Students from the first cohort of a new Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) are celebrating a major milestone after completing their studies in the program.
A celebration at the university's Richmond campus Thursday, Aug. 13, honoured KPU students who have finished the first public post-secondary degree program for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Canada.
"As the first cohort to graduate from this groundbreaking program, these students are making history while building on a decade of excellence established through our diploma program. Their achievement represents the future of holistic medicine, and we are excited to see the impact they will have in their communities," says Sharmen Lee, Dean of the Faculty of Health at KPU.
Dr. John Yang celebrates the first cohort of students to complete the Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine program at KPU.
Students entered the program after completing the foundation Diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine - Acupuncture. With licensing from the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC, bachelor's degree graduates will be able to work as registered Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, treating patients using acupuncture and other stimulation techniques, and may prescribe, mix and dispense herbs and herbal formulas.
In B.C., careers in TCM are designated high opportunity occupations.
"A bachelor's degree in TCM provides students with a deep and broad clinical education. While diploma graduates are qualified to practice acupuncture, degree graduates are trained to offer a more comprehensive scope of care, including dispensing Chinese herbs and herbal formulas. As interest in holistic and integrative health care continues to rise, we are seeing increasing demand for TCM practitioners in major urban centres and also rural communities where access to complementary health services is expanding," says Dr. John Yang, TCM department chair at KPU.
Among the inaugural cohort of graduating students is Meaghan Mc Aneeley, who decided to continue her studies after earning her diploma.
"It seemed like a wise move to strengthen my credential and open the door to master- and doctoral-level studies or teaching roles in the future," she says. "Plus, I am interested in treating complex internal medicine disorders, which often call for herbal remedies, and I just wanted to be the best diagnostician I could be by learning a more complete version of this holistic modality."
Mc Aneeley, recipient of a Chan Sisters Foundation Bachelor of Traditional Chinese Medicine Endowed Award, plans to use writing and editing skills from a previous career to benefit the TCM community through advocacy work and publishing. She also plans to explore opportunities to support TCM in hospice care.
The 10-semester Bachelor in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Faculty of Health at KPU is equivalent to similar programs at universities in China, Australia and New Zealand, creating opportunities for KPU graduates to pursue master's programs at other institutions.
In addition to the 26 bachelor's degree students, Thursday's event also celebrated 22 students who have completed their studies in the diploma program. To mark the occasion, students were presented with pins that feature a yin-yang symbol designed by Graphic Design for Marketing student Sarah Nelson.
"When creating the pin design, I wanted to ensure that it accurately and respectfully represented KPU's Traditional Chinese Medicine program. Through my research, I learned the importance of yin and yang in the philosophical framework of traditional Chinese medicine. I centred the yin-yang symbol on the pin to represent the key principle of restoring balance within the body," says Nelson.
At KPU Richmond, TCM students learn in the classroom and gain practical experience at a campus-based TCM clinic. At the Student Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, which is open to the public, patients are provided an instructor-supervised assessment, and can receive acupuncture treatment and herbal remedies from a state-of-the-art herbal dispensary.
Appointments are $25 and available through an online booking system. Herbal remedies are available at an additional cost.
