Elizabeth's Blog

In previous blogs, I have spoken about extra webinars or seminars being very beneficial. I was able to attend the AOM pulse club's webinar hosting Jimmy Chang. Jimmy Chang is well known for being an expert in pulse diagnosis. The webinar was an hour long, and since they are free, anyone can watch if they have Internet connection.

Noel, the president of the pulse club, standing next to the webinar.

The webinar was an introduction in how to examine the patient's hand, wrist and arm. These parts can tell the acupuncturist a lot. For example, he spoke of feeling for temperature differences between the wrist and the forearm, the color of the veins in the wrist and forearm, and whether they travel up the arm or not. It was fascinating and I have already started implementing the tactics in my clinical experience. 

Thinking Ahead

I recently signed up for my other three boards. I would definitely recommend signing up in advance because what I have found, is signing up a month before you want to take an exam may not result in many choices of days available. The other option is to drive to a further location such as Chicago, Wisconsin or Indiana.

Speaking of Indiana, a fellow soon-to-be graduate took his Foundations exam and passed. He said the Acupuncture Strategy class we take with HB Kim really prepares the student for the test. There were a few cases of difficult terminology on the test. Different schools, especially the Five Element schools of acupuncture, use different terminology for excess or deficiency and the different pulse positions. But these questions were few and need not be worried about.

I will be taking my exams in the next month and a half. I want to finish as soon as I can because the state application process can take several months. A past graduate friend of mine waited at least three months for her state license. So be prepared, you may have to wait. I am going to try and start the application process and mail as many documents as I can in advance to hopefully speed up the process.

Holy cow! It's the start of the eighth week and only eight more to go 'til the big day. The weeks seem to fly by. I have already applied for graduation and need to check if I have completed all of my university and community service hours. It is best to start early on in the program because before you know it you will be graduating.

Community service hours are volunteer work done throughout the community, possibly helping with a relay race or at a food shelter. University hours are done on campus and there are many possibilities, such as helping with the recycle program. 

Pulse Club

We have a newly formed Pulse Club, founded by Noel Jensen, the president of the AOM club. They have had two meetings that meet random days to try to accommodate everyone's schedule. It can be hard to find the perfect day because even though all the students have night classes, some have morning or afternoon clinic shifts that are hard to work around. 

In the club, they are listening to a 5-part seminar by Jimmy Chang, a well-known acupuncturist and expert in reading the pulse. The seminars can be taken individually through the Lotus Institute. Weekly free webinars on various topics are great for students. There are a few of these free webinars online, just Google and sign up on their email list to receive weekly reminders. I have watched a few, namely on inflammation and pain, common pediatric syndromes seen in clinic, and a fertility webinar. 

More Good News

My husband recently received his score on the Part 4 chiropractic boards and he did very well. He scored high enough to practice in any state in the U.S. Two states require 100 points higher than the others and he surpassed that number. So now we have a new dilemma of whether to stay in Illinois or move to a warmer state?

My husband and I.

It's usually not until the last few trimesters that students start thinking about where they will practice and whether they will open a practice, independent contract, work for another medical professional, or continue their education. National does provide an Alumni link on our website where other professionals can advertise. Job offers, practices for sale and even equipment for sale can be found. Acupuncture Today, a publication for acupuncturists, has a classified section as well as the state AOM organization. Many possibilities, it's just finding the one that suits you is the hardest decision. Well, wish me luck.

A recent grad that moved to China to teach and intern has made a trip back to Illinois. Hopefully, next week I will have a blog about her experiences in China.

Hello, prospective students! If you are new to my page you may not know that I will be graduating in August. Yay! 

About a month back I took the first of my four board exams. Some states only require three, so to see what your state requires you may go to nccaom.org and browse for state requirements. Usually when you take the computerized board exam it will tell you if you passed, but since the biomedical portion is so new they are still working out kinks so they mail the results. It's grueling because you have to wait 30 days. I received my results this week and I passed! It is such a good feeling to see the results. 

