Certification Framework
NADA Canada Institute offers a competency-based certification pathway designed to ensure practitioners can deliver the NADA Protocol safely and effectively, while remaining accessible to frontline workers across diverse settings.
Requirements
- Complete Practitioner Training — two-day hands-on NADA Protocol training through NADA Canada Institute or a recognized NADA-affiliated trainer
- Supervised Clinical Hours — minimum of 40 supervised treatment sessions in an approved clinical setting, documented with session logs
- Competency Assessment — demonstration of proper point location, needling technique, contraindication screening, and group facilitation skills
- Professional Context — certification is available to regulated health professionals, community health workers, peer support workers, and others working within an organizational or clinical framework
Certification Levels
- NADA Practitioner — authorized to deliver the NADA Protocol within a supervised organizational setting
- NADA Trainer — experienced practitioners who have completed additional training-of-trainers requirements and can deliver NADA Canada Institute-approved training programs
Maintaining Certification
Certified practitioners are expected to maintain active practice and complete periodic professional development. Certification renewal requirements include documented clinical activity and participation in continuing education related to the NADA Protocol or its clinical applications.
Scope of Practice
NADA Protocol certification through NADA Canada Institute is specific to the 5-point auricular protocol delivered in a group setting. It does not constitute licensure as an acupuncturist or authorize the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Practitioners operate within the scope of their primary professional credential and organizational context.