This degree course is divided into six main areas called programmes, each sub-divided into levels. It brings Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) together as an integrated whole. This allows students to treat patients with a wide variety of conditions, both chronic and acute.

We put equal emphasis on gaining both practical and theoretical skills, with 50% of course hours dedicated to each of these areas. The practical aspects of the course emphasise the development of rapport-making skills in order to relate to patients, and qi development in order to enrich acupuncture practice. High levels of skill in point location, needling, pulse taking and tongue diagnosis are also emphasised.

Chinese medicine lies at the core of the College's theoretical teaching. Our conventional medical science course has also been developed especially for the College. This relates conventional medical science to acupuncture practices and the theories of Chinese medicine. Reflective practice forms the core of a practitioner's work with patients, and this is encouraged along with the acquisition of skills in researching the practice of acupuncture.

1 Chinese medicine
Students study Chinese medicine throughout the course. This includes the underlying theoretical concepts of Chinese medicine including yin/yang, the Organs, the substances, the causes of disease, the Eight Principles and the jingluo or meridian system. They also make an in-depth study of the Five Elements or Phases and develop an understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of the patients' constitutional imbalance. They develop an awareness of how the patients' qi imbalances affect all levels of body, mind and spirit.

Students also study patterns of disharmony of substances and syndromes as well as the differentiation of all the most common diseases. The treatment of children, treatment in childbirth, electro-acupuncture and auricular acupuncture are also included in this programme.

2 Conventional medical sciences
This specially-developed programme includes anatomy, physiology, pathology, clinical skills and pharmacology.

Surface anatomy is used to assist students in point location and safe needle insertion.

Physiology and pathology help students to understand the conventional medical description of a disease and how this compares to the viewpoint of Chinese medicine.

The study of clinical practice then enables them to understand the patient's disease in terms of conventional medicine and to develop an understanding and respect for the human body and its condition in health and disease. It also encourages students to develop an increasing level of confidence when dealing with patients who are also receiving conventional treatments and when communicating with conventional practitioners.

Pharmacology helps students to understand the effects of the drugs that many patients are taking. Chinese medical energetic interpretations of diseases and drug treatments are woven into the teaching of the conventional medical sciences throughout this programme of the course.

Physiology, pathology, pharmacology and clinical medicine are mainly taught using a format of study days in class followed by carefully-structured home study.

3 Point location
This programme of the course enables students to develop their palpatory skills and to understand the procedures needed in order to safely and accurately locate all acupuncture points on the body. It also enables students to locate the points respectfully and with sensitivity.

4 Professional practice
In this programme students learn to use their diagnostic and treatment skills, first by learning to diagnose patients in class, and then by diagnosing and planning treatments on people outside the classroom. This culminates in the third year when students begin treating patients in the College clinic under the close supervision of senior members of the teaching staff.

This programme of the course focuses on encouraging students to make the successful transition from being students, to being student-practitioners, finally becoming autonomous practitioners. In order to do this students must demonstrate that they understand all the practical and ethical implications of being a professional acupuncturist, and are capable of putting this knowledge into practice.

5 Skills and techniques
This programme includes the practice of both diagnostic skills and treatment techniques. Diagnostic skills include pulse taking and tongue diagnosis as well as rapport making, observing, asking, listening and palpation skills. Treatment techniques include needling, cupping, tui na (Chinese massage), applying moxibustion and various other means by which the patient's qi imbalance is corrected.

Ongoing practice of qi gong is integrated into the course (pronounced chee gung). This form of qi development practice has been used in China for thousands of years. Practising qi gong enables students to experience how their qi energy affects their acupuncture practice with patients, as well as how it can improve their own health. Qi gong is taught in two-hour sessions throughout the first and second year.

6 Research and reflective practice
This part of the course encourages students to develop a problem-solving and holistic approach to their practice. They carry out clinical observations on patients for 30 hours per year with practitioners anywhere in the UK. Students also study different research paradigms, including orthodox research and reflective practice. This culminates in the research and submission of a final-year dissertation.

During the third year clinical programme students carry out an audit of patients' responses to treatment, administered by the Oriental Medicine Research Trust. Participating in this audit helps students to develop a reflective attitude towards their practice. They are also helping establish a body of evidence that will shed light on the effectiveness of acupuncture.

College outcome study
Under supervision, all third year clinical students treat patients in the College student clinic. An outcome study which explored patient progress in this clinic found that 93% reported an improvement in their main complaint, with 58.7% reporting a major improvement or full recovery. No one felt worse, and only 7% experienced no change. 88% of responding patients also reported either a large or moderate improvement in their general health.
Shaw, Bidgood and Saebi (2007), 'Exploring acupuncture outcomes in a college clinic: Patient profile and evaluation of overall treatment benefit', European Journal of Oriental Medicine 5(4): 55-63

Throughout the course our students grow and develop personally. This happens in two ways: through their application of the Chinese understanding of health and disease to themselves, and through the development of their diagnostic skills, specifically, good observation, deep rapport with patients, and the understanding of and ability to respond to a multitude of different emotional patterns.