Program Overview

This program consists of two years of didactic instruction in Acupuncture Sciences and related subjects, plus a year and a half Clinical Internship.

Didactic Instruction Seminars

In the first 2 years, Wu Hsing Tao School offers four day intensive seminars from Friday through Monday (9:00am-5:30pm) approximately every other month. Between Seminars there is the corresponding practicum, applied research assignments and point location lab days. There are a total of 11 Seminars during the Didactic Instruction.

The program format offered makes enrollment possible for those unable to arrange a weekly class schedule. Each Seminar is an integral step in the development as a Five Element practitioner, each being comprised of lecture on academic, philosophical, and psychological material, as well as experiential practices of sensitivity, development, meditation, role-play, art, and movement. Each Seminar begins with a meditative discipline: Kundalini Yoga, Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese (Sumi) Brush Painting, Sitting Meditation, and Tai Chi, preparing the student to be open to receiving this 5000 year old system of medicine.

To meet the 21st century needs, Chaitania Hein brought the valuable expansion of psychology to the program. She teaches the psychology of Five Elements derived from acupuncture and Taoist philosophy.

Practicum / Point Location Labs

In between each Seminar, students attend Practicum / Point Location Lab sessions twice a month on a Friday or Saturday. The Practicum is designed to assist the students in their challenge to develop their senses as part of their ability to diagnose their patients. Even though the procedure and nature of seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and pulse-taking is explained in detail in class, the student can only develop these skills in their "field work." After hours of practice and receiving constructive feedback in the Practicum, then the student can cultivate these skills with proficiency.

In the Point Location Lab, students of all levels meet to practice finding the points on the body, mark on each other, and then are approved, corrected, and receive feedback from a Supervisor. Having sufficient contact with fellow students that are at various stages of development creates a more interactive experience.

Clinical Internship

In the 3rd year, the student enters their Clinical Internship. This phase represents a new level of responsibility for the student. The Intern is expected to draw upon all learning and knowledge gained during the first two years of study in order to apply it in the treatment of real patients, as well as learning the responsibilities of a health care provider. The Intern receives detailed instructions and is closely supervised for all procedures. Interns start off with one shift per week, and then move on to two shifts per week. Interns also attend Clinical Skills Development (CSD) Workshop once a month on Saturdays and Sundays, where they receive additional guidance.

Biomedical Western Sciences

Before students can enter their Clinical Internship, they must complete all Biomedical Western Science requirements. Biomedical Western Science courses are separate from the didactic instruction Seminars, yet follow the same weekend seminar based format. Students gain a solid foundation of basic and biomedical sciences in order to understand the implications - from a conventional medical standpoint - of the conditions a patient may present, and be able to communicate with practitioners from other medical fields. WHTS offers Anatomy & Physiology, Survey of Western Science/Pathology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, CPR, and HIV/AIDS Training.