The College / Background and ethos

Background and ethos

The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine

This not-for-profit organisation was founded by Angela and John Hicks. They trained at the College of Traditional Acupuncture and John later became dean of that college. Both he and Angela were lecturers and clinical supervisors. They also undertook clinical training in China, learning a different style of acupuncture. As a result they developed an approach which brings together Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the two main styles of acupuncture taught in this country today. They have taught this style of practice at postgraduate level since 1988 and demonstrated how practitioners trained in this way can bring additional benefits to their patients.

Because of these results, Angela and John decided to create a college training new practitioners on this basis. They were joined by a like-minded group of colleagues, including Peter Mole - who for over ten years was a teacher and clinical supervisor at the College of Traditional Acupuncture. Between them Angela, John and Peter have written eight books on aspects of Chinese medicine. Together they wrote Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture (Churchill Livingstone, 2004), the first comprehensive textbook published on this subject. It provides an invaluable tool to underpin the teaching of this style.

The College places a high emphasis on the quality, development and commitment of its teaching staff. Thirteen of our senior members have been with the College since its inception in 1993. We believe that there is no substitute for learning from the experience and wisdom of those who have practised and taught acupuncture for many years. Our teaching staff meet regularly at staff development days where they discuss ideas and develop their skills. These meetings play a part in maintaining a cohesive and creative staff with a high morale. Our staff regularly contribute articles about aspects of Chinese medicine to magazines and journals.

The College is managed by an executive committee: Angela and John Hicks (joint principals), Peter Mole (dean) and Judith Clark (academic director). The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day running of the College and its future development. We also have a governing body fulfilling a role similar to that of the board of governors of a school or college overseeing the executive committee and ensuring we remain faithful to our mission.

Our administrative staff play a crucial part in the life of the College, working hard to ensure that the day-to-day running of our organisation goes smoothly.

Aims of the College

Our aims are to produce the highest quality practitioners who can:

• diagnose both the person and the complaint, using the concepts of Chinese medicine
  
• determine what influences in the patient's life are contributing to the imbalance
  
• develop effective treatments and lifestyle changes for achieving an improvement or cure
  
• have the ability to put these skills into practice with a wide range of patients.

Outcomes for graduates

In order to achieve these aims, the College's intended outcomes for graduates are that they:

• have a thorough understanding and grasp of the theory and practice of acupuncture
• have developed their perceptual skills and their ability to interact with patients and gain deep rapport
• understand their own strengths and weaknesses
• increasingly care for their own health and learn to develop their own qi

Our College ethos

So that students can develop the abilities listed above, some of the College's outcomes for itself are to:

• graduate practitioners who are competent, confident, safe, ethical and committed
  
• maintain the highest standards of learning and assessment
  
• create a supportive and friendly environment where learning is made as natural and as enjoyable as possible
  
• be student centred and listen to what our students tell us, making changes based on their feedback where and when appropriate
  
• provide the highest quality teaching staff
  
• demonstrate, through the values which motivate the staff, the values that are congruent with the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The College is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for students, staff and patients.

A wealth of experience Our degree students benefit from the hands-on practical knowledge accumulated by our teaching staff, three of whom have been in practice for over 30 years, eleven for over 20 years and 13 for more than ten. Read about our staff and governors