Clinical Training

Clinical Training

Clinical Curriculum

Clinical training in the Master’s Program consists of a total of 950 hours as described briefly here and in more detail in the Clinic Manual.

1. Pre-Observation and Pre-Internship (20 hours total) are detailed orientations to their associated clinical experiences. Multiple instructors participate in each of these orientation clinical preparations and students are introduced to the policies, procedures and expectations of clinic observers or clinic interns. The Clinic Manual is distributed in Pre-Observation and students are required to read the full manual in preparation for Observation and subsequent internship.
   
   
2. Observation (150 hours total) includes two 50-hour Observation Theatre experiences and one 50-hour Clinic Observation assignment. Observation Theatre takes place in one of the Clinic’s treatment rooms and is structured as a small group learning experience. A Clinic Faculty Supervisor treats a patient while students observe. Students and Supervisor discuss the treatment plan and herbal prescriptions used for the patient. In Clinic Observation students shadow Clinic Interns to learn more about the procedures and structure of expected behavior in the Clinic as further preparation for their own clinical internships.
   
   
3. Internship: Clinical training consists of a total of 780 hours of internship including at least one 50 hour shift at an externship site. Each student intern must perform at least 350 treatments. The clinical curriculum is designed to teach and evaluate student interns in their acquisition of phased clinical competencies. Students complete their training in 50-hour daytime and/or 30-hour evening blocks. Each student is assigned to a Faculty Supervisor along with no more than 3 other clinic interns.
    
   The Clinical Curriculum is structured as four phased levels of training and evaluation, each of which must be completed successfully for the intern to move on to the next level of internship. Each level of internship provides the student with an increasing level of autonomy and less direct input from Supervisors. As students move through the levels of clinical instruction they are expected to demonstrate the acquisition of specific clinical skills, including the ability to draw on their didactic coursework to assess patients, develop an accurate diagnosis and, based on that diagnosis, develop a treatment plan that includes acupuncture, herbs, and other methods of treatment.
   
   In addition to faculty Clinical Supervisors, the Clinic includes faculty Technical Supervisors for Level I and early Level II instruction. These Technical Supervisors ensure that new interns have the basic competencies for treatment and patient safety, including point prescription, needling techniques, data collection, and appropriate interaction with both patients and colleagues. Level I Interns are expected to demonstrate competencies in a range of specific areas of assessment with consistent guidance and input from their Technical Supervisors and Clinic Supervisors.
   
   Throughout clinical training all students must consult with their Supervisors and obtain permission to implement their recommended treatment plan. Clinic Interns must fully chart all patient visits and the completed charts must be counter-signed by Supervisors.
   
   As part of the clinical curriculum student interns are given additional assignments to strengthen their learning outside of clinic. Additionally, Supervisors complete detailed evaluations during and at the end of each block of internship. These evaluations are used to guide intern instruction and identify areas where interns need to expand their skills in order to receive a satisfactory assessment at the end of each level of training and move ahead in their clinical internships. The goal of the Clinical Curriculum is to ensure that all interns begin their training with basic competencies and, then, are able to move ahead in their clinical internships with the ability to integrate coursework and hands-on patient care with increasing autonomy, knowledge and clinical skills.

 Prerequisites

Biology	Fundamentals of Oriental Medicine	Introduction to Herbal Medicine
Chemistry	Oriental Diagnosis	Herb Pharmacopoeia I, II, III, IV
Biochemistry	Zang Fu Syndromes I, II	Herb Formulae I, II, III
Western Medical Terminology	Chinese Medical Language	Pre-Observation
Anatomy & Physiology I, II, III, IV	Meridians I, II	Observation (150 hrs)
Physics for Acupuncturists	Acupuncture Anatomy	Pre-Internship
Pathophysiology I	Acupuncture Therapeutics	Mid-Curriculum (Written)
Western Physical Assessment	Acupuncture Techniques I, II	Mid-Curriculum (Practical)