Chinese Herbology Certificate Program
The New York State Board of Regents has authorized New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine to offer a Chinese Herbology Certificate Program, which will supplement its Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degree programs. The Certificate Program is designed for licensed acupuncturists and graduates of acupuncture degree programs who wish to add herbal expertise as a component of their professional practices without having to complete an entire Oriental Medicine degree program.
Details of the program are given below. There are a total of 34 credits (510 hours) of didactic courses and 13 credits (390 hours) of clinical training in the program, offered over a span of five trimesters (one year and eight months). The didactic courses introduce the student to over 400 individual herbs and 250 major formulas, including patent formulas, and move on to herbal treatment strategy, application of the herbal formulas for treatment of commonly seen clinical syndromes, consideration and analysis of specific cases, and toxicity / safe use of herbs. The clinical progression moves from Observation and Assistantship, where students learn herbal pharmacy skills, to Internship, where students assume responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Certificate Program students will have to take exams to qualify for Junior Internship (focusing on individual herbs), for Senior Internship (focusing on herbal formulas), and for graduation from the program.
NYCTCM’s Chinese Herbology Certificate Program meets ACAOM guidelines for Herb Certificate Training Programs and qualifies students to sit for the NCCAOM Chinese Herbology examination. Passing the Chinese Herbology examination will qualify licensed acupuncturists to apply for Diplomate status in Chinese Herbology and (in most cases) Oriental Medicine. Although the practice of herbal medicine is currently not a licensed specialty in New York State, there are legislative initiatives going forward in this area; achievement of certification now in Chinese herbology would be a good way to anticipate future licensing requirements.
Applications are currently being accepted for students who wish to matriculate into the program. Tuition for the entire program is $15,105 ($265 per credit; $530 per credit for internship training). Transfer credit will be given for equivalent prior coursework.
| (for licensed acupuncturists or graduates of an acupuncture program) | |
|---|---|
| Trimester One | |
| Individual Herbs I | 3 credits |
| Individual Herbs II | 3 credits |
| Trimester Two | |
| Individual Herbs III | 3 credits |
| Herbal Formula I | 3 credits |
| Herbal Clinic Observation/Assistantship (including herbal dispensary training) | 2/1 credits |
| Trimester Three | |
| Herbal Formula II | 3 credits |
| Herbal Formula III | 3 credits |
| Commercial Herbal Formulas | 1 credit |
| Herbal Clinic Junior Internship | 3 credits |
| Trimester Four | |
| OM Therapeutic Strategies | 2 credits |
| Clinical Herbal Practice I | 4 credits |
| Case Analysis 3 | 2 credits |
| Herbal Clinic Junior Internship | 3 credits |
| Trimester Five | |
| Clinical Herbal Practice II | 4 credits |
| Case Analysis 4 | 2 credits |
| Toxicity / Safe Use of Herbs | 1 credit |
| Herbal Clinic Senior Internship | 4 credits |
The program has 510 hours of didactic instruction in herbs and 390 hours of herbal clinical training, which meets the accreditation guidelines from ACAOM for an Herb Certificate Training Program.
The program has 3 benchmark exams:- Entrance Exam for becoming a junior intern, which focuses on individual herbs
- Entrance Exam for becoming a senior intern, which focuses on herbal formulas
- Program Exit Exam at the end of all courses