Besides my results, I had a good week in clinic. I had 16 patient visits to add to my tally sheet to meet my 450 total patient visits for all my clinic shifts. I saw my continuing patients but also a few new cases. I filled in for an intern who usually sees PTSD patients. These patients receive specific auricular points to help cope with their stress and anxiety. These patients are so grateful because they are experiencing results and receive the treatments for free.

Something Different

Dr. Yihyun Kwon has started to see stroke patients in the clinic. This is part of his ongoing stroke clinical study on the results of acupuncture and herbs in stroke victims with any kind of paralysis. I have been very lucky to be able to observe his cases as he takes a history, needles and gives the patients instructions on home exercises and dietary changes. Some of the points he uses are not commonly used in clinic, as well as his needling method, so it is fascinating!

On Thursday I had the pleasure of eating with one of my favorite professors. She wanted to cook for a fellow acupuncture grad who has treated her in the past. It was her way of saying thank you to the grad and she invited me as well. We had a feast, as you can see in the pictures. We had noodles, fried rice, tofu, shrimp, fish, baby bok choy, dumplings, and egg drop soup. Oh my, it was so much food and so yummy! 

Oh, what a week it has been. Wednesday, I took the biomedicine portion of the board exam and what an exhausting day! The test was 100 questions with a time limit of 2.5 hours and I took the whole time. I think that was because by the time I took the exam, I was so burned out from studying for it that my brain was moving at snail's pace. I studied materials that were specifically geared towards boards plus all of my class material - pathology, orthopedics, pharmacology, microbiology, CPR, clean needle technique, physiology, and other materials. 

Needless to say, I think every student walks out of boards saying, "Oh my gosh!" From what my friends that took the boards said, I definitely had different questions. I feel National gave me sufficient biomedicine classes plus everything from my bachelor's, and I felt I was ready to take the exam. However, after taking the exam, I would like to see more case studies being utilized in the classes. I am confident I passed the exam but without knowing for sure I am still a little uneasy. So wish me luck! 

No Time for Rest

This weekend I had my second HB Kim seminar. This seminar was focused on "Herbs and Formulas." The class is held over two weekends (Saturday 8-6 and Sunday 8-3) because HB Kim travels from Kentucky to teach it. I enjoy the class and the material but it is a lot of information to process in one weekend. 

"Herbs and Formulas" seminar with HB Kim.

Dr. Kim provides excellent handouts and he presents in a way that engages all learning styles. He is a wealth of knowledge and he makes the class very enjoyable. He has studied extensively with many famous doctors and he has read and interpreted all the Classics of TCM. The students have all had three materia medicas, two herbal formula classes, and some senior seminar classes. We have learned all of the herbs and formulas, but seeing them again in a different format with a different teacher brings a different perspective. He also discusses things such as Dui Yao, or two herb combinations, that we are not formerly taught. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Kim and his classes. I think National is extremely lucky to have him. 

This past weekend was so NICE! My husband and I were able to enjoy the weather strolling around Geneva before we buckled down to study. Yes, it's finals time already. Time flies when you're having fun. I have a few finals this week and the rest next week. But before I talk anymore about me I have a big secret...

National University of Health Sciences' Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Program has been accredited by the NCCAOM!! Oh my gosh, I think I was the last to hear because apparently the word has been out for a while. All of our administrators' hard work paid off. We will be accredited until 2016 when NCCAOM will come to recheck all of the checkpoints.

NUHS has the opportunity to be the best AOM university in the U.S. We have the facilities to do much research, which unfortunately is lacking in our field. We have a few clinics, and most importantly we have a cadaver lab in which we are able to dissect a human body to experience where all of the muscles and organs are and how the needles can affect those structures. No other AOM university has that.

During break I will be studying for my first board test, the biomedicine portion. This exam is only offered 3-4 times a year so I have scheduled to take it in May. It won't be so bad because it will refresh everything I have learned from the last five years attending National. 

Also during break, my husband and I will be office shopping again because we have 5 more months until we graduate. It's exciting but scary at the same time.  

Laura is in the picture modeling the Po Sum oil many students use to do their bodywork, which includes guasha, tuina or cupping. There are many oils to choose from but usually one with a viscous texture factor is good. All of the mentioned modalities are good for treating sore muscles, colds, constipation, and much more.