgeable and very helpful and explained everything so well! Furthermore, the notes provided were ordered, very clear, useful and helpful. Kind Regards, Melanie Axiak

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4 star rating

Very good

David Mangion

It was an excellent course, Mr Bailey was an excellent teacher during his visit to Malta. Although it was just the beginner course, I can see that acupunctur...

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It was an excellent course, Mr Bailey was an excellent teacher during his visit to Malta. Although it was just the beginner course, I can see that acupuncture has a place in the physiotherapy field. However, from a reference standpoint, in my opinion, this modality is still to solidify itself firmly with regards to strong positive outcomes in its favour thus gaining more credibility with the local community and hence become more accepted as a treatment. I would be more than happy to continue discussing this matter in bettering our profession. Regards David Mangion

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FAQ

  • What’s included in the learning format?

    A blended programme with workshop training, Zoom lessons, and online interactive lessons.

  • Do I need insurance?

    Yes, candidates must hold current malpractice/professional liability insurance that covers acupuncture.

  • Can I take the course if I’m pregnant?

    No, this course is not suitable for pregnant students due to safety considerations and the practical component.

  • Is there a professional recognition route?

    After finishing the course, healthcare professionals may register with the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS), and level 4 sports and massage therapists may register with the Federation of Holistic Therapies (FHT).

  • What can I do after the Foundation?

    Progression pathway: Foundation to Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Acupuncture or specialist pathways (e.g., Postgraduate Certificate in Acupuncture for women’s health, Postgraduate Certificate in Acupuncture for sport injuries and performance enhancement, electroacupuncture, auricular).

Watch Intro Video

Video

Introduction to medical acupuncture needling technique

Course curriculum

    1. Access the course on your mobile devices

    2. Acupuncture health and safety Malta 2025

    3. How to locate acupuncture points Malta 2025

    4. How to formulate an acupuncture treatment plan

    5. Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust September 13th Introduction to health and safety

    6. Introduction to zoom sessions

    7. Introduction to health and safety April 26th 2022

    8. How to think about point selection April 26th 2022

    1. Introduction to medical acupuncture course

    2. Introduction to the course, course time table and overview

    3. History of acupuncture

    4. Medical Acupuncture

    5. History of acupuncture questionnaire

    1. Health and safety

    2. Needling technique and health and safety

    3. Introduction to needling technique

    4. Health and safety questionnaire

    1. Local, segmental, and central response to acupuncture

    2. Current understanding and mechanisms of acupuncture

    3. Local, segmental and central response to acupuncture

    1. Introduction to Myfascial ‘Trigger Point’ Therapy

    2. Introduction to myofascial trigger points

    3. Types of TrPs

    4. Assessment and treatment of MTrPs

    5. Myofascial trigger points

    1. Meridians and principles of acupuncture point selection

    2. Meridians and principle of point selection

    3. How to locate acupuncture points Malta 2021

    4. How to locate acupuncture points

    5. Commonly used point along the Stomach meridian

    6. Commonly used points along the Spleen meridian

    7. Commonly used points along the Gall Bladder meridian

    8. Commonly used points along the Liver meridian

    9. Commonly used points along the Lung and Large Intestine meridian

    10. Commonly used points along the Heart and Small Intestine meridians

    11. Commonly used points along the Pericardium and Sanjioa meridians

    12. Commonly used points on the Kidney meridian

    13. Commonly used points along the urinary bladder meridian

    14. How to formulate an acupuncture treatment plan

About this course

  • £655.00
  • 54 lessons
  • 12 hours of video content