I get asked this a lot. What is acupuncture college like? There’s a huge difference between colleges in how they teach, what they teach, the hours involved, the way assignments and exams are handled. The list of differences is endless. But I thought it would be helpful for anyone thinking of studying acupuncture or Chinese medicine to record my own experiences.
Probably the first thing any student should think of is what style of acupuncture they want to practise. When I first went looking for a college, I had a vague idea of the different styles, gleamed mainly from articles online talking about fire points, to distal points, to stems and branch points to zangfu points to shu points (Yes, it can be confusing but soon you’ll understand!) I wanted to study traditional theory. I was drawn to ancient terms like Qi (‘energy’) and Xue (‘blood’). The college I went to focused heavily on incorporating Chinese point names and Chinese terminology and characters. There was no such thing as Liver, only ‘Gān‘. This adds a layer of complexity in learning points because instead of knowing ‘LI 4’ refers to the Large Intestine Meridian (or ‘ Dà Cháng jīng luò’ 大腸), you first have to remember that ‘Hegu’ is actually on the Large Intestine Channel and then remember its anatomical description. Do that for 300 plus points and it quickly becomes easy to forget where a point is. A bit more complicated but it does give an added appreciation for point names because some of the reasons for point usage or point location is included in the Chinese names. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of time we spent inserting Chinese characters in our notes next to Shén (‘Spirit’) or whatever Chinese term cropped up.
Some of my Chinese Characters from college. Excuse the scrawl 🙂
Was it worth it? Yes. Understanding Chinese translations becomes a lot easier when you understand the different types of Shén (spirit) and shèn (kidney). There are numerous examples of Chinese words with different strokes in pinyin – research papers from China are typically written in Mandarin and translated into English using PinYin so being able to distinguish what a badly translated paper is actually referring to is useful down the line especially if you like reading books where Chinese terminology is used or Chinese research papers.
Make enquiries if your preferred course meets the requirements to actually practise acupuncture. This sounds obvious but not every course does actually meet the requirements. Does it qualify you for insurance purposes? Does the curriculum meet the requirements of joining a professional acupuncture association? Do you have enough clinical hours? Is it just the College Association you’ll be able join or a national one? If you can’t join a national one because the course falls short of requirements does that affect the patients ability to claim costs back on health insurance? Does the college make available contact details of past students to give you the low down of what it’s like?
There are colleges that focus on 5 element acupuncture, Classical Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, even Acupuncture mixed with western medicine. Ours had a heavy focus on Qi Gong and Traditional Chinese Medicine and used the classical Chinese books as a base to build off. Nobody can really advise you which one to study, you’ll find you’re drawn to one style. Go with that is my advice, even if the college is a bit further away because you just won’t be happy studying one style if your heart is in another style of acupuncture.
Is everything you’d like to practise covered by the college? For example, if they don’t cover Cupping or Tuina or Chinese Herbs, you’ll have to find another extra course that covers these things. Do they teach tongue and pulse diagnosis? Do they use modern equipment like heat lamps or is it more traditional based using Moxa to heat? If you are drawn to herbs, will you be fully qualified to prescribe herbs or is it information that is just included in the course but you are not actually qualified to prescribe herbs? These things can easily be missed when in the exciting rush of having made the decision to study Chinese Medicine you forget to take a step back and see what type of practitioner you want to be at the end.
Have a look at the college hours, distance of traveling involved and the cost of attending weekends at college. The fees for colleges vary but expect every year to be at least two or three thousand (at least in Ireland) plus your expenses (train/bus fares, petrol, lunch, dinner, accommodation) plus exam fees, plus the purchase of books and materials. It starts adding up very quickly and a hobby it isn’t!
