Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Graduates of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner program may continue in their studies through the Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine program. This program will enhance students' understanding of TCM clinical sciences, clinical best practices, Western medicine, and Traditional Chinese Classics.
Students participate in patient diagnosis and treatment as part of supervised clinical internships, which will sharpen their skills in advanced subjects like immunology, botanical pharmacology, emergency management, and advanced acupuncture.
This program will prepare students to apply for membership in the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CTCMA) of BC and to write the provincial licensing examination.
“I took the Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine at PCU College because it had all the courses that I needed. I enjoyed the courses on acupoint location, internal medicine, Huang Di Nei Jing, and Shang Han Lun. The clinical internships were great for gaining experience. The professors were very professional and experienced. At the moment I do massage and acupressure. Now that I am settled in Canada, I want to start a clinic.” - Carolina C., PCU College Graduate
This program is 44 weeks in length.
Job Opportunities
- Health Clinic
- Healing Centre
- Wellness Centre
Program Courses
The program outline below is for British Columbia .
| Code | Course Name | Hours |
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- This course will present an in-depth study of Chinese herbs in terms of their molecular structures, actions, effects and side-effects on the body. Rules for using toxic herbs and regulations governing the herbal pharmacy will be reviewed in this course. Emphasis will also be placed on herbal combination and interaction. In this course, students are prepared with knowledge of interactions between herbs used in TCM, prescription drugs. supplements and herbs used in natural medicine. Knowledge of herbal pharmacology, toxicology and interaction with other organ substances will help students decide on effective and safe use of herbs. in their practice.
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- Interns provide full TCM treatment under minimal supervision of the clinic supervisor. They diagnose and treat patients independently. Students will be expected to present some clinical cases to the TCM professional community in order to broaden their learning experience as well as participation in TCM professional activity. Defending their clinical decisions in a wide variety of audiences will lead to better self-awareness of both strengths and weaknesses in their clinical knowledge and skills.
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- Interns continue to provide the full TCM treatment under minimal supervision of the clinic supervisor. They diagnose and treat patients independently. Students will complete their clinical practices in this course. During this course, students not only will be expected to show superb skills in diagnosis and treatment to patients, but also to apply their knowledge by leading junior students in the clinic. This experience will enrich the student's ability to work successfully in a profession that not only require strong individual qualities, but also possession of solid leadership and management skills.
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- Interns will begin to evaluate and treat patients under proximal supervision of the clinic supervisor. They will diagnose and treat patients independently, consulting with the clinical supervisor before and after each treatment. Emphasis will be on the student's presentation of cases, as well as analytic skills for determining diagnoses, treatment modalities, duration and methods. Interns will conduct patient interviews, perform diagnosis and treatment planning, perform appropriate acupuncture and herbal treatments, follow up on patients' conditions, as well as refer patients to other health care professionals if needed. PR: 550 hours of supervised clinical internship or equivalent.
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- Interns will begin to evaluate and treat patients under proximal supervision of the clinic supervisor. They will diagnose and treat patients independently, consulting with the clinical supervisor before and after each treatment. Students will be expected to present some clinical cases to the TCM faculty in order to broaden their learning experience. By defending their points of view, diagnosis, treatment choices as well as their actions or omissions in a wider audience, students will be able to better understand their strength and weakness in caring for their patients.
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- This course covers the study and interpretation of the fundamental theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the classic text of Huang Di Nei Jung, the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. This book is the ancient classic written on the Chinese beliefs in natural and astrological effects on human beings during the Warrior Stated period (475 - 221 BCE). It has become the guide for development of TCM theories and principles. This course also introduces key concepts underlying the TCM approach to psychology. Advanced acupuncture techniques and treatment will also be covered.
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- This course discusses the structure and function of the immune system, innate and acquired immunity, and the distinction of self from non-self. The course will include specific topics in virology and bacteriology related to pathology and defense mechanisms against infectious agents. The mechanism involved in the immune response, in particular for allergy, autoimmunity, infectious diseases, inflammatory disorders are discussed.
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- This course covers an important classic in the study of Chinese traditional medicine that covers pulse diagnosis, complex syndromes, and treatment for conditions such as malaria, apoplexy, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, jaundice, digestive and gynecological diseases. This classical text was written during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) as well.
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- This course will cover the nature and value of evidence, the statement of hypothesis, the basic elements of quantification in research, the principal elements of statistical analysis, research design, hypothesis testing and reporting and publishing research. By the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate use of literature review and understanding of experimental design and statistics in the analysis and interpretation of a published journal research report.
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- This course covers signs and symptoms relating to the differentiation of disease according to the six-channel theory. It consists of classic theories of infectious diseases caused by exogenous wind and cold factors. Included are the etiology, clinical manifestations, pulse and tongue signs and complications at different stages of each infectious disease. This course also covers syndrome and different stages of disease progression. Many famous classical herbal formulae came from this classical text that was written during the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD) and published later.
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- In this course, students will learn how to identify emergency situations and determine the appropriate actions to manage the situations. Students will learn how to assess the severity of an emergency situation, determine the appropriate action, provide solutions based on TCM approaches (if suitable) or refer patients to the appropriate health care professionals in the critical care or emergency departments at hospitals.
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- This course will introduce a brief history of preventative medicine and an in-depth study of preventive medicine (living in harmony with the environment, with yin and yang, four seasons, and keeping control of the emotions resulting from everyday stress). It will also cover avoidance of pathogens' attack on the body system, prevention of common diseases and some therapies relating to general prevention methods. Key contents and topics relevant to TCM Gerontology will also be introduced.
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- This course covers the classical theories of infectious diseases caused by exogenous heat or warm factors. It includes etiology, clinical manifestations, pulse and tongue signs, and different stages of each syndrome. It also covers the basic therapeutic herbal formulas applicable to different syndromes or different stages, namely Wei, Qi, Ying and Xue.
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- This course will be an overview of Western internal medicine. Students will learn about many diseases based on organ systems in terms of their causes, mechanism, diagnosis, appropriate medical testing, surgical and medical therapies. Class materials will be enriched with clinical cases commonly seen in Western medical settings.
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- In this course, students will learn how to interpret results of common Western medical laboratory screening and image test results. Topics include the clinical usefulness, limitations, accuracy, and precision of various laboratory tests and imaging techniques. This course will enable students to interpret clinically relevant information from appropriate laboratory tests and imaging results that they may come upon in clinical practice. Understanding of Western medical test results will help in making complementary TCM diagnoses and treatment plans for patients.