Acupuncture Schools - How to Choose An Acupuncture School

First of all you want to find out what the options are in your area. States like California have many acupuncture schools to choose from, while Wisconsin, for example, has only one acupuncture school. Some have no schools at all. Oregon's naturopathic school in Portland was the first naturopathic college. See if your state is on our list on this site of acupuncture schools. Acupuncture Schools - Accredited Programs  and for naturopathy schools that all offer acupuncture programs see on this site:   List of Accredited Natural Medicine Colleges in North America

Check the student-to-ratio. You want to find an acupuncture school that offers small classes. Smaller classes tend to encourage greater discussion between students and teachers, and can foster improved learning. You can call each school and ask to speak to a recruiting counselor to find out the ratio.

You want to opt for an acupuncture school whose program emphasizes courses in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is just one part of traditional Chinese medicine, and it's important to get a complete picture of all the treatments offered by the acupuncture school to acquire the skills needed to be well-rounded and well-versed for your patients.

So acupuncture schools that offer courses in traditional Chinese medicine often include other aspects of traditional medicine too, like anatomy, body therapy, massage therapy, and sciences. They may offer the science and philosophy of acupuncture too. Keep in mind that depending on the school, students may be required to study herbal medicine or they are offered herbal courses as electives.

Acupuncture school education and training requirements can total from 2500 to 4000 credit hours.

There are just a few acupuncture Schools that teach practitioners the five-element Oriental medicine approach to acupuncture, which is often used in conjunction with traditional Western medical practices.

Choose an acupuncture school that offers an extensive library of materials focused on traditional Chinese medicine. It's important that you have these resources available to you so you can have all the literature that is essential for a broad learning experience.

Choose an acupuncture school that offers consultation services for its graduates. These schools allow graduates to consult with their instructors regarding care of the patients.