Time is another consideration. I used leave at 5 in the morning, travel to the college and travel back. It’s doable but very (very!) tiring. I even slept in a van. During exam weekends I’d book a hotel. College for us was once a month with weekly checkins and assignments. The time for learning Chinese Medicine is not confined to college time. There are substantial hours involved in learning the points, particularly if learning them in Chinese. Assignments, western medicine theory and anatomy, first aid – very quickly you’ll realise that the actual time at the college is but a minor portion of the time commitment involved. Nearly every non “full time course” will bill themselves as a ‘part time college course’ spread over a number of years. Trust me on this – it is not! Prepare to spend hours studying during the week. I don’t think there is any easy way to learn Chinese Medicine. It is a hard slog and unless you are blessed with an awesome memory, involves constant repetition and testing point locations and treatment patterns. All of this is on top of your regular 9-5 work and eats into free time and family time. Does the college have classes over Zoom? Some classes for us were on Zoom which was a blessing and saved traveling but no matter which way you work it, you just cannot gain practical experience over Zoom.
Which leads me to another point – the practical (i.e. finding points) and clinical (treating people) experience the college offers. Some colleges start clinics in first year, others don’t have any clinics until the final year. Some colleges barely have clinics and your experience might involve two case studies which in all probability will involve two fellow students.
Practicals are important for two reasons – first finding the points. Secondly, treating people. Both need you to be physically present and not on Zoom. Is the college clinical experience centered around treating fellow students or strangers? Must you find the patients yourself or does the college have a busy clinic attached? How is treatment taught – is there a lecturer there with you while you examine the client, come up with a diagnosis and with a shaky hand for your first client, insert needles?
We had theory for the first two years and practical classes for point locations. It was heavy going, reams and reams of notes, covering a broad range of Chinese theory, diagnosis and treatment. Third year was like a breath of fresh air – it was all clinical where we got to put into practise all the theory we’d learnt. Even more beneficial was that clients were not just fellow students. Practising on a genuine stranger to you is invaluable. It teaches you to calm the nerves, use every tool you’ve been taught and builds confidence in your own abilities.
Does your college encourage informal meetings or days for students? Having a connection to fellow students is what will pull you through. Knowing you’re not alone, lost in a sea of Chinese theory and suffering the same rage at why everything must be so bloody complicated and circular will be the light of your life. Are you are a recluse and planning to leave college to race home without ever getting to know fellow students or having a connection to them? Take some advice – get to know your fellow practitioners, no matter how awkward you think you are at first. Not only will they help you during college, but they will be around long after the lecturers have said congratulations, you’re now qualified! You’ll find you are experiencing the same pressures, learning problems, missing notes, not understanding stuff as they are. Your support network will become crucial to you. That includes your family. It’s not really just you taking a course but everyone around you because if you are missing at college, somebody else is doing your share of the work at home. It’s a very real problem if everytime you take off to college your husband or wife thinks you’re off for a weekend drinking and galavanting rather than enduring the trauma Chinese Medical Theory inflicts on you! Have that conversation about what is involved and the what the end goal is.
If you are drawn to healing through Chinese Medicine, none of the problems about studying Chinese Medicine will matter because you will find a way around them. You will stay up late, get up early, learn point locations during your lunch break at work. Even when the amount of information seems insurmountable, somehow you’ll plough through it. Something inside you will know that that you need to do this. Something inside you will know that you have something to offer people and this is the way.
Looking back over my years at college, I was lucky. I had good lecturers. I had a good support network, good colleagues and was studying the style of acupuncture I wanted to practise. I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said it was easy – it was not and there were moments I was thinking ‘what are you doing!’ But I never really expected it to be easy. And in a way, being easy isn’t what you want. If it isn’t challenging you and pushing you, you don’t grow as a person or as a practitioner.
Most college courses are 3-4 years, at least in Ireland. Know this: It will fly. It will be daunting at first and they’ll be a time when you will wonder how are you going to get through it. But you will. And when final year rolls around, they’ll be some type of realization about two things. First, you won’t really know where the time has gone. Second, you’ll realize that what you’ve learnt is just a foundation and for the rest of your life you will be constantly learning. You will always be a student.
