skills and qualities needed to be an acupuncturist

[Guest guest]

i am seriously considering training to become an acupuncturist,

 

1.what questions should i ask myself to see if this is definately the

right career for me?

 

2. i plan to apply to Reading where they teach integrated five

elements and traditional chiniese medicine, (i have chosen to go here

as it is geographically most convienient at 2.5 hours away) are there

any pluses or minuses to learning this style?

 

thanks in advance for any help

jemima

[Guest guest]

Hi Jemima

 

I think one of the most important questions at this stage to ask

yourself is, aside from the acupuncture bit, do you also want the

lifestyle that goes with it? You can of course make your practice fit

what you want logistically, but inevitably you will need to take on

board running a business if you want to make a success out of practicing

acupuncture.

I know of many practitioners at the moment who are struggling with this

and feel that they were perhaps not adequately prepared for the reality

of setting up the business side of it once they graduated. The reality

being that it is, for most graduates, very difficult to get things

going.

 

This was certainly true for me, and it may actually have been a good

thing that I didn't know at the time how tough it can be setting up, as

I may well have reconsidered the option.

 

Reading is an excellent college to attend and is certainly amongst the

best in the country.

I'm sure there will be pluses and minuses to every college. Reading has

quite a specific 'house style' which is their approach to integrating

(CF based) 5E with TCM. Having trained there myself I would say that it

is a very solid and well structured style.

 

One could say that by teaching both styles in the same length of course,

one is perhaps not getting a 'full' training in either, and there may be

something to this. Also, the 2 styles are very well integrated, which is

on the one hand an obvious plus, but also, they can be so seamlessly

integrated that one no longer can distinguish which is which. I'm not

sure that this matters that much - just there is a certain unclearness

which leaves you reliant upon the 'house style'.

 

Overall I would wholeheartedly recommend Reading. The tutors are

excellent and the environment is very supportive.

Good luck!

 

If you're 2.5 hours away and Reading is your closest, I guess you must

be living in Devon or Cornwall. Although that's not the end of the

world, it's also worth taking on board that over the course that

represents a lot of travelling especially during your clinical year when

you'll be there every weekend for 9 months.

 

Jason

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

acupuncture [acupuncture ]

On Behalf Of jemimapuddle666

14 July 2005 19:00

acupuncture

acupuncture skills and qualities needed to be an

acupuncturist

 

i am seriously considering training to become an acupuncturist,

 

1.what questions should i ask myself to see if this is definately the

right career for me?

 

2. i plan to apply to Reading where they teach integrated five

elements and traditional chiniese medicine, (i have chosen to go here

as it is geographically most convienient at 2.5 hours away) are there

any pluses or minuses to learning this style?

 

thanks in advance for any help

jemima