Five Branches University: Graduate School of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Mission Statement
Five Branches University: Graduate School of Traditional Chinese Medicine
aims to provide a professional medical education in the art, science and
practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine through classroom courses and
clinical training. The program emphasizes traditional Chinese medical
theory and diagnosis, acupuncture, herbology, and Western medicine as
applied to integrated healthcare.
Providing a community of learning and TCM healthcare, Five Branches University
is dedicated to making the views and methods of traditional Chinese medicine
a part of world medicine.
Philosophy, Values & Principles
Five Branches University is dedicated to providing the highest level of
education in traditional Chinese medicine. For decades, Five Branches'
TCM faculty and practitioners have successfully practiced and taught in
both the United States and China.
The attainment of this goal is reflected in Five Branchesi consistently
high rate of graduates who pass the National Certification and California
State Licensing exams - and in their development of successful TCM practices
throughout the nation.
Five Branches University's education is threefold, focusing on: (a) the
art, science and practice of TCM as rooted in the classics, (b) TCMis
success in modern clinical practice, and (c) the integration of TCM with
the best practices of Western medicine.
Five Branches' faculty are chosen for excellence demonstrated in their
specialized fields. They also must be skilled as teachers, and passionate
about teaching. Students are chosen for their academic competence, and
for their commitment to serving people through traditional Chinese medicine.
TCM philosophy views medicine as a compassionate response to human suffering.
Five Branches provides not only TCM skills, but also an environment where
kindness prevails. In thus balancing a studentis program, Five Branches
encourages the constellation of qualities needed to become a successful
TCM practitioner. Students enjoy a respectful camaraderie with their extended
Five Branches family, while nurturing relationships in the local and global
community. Together with their faculty mentors, Five Branches students
offer TCM to the widest population possible.
The Institute's educational objectives are:
To preparegraduates to diagnose, prescribe and provide medical treatment
within the parameters of traditional Chinese medicine.
To provide graduates with sufficient knowledge of TCM's non-technical
modalities of diet, massage, taijiquan, and qigong to become
capable advisors to their patients on lifestyle issues that influence
their state of health.
To instill in itsgraduates universal and professional medical ethics
and the social responsibilities of providing primary healthcare.
To impart to each graduate the knowledge to make, whenever necessary,
appropriate referrals of patients to other healthcare professionals.
To give each graduate the knowledge and skills to prepare for the National
Certification and California Licensing exams.
History
Since its inception in 1984, the Five Branches family of doctors, faculty
and staff has dedicated themselves to providing the highest quality education
possible in the art and science of Chinese Medicine.
Five Branches Institute first received candidate status from the Accreditation
Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 1992. It was accredited
in 1996, and was reaccredited in 1999 and 2003. A branch campus of the college opened in San Jose in 2005, and was granted candidate status in October 2005.
Programs Offered
Five Branches' coursework concentrates on five academic departments,
representing the branches of TCM: acupuncture, herbology, tuina
(Chinese medical massage), energetics (qigong and taijiquan),
and dietary medicine. In addition, students receive a wide range of in-depth
clinical practice, comprising one-third of the curriculum. Five Branchesi
TCM Clinic assists over 100 patients a day. In this setting, students
observe faculty practitioners diagnosing and treating patients with acupuncture
and Chinese herbs. In their final year, students diagnose and treat patients
under direct faculty supervision. The clinicis herb room, stocked with
350 bulk herbs and 300 patent medicines, provides students with hands-on
experience in Chinese herbology and pharmacology.
The curriculum is taught on a semester system, allowing students to complete
the program in four yearsoor three and a half years, if students continue
their clinical training during summer and winter inter-sessions. Throughout
their coursework, students assimilate and cultivate the TCM practitioneris
skills: observing, listening and becoming sensitive to the human energy
flow. To further supplement study, specializations such as gynecology,
pediatrics and traumatology are offered. Electives, including Five Elements
and advanced study of TCM specializations, round out the curriculum.
Five Branches also offers specialty certificates in medical qigong,
sports injury, Five Element acupuncture, and tuina massage.
Contact Information
For more information on the Five Branches University, contact:
Santa Cruz Campus:
Five Branches University
200 7th Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Tel: (831) 476-9424
Fax: (831) 476-8928
San Jose campus:
Five Branches University
3031 Tisch Way, Suite 507
San Jose, CA 95128
Tel: (408) 261-0608
Fax: (408) 261-3166