Acupuncture
Society Accreditation began in 1998 and has been setting high standards
of training and practice in acupuncture and TCM.
The ASA ensures that accredited colleges keep up to date with new
professional and academic standards in Traditional Chinese medicine.
Standards adopted by the ASA are in line with other professionals in
the field.
The ASA follows closely and adopts any new emerging industry standards
which are to be undertaken by accredited colleges.
Enquiries please email
asa@acupuncturesociety.org.uk
The Acupuncture Society Accreditation of the College of Chinese
Medicine began in spring 1998.
The objective of the accreditation process was to ensure that the
College and its syllabus:
A) Preserved its original character combining Chinese Acupuncture,
Herbal Medicine, Ancient Chinese with Modern Western Diagnosis
B) That the procedure was established to enable the course to be
regularly updated in line with others in the profession
C) That the Western Bio Science content was to be taught by experts in
each field
D) That the College should begin using industry standards of Mandarin
for Herbs and point numbers for Acupuncture
E) That the course should be practical and included all students
regular access to College Teaching Clinic
Acupuncture Society Accreditation has been evaluating and regulating
the College of Chinese Medicine since 1998.
The Acupuncture Society is a non profit company and the Societies
register has been in existence since 1998
The Society represents the views of its members on professional issues
All Acupuncture Society Committees consist of 2 Society members a lay
person
Acupuncture Society Accreditation annually revues its stated objectives
against the achieved outcome made by the college during each year
Society members with criminal records must disclose these in full to
the registrar
Society members must demonstrate sufficient command of the English
language to be able to carry out one's work adequately
Accreditation procedure
Each spring since 1998 acupuncture society accreditation officers have
met with representatives of the college of Chinese medicine to set
achievement targets the outcome of which are monitored at subsequent
annual meetings.
Acupuncture Society Accreditation officer's serve on a voluntary basis
and are not paid for their efforts
Accreditation officer powers
Officers may sit in on any lectures, question lecturers, can request
syllabus information, inspect college records, talk to students and
examine examination records, they may consult with experts to be
informed of up to date movements within the industry.
The College is obliged under the terms of the accreditation process not
to restrict or impede officers carrying out their enquiries and is
bound to act on their recommendations
Accredited TCM Curriculum for The College of Chinese Medicine
Course outline
This is a part-time,
degree-level course which provides professional training in
acupuncture, diagnosis and traditional Chinese medicine that prepares
students for modern professional life. It combines theory and
practice to ensure that students are proficient in modern Western
medical sciences as well as traditional Chinese medicine.
Emphasis is placed on developing students as competent and
confident therapists with a caring and compassionate attitude.
The course is run on a
part-time basis over a period of three years, plus three additional
months of clinical attachment in the fourth year. Classes are held over
21 weekends per year, with additional pre-specified days for
introductions and inductions, and for clinical attachment.
Assessment is by coursework and
clinical work as well as written exams, and is done on an ongoing
basis. On completion of the course and upon passing final exams,
students will be awarded a Certificate by the College and will be
eligible to apply for membership to The Acupuncture Society.
Below is an outline of the twelve main modules covered by the course,
and the number of hours assigned to each.
