Scott Rowe was on pins and needles. After more than three years and $45,000 spent on schooling, the state budget – or lack of one – only added to his jitters.

Rowe wants to become a state-licensed acupuncturist. But to practice alternative medicine, he needs a state-issued license.

To get a license, Rowe needs to pass a state-proctored exam. Without a state budget, the California Department of Consumer Affairs was ordered to let go nearly 2,400 part-time proctors who administer professional licensing exams. The agency licenses about 2.4 million people a year in 255 profession – from barbers to psychologists to engineers to registered nurses to veterinarians and embalmers.

The state budget impasse has knocked over dominoes, putting in motion consequences that could hit some people hard. Rowe and about 600 other aspiring acupuncturists waited to see where things would fall.

"I have so many things to worry about, and the state budget was one more thing," said Rowe, a recent graduate of Berkeley's Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College. "If the exam was postponed, it would be terrifying."

As it turned out, the test went on as scheduled Tuesday at the Sacramento Convention Center. A sigh of relief for Rowe, but the budget stalemate could leave many other state exams unsettled.

If only ancient Chinese medicine could cure the state budget.

Late last month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered the termination of 10,133 temporary and part-time state employees. The governor said he took the move to save money. Others called it a political ploy.

"For right now, we're going to do what we have to do to comply with the executive order. These tests are important and they're needed … . If we continue to not have a budget, this is going to become a severe challenge for my agency," said Amanda Fulkerson, spokeswoman for the State and Consumer Services Agency.

The agency, one of the state's largest, suffered the brunt of the cuts: 3,284 workers trimmed from the payrolls. Nearly three-quarters were part-time proctors available to administer professional licensing exams.

The state requires the exams for a variety of professions, to ensure practitioners have the skills to comply with state standards and safety regulations.

Without the part-time proctors, state licensing panels such as the Dental Board, which administered an ethics and law test to 50 people over the weekend, have to assign permanent, full-time staff to oversee exams. That takes them away from their usual jobs.

While state agencies have been ordered to save money, rescheduling tests isn't necessarily the best option. It costs money to cancel reservations for test facilities, and notifying hundreds of applicants – most of whom have booked travel and accommodations – would be a major chore.

The Committee on Dental Auxiliaries, the state board that registers dental assistants, deemed it too expensive to reschedule an upcoming exam for 600 applicants, mostly from Northern California. The exam is going on as scheduled this weekend in San Francisco.

As for Rowe, a former San Francisco chef and now a would-be acupuncturist, Tuesday's exam in Sacramento couldn't arrive soon enough. "I've been waiting for 3 1/2 years, actually more," he said. "I want to start my career."

Call The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan, (916) 321-1067.