Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine (ACHM)
The twelve-trimester (four-year) 183-credit Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program is similar to the Acupuncture Program, with the addition of one further strand of courses–Chinese Herbology. This strand consists basically of two series of courses, the first of which introduces the student to approximately 400 individual herbs, and the second of which presents 250 or so herbal formulas or combinations of individual herbs.
Statement of Purpose:
The purpose of the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Health Science / Master of Science in Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine (BPS/MS) Program is to train acupuncture and Chinese herbal professionals, grounded in the tradition of Chinese Medicine, with the ability to practice as independent health care providers in a variety of settings.
Program Goals:
- Educate students to become successful, effective, ethical acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine healthcare providers
- Teach students the benefits, values and skills of integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine into whole person health systems of medical care
- Inspire students to apply the philosophical concepts and cultural context of historical and modern application of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Prepare students to become lifelong learners in matters connected with whole person health
Program Learning Outcomes:
- Graduates of the Acupuncture Program with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program will be able to evaluate a patient’s condition, develop an effective treatment strategy and provide acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine treatment to the patient, provide case management and modify the therapeutic plan based on the treatment outcomes.
- Graduates of the Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program will be prepared to communicate and collaborate with other healthcare providers, refer patients to appropriate Western medical providers, and identify and take appropriate action for patient conditions and red flags that require immediate treatment.
- Graduates of the Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program will have the ability to discuss and articulate TCM in terms of relevant scientific theories and clinical outcomes from a biomedical perspective, and access relevant and appropriate information from a wide variety of sources leading to evidence-informed practice.
- Graduates of the Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program will have the skills to set up a successful and ethical practice and/or provide treatment within a variety of healthcare systems.
In-Depth Learning
Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program students also must take Herbal Therapeutic Strategies, which is parallel to Treatment Principles in the Acupuncture Program, as well as Clinical Herbal Practice 1 & 2 and Herbal Case Analysis 1 & 2, which are specially devoted to the application of herbal treatment to various cases commonly seen in the clinic. Two courses in Chinese Herbal Classics—Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue—are also required, as is a course in Toxicity and Safe Use of Herbs. Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine program students must take 2 additional credits of elective courses that are related to Chinese Herbal study.
The clinical progression is basically the same as in the Acupuncture Program, except that ACHM Program students must spend 120 hours longer in the Junior Internship and 60 hours longer in the Senior Internship phases, and ACHM students must pass a test on Herbal Formulas before they are allowed to progress from Junior to Senior Intern. Of course the clinical duties of Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Program students differ as well – Assistants spend time preparing formulas in the herbal pharmacy, and Interns spend a large part of their time prescribing herbal formulas.
For a complete list of didactic courses in the Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine program, please click here for the Catalog.