| MODULE |
Contact hours |
Home study |
Total |
| Anatomy and Physiology |
70 |
180 |
250 |
| Plant Chemistry and Pharmacology |
52.5 |
125 |
177.5 |
| Nutrition |
17.5 |
45 |
62.5 |
| Clinical Medicine I and II |
122.5 |
245 |
367.5 |
| TCM Theory |
77 |
210 |
287 |
| Traditional Diagnosis and Treatment I & II |
122.5 |
367.5 |
490 |
| Acupuncture I, II and III |
182 |
546 |
728 |
| Chinese Herbal Medicine I, II and III |
175 |
525 |
700 |
| Acupressure Massage |
28 |
56 |
84 |
| Practitioner Research |
21 |
42 |
63 |
| Practitioner Development & Ethics |
14 |
28 |
42 |
| Clinical Practice |
420 |
840 |
1020 |
|
|
|
|
| TOTAL |
1,302 |
3,209.5 |
4,511.5 |
YEAR 1
Twenty weekends plus one weekend of introduction Ten additional days of
clinical attachment (80 hours)
One day First Aid course
(AM and PM college sessions are each 3.5 hours in duration, and
clinical attachment days are 8 hours in duration)
1. Anatomy and Physiology
2. Plant Chemistry and Pharmacology
3. Nutrition
4. TCM Theory
5. Chinese Herbal Medicine I
6. Acupuncture I
7. Clinical Practice I
Weekends 2 - 16 on alternate weekends:
| 1st weekend |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Anatomy & Physiology |
TCM Theory |
| PM |
Anatomy & Physiology |
Chinese Herbal Medicine I |
2nd weekend |
|
|
| AM |
Plant Chemistry & Pharmacology |
TCM Theory |
| PM |
Plant Chemistry & Pharmacology |
Acupuncture I |
Weekends 17 - 21 on alternate weekends: |
|
|
| 1st weekend |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Anatomy & Physiology |
TCM Theory |
| PM |
Anatomy & Physiology |
Chinese Herbal Medicine I |
2nd weekend |
|
|
| AM |
Nutrition |
TCM Theory |
| PM |
Nutrition |
Acupuncture I |
YEAR 2
Twenty one weekends
Ten additional days of clinical attachment (80 hours)
1. Clinical Medicine I
2. Traditional Diagnosis and Treatment I
3. Chinese Herbal Medicine II
4. Acupuncture II
5. Acupressure Massage
7. Clinical Practice II
Weekends 1 - 19 on alternate weekends:
| 1st weekend |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Clinical Medicine I |
Acupuncture II |
| PM |
Clinical Medicine I |
Chinese Herbal Medicine II |
|
|
|
2nd weekend |
|
|
| AM |
Traditional Diagnosis I |
Acupuncture II |
| PM |
Traditional Diagnosis I |
Chinese Herbal Medicine II |
Weekends 20 - 21 |
|
|
|
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Acupressure Massage |
Acupressure Massage |
| PM |
Acupressure Massage |
Acupressure Massage |
|
|
|
YEAR 3
Twenty one weekends Twenty additional days of clinical attachment (160
hours)
1.Clinical Medicine II
2. Traditional Diagnosis II
3. Chinese Herbal Medicine III
4. Acupuncture III
5. Practitioner Research
6. Practitioner Development, Ethics and Dynamics of Private Practice
7. Clinical Practice III
Weekends 1 - 16
| 1st weekend |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Clinical Medicine II |
Acupuncture III |
| PM |
Clinical Medicine II |
Chinese Herbal Medicine III |
2nd weekend |
|
|
| AM |
Traditional Diagnosis I |
Acupuncture III |
| PM |
Traditional Diagnosis I |
Chinese Herbal Medicine III |
Weekends 17 - 19 |
|
|
|
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Practitioner Research |
Acupuncture III |
| PM |
Practitioner Research |
Chinese Herbal Medicine III |
Weekends 20 - 21 |
|
|
|
Saturday |
Sunday |
| AM |
Practitioner Development & Ethics |
Acupuncture III |
| PM |
Practitioner Development & Ethics |
Chinese Herbal Medicine III |
FOURTH YEAR - post graduation
The forth year comprises of 100 hours of supervised clinical work and
individual case study projects. There are 3 meetings on a one-to-one
basis for analysis and discussion on the students work.
1. Course Length
The course satisfies the length requirements of the Acupuncture Society
Accreditation for Acupuncture and TCM Education.
|
Lecture Hours |
Clinic Hours |
Home Study |
|
| Year 1: |
294 |
80 |
871 |
| Year 2: |
294 |
80 |
907.5 |
| Year 3: |
294 |
160 |
951 |
| Year 4: |
|
100 |
200 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total: |
882 |
420 |
3,209.5 |
4511.5 |
|
|
|
2. Completion Certificate
Successful students are awarded a Certificate from the College.
3. Relationship to Purpose
The College has designed its curriculum to explicitly meet its
educational objectives, and is committed to an ongoing process of
improvement and refinement to the course
4. Quality of Learning, and Quality of Teaching
Please refer to curriculum
5. Professional Conduct and Safe Practice
The Acupuncture Society's Code of Ethics, Rules and Regulations has
been fully adopted by the College, and is taught and assessed as part
of a Year 3 Module Practitioner Development & Ethics..
6. Clinical Teaching
Please refer to curriculum.
7. Professional Competencies
The College places great emphasis on patient-centred education firmly
based in clinical practice, and fully embraces the Acupuncture
Society's standards for professional competence.
Regular student evaluation identifies potential areas for improvement
to tutorial support.