|
The heart of any acupuncture & Oriental medicine (AOM) program is its clinical program. At AIMC Berkeley, you begin your clinical experience right away in the first trimester with Theater Observation, when you observe senior licensed practitioners model how to interview and treat patients in a classroom setting. This early exposure provides a context in the very beginning of the program that helps bring the rest of your didactic classes into clearer focus.
Watching and Following: In the second and third trimesters your clinic observation continues in a more intimate setting, where you form small groups to observe Licensed Acupuncturists treat patients in the clinical setting, providing exposure to tongue, pulse, and other diagnostic skills.
Apprenticeship: In the fourth and fifth trimesters, you apprentice as an assistant to third-year interns, helping them administer treatments. You also practice on fellow students, doing intakes, diagnoses and supervised treatments.
Clinical Internship: In the sixth and seventh trimesters you form teams of two-to-three people and begin treating patients directly in the Community Acupuncture Clinic. Conveniently located near downtown Berkeley and close to mass-transit, the clinic affords you access to a diverse patient clientele. Patients are attracted to the below-market pricing structure, clean and modern facilities, and the well-supervised student interns. All this makes for an environment conducive to high-quality patient care.
Beginning in the 8th trimester, you start treating patients by yourself (with partial supervision). While other colleges don’t begin this stage of clinical training until later, we believe this is the most important part of the clinical experience for developing future successful practitioners. You take on more and more responsibility for your patients’ care, sometimes working with first year clinic interns as your assistants. Some of this work is also done at five satellite clinics, including the West Berkeley Public Health Center, UC Berkeley Sports Medicine Clinic, Jewish Community Free Clinic (serving Latina populations in Sonoma County), Downtown Oakland Clinic of Lifelong Medical Health Services, and Humanistic Alternative to Addiction Research and Treatment (HAART) Clinic.
By the time you finish your 10th trimester, you will have completed over 1,000 hours of clinical training. It is this depth and breadth of experience that provides you with the confidence needed to be successful in the marketplace.
<< Curriculum Overview | Oriental Medicine Theory >>
CP 011 Observation I: Theater
CP 012–013 Observation II: Grand Rounds A, B
CP 014–015 Observation III: Pre-Intern A, B
CP 011–015
Clinic Observation I–III
Preliminary stage of the Clinical Practice Program. Emphasis on helping students acquire the knowledge and skills required to treat patients under supervision. Students observe the various aspects of clinical practice and patient treatment performed by both licensed instructors and advanced student interns.
CP 011
Observation I: Theater
(1 clinic unit; 2-hr 10 min sessions) Prerequisites: None.
Observation of various aspects as a senior practitioner treats patients in the classroom setting. Students gain an overall picture of patient reception, record keeping, examination, treatment methods, and herbal prescription.
CP 012–013
Observation II: Grand Rounds A, B
(1 clinic unit each; 2-hr 10 min sessions)
Prerequisites: CP 011.
"Watching and Following," students observe senior practitioners diagnosing and treating patients in the AIMC Berkeley Community Clinic. Case study in each session during "Grand Rounds" discusses various aspects related to the patient's care, including diagnosis, treatment principles, point selection, needling techniques and precautions, and herbal formulas.
CP 014–015
Observation III: Pre-Intern A, B
(1 clinic unit each; 2-hr 10 min sessions)
Prerequisites: CP 012–013.
During the last two trimesters of the Observation series, students apprentice with third year student interns and assist them with the treatment and care of the clinic's patients while preparing for the AIMC Berkeley Pre-Intern Competency Examination. Students also practice on each other doing intakes, making diagnoses, formulating treatment plans, and performing acupuncture under the guidance of a Clinic Supervisor.
CP 111–112
Internship I: Guided Practice A, B
(9.5 clinic units; 285 clinic hours)
Prerequisites: The first 5 trimesters of the full-time curriculum; and successful passage of the Acupuncture, Single Herb, and Pre-Intern Comprehensive Examinations.
This course begins the clinical internship. Interns interview patients, develop diagnosis and treatment plans, and administer treatment alongside a clinical supervisor. Emphasis on asepsis, proper examination, diagnosis, point location, and needling technique. Interns also help prepare herbal prescriptions.
CP 211–212
Internship II: Partial Supervision A, B
(9.5 clinic units; 285 clinic hours)
Prerequisite: CP 111–112, and successful passage of the Herbal Formulae Comprehensive Examination.
This begins the intermediate stage of clinical internship. Interns assume more active role in diagnosis and treatment and have more responsibility. Supervisor physically present during needling and assists interns with developing and refining techniques.
CP 311–312
Internship III: Proximal Supervision A, B
(9 clinic units; 270 clinic hours)
Prerequisites: Completion of all coursework for the first 8 trimesters of the full-time curriculum (except PE 220, and IM 220).
This begins the advanced stage of clinical internship. Interns will have more independence and responsibility and will be expected to monitor the patient's progress, adjust treatment accordingly, and record information on the patient's chart accurately.
CP 400
Integrative Grand Rounds
(1 clinic unit; 30 clinic hours)
Prerequisites: CP 111–112.
Students alternate presenting difficult cases form their clinical internship to their classmates, with guidance and constructive commentary from senior professors trained in both Western and Eastern styles of medicine.
CP 500
Post-Graduate Clinical Internship (elective)
(12 clinic units; 360 clinic hours)
Prerequisites: Completion of the Master’s program.
In this elective course, post-graduate students continue to refine their clinical skills under the supervision of a licensed practitioner. This course allows for continued practice and patient contact during the period between graduation and licensure.
Acupuncture School Curriculum>> Clinic Practice | Oriental Medicine Theory | Oriental Herbology | Acupuncture | Basic Sciences | Integrative Clinical Medicine | Professional Ethics & Practice | Comprehensive Exams | Curriculum Map (PDF) | Miscellaneous
|
.gif)
ACAOM Grants Five Year Accreditation
.gif)
