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| How freakin' adorable is my school's mascot?! |
1st Year Classes (Fall - Spring)
- TCM Theory I, II, II
Foundation in theoretical concepts of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
- Oriental Medicine Research
Introduce a set of competencies for the research literate practitioner.
- Community Outreach Practicum
Develop skills and experience in educating and informing the general public about TCM.
- Point Location I, II, III
Lecture and hands-on practice to accurately locate points and channels.
- Qi Gong I, II, III
Direct application of the medicinal benefits of qi gong.
Tuina I (II, III, IV)
Medical Tuina massage
Chinese massage.
- Shiatsu I (II, III, IV)
Japanese massage.
- Medical History East & West
Historical and cultural perspective on the changes within the health community by tracing the historical developments of both Oriental medicine and modern biomedicine. Emphasis on the cultural, environmental & socio-political interactions.
- Respectful Touch
Skills of self-care, boundary settinga dn communication.
- Living Anatomy
- Introduction to Chinese Herbs
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- Chinese Herbal Medicine: The Pharmacopoeia
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| Herbology |
- Observational Skills
OCOM requires all graduate students to complete 3,400 hours of educational training.
On top of that, we need our pre-med requirements all sorted out (Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy I & II, Physiology I & II and Psychology)
(Note: Western Pre-med: Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, A&P and Physics.)
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| Mr. Gladwell, does studying count towards the 10,000 hours? |
Typically, the graduate program takes 4 years...
I'm doing it in 3-years.
(Ya, dang right, Namaste, fo sho!)
There are a few differences...
For example, 3-year program students are required to immediately take 6-weeks of Tuina and Shiatsu in the fall; then choose one as a concentration.
Another difference is, 3-year program students are apparently, masochists.
I wanted to share the educational requirements needed in order to become a licensed Oriental medical practitioner. At first, I was really hesitant in studying OM (TCM) because I wasn't sure if I had to compromise my own personal beliefs in health - A complementary system.
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| Tim Daly plays an OM on ABC "Private Practice" |
Fortunately, most TCM schools want their students to have a solid foundation in Western sciences; and as OM becomes more widely accepted, we need to have a Western biomedicine background in order to just talk to our other health colleagues - Especially, if we score a job at a "Private Practice" in Santa Monica with a recently divorced dcotor who looks a lot like Taye Diggs!
The biggest misconception about OM practitioners is that we take a couple of classes and receive some Cracker-Jack certification. When in fact, we take pre-med classes THEN instead of heading off to John Hopkins for medical school -- We go to OCOM.
I remember during my first visit to OCOM, the Dean mentioned this was medical school.
Intense and empowering... And a shit ton of work.
(My words, not his - But I'm sure this is what he meant)
We have our own diagnostic tools; and are required to work clinical rounds both as interns and externs. Unlike our Western medicine colleagues, we spend the first year of our school
learning a vastly foreign concept of the human body; and trying to find some way of making sense of it.
I've received a fantastic advice from a current 1st year student whom I met while visiting the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM):
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| Stoked to learn about sports medicine. |
