At our week 5 meeting, we had the pleasure of inviting Maya Zitrin to come to speak about the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College - Berkley (AIMC, Berkeley), her alma mater, and more about Acupuncture as a profession. Maya is a newly licensed acupuncturist with a background as a registered nurse. She now works part-time as the admissions officer for AIMC Berkeley, her alma mater, has her own private practice in San Francisco, CA, and practices acupuncture in the community through various non-profits.
Maya first went over the history of acupuncture from the first documented case to the spread of acupuncture to Western medicine. She also went over the social history of acupuncture and its road to legalization in the United States.
Maya also explained the logistics and steps to become a licensed acupuncturist. First, one must attend an ACAHM accredited Acupuncture school and pass the California Acupuncture Licensing Exam (CALE) or a National Examination (NCCAOM). In regards to the educational experiences, while there are no prerequisite courses, there are a certain number of units and GPA requirements that need to be met. For AIMC Berkley, 60 undergraduate units and a GPA of 2.5 or higher will allow you to go into a Master's while 90 units completed and a GPA of 3.0 will allow you to pursue a Dual degree or doctorate.
Usually, the academic year is split into trimesters with breaks in between and a full-time student takes 16-18 units per trimester. Additionally, AIMC provides pathways to getting a license as an acupuncturist through the Masters of Traditional Asian Medicine (MSTAM) or the Dual Degree Program. On average the programs are to be completed in around 4 years, however, this depends mainly on the applicants' pacing. But there is flexibility since you have a max of 8 years to complete the program. In regards to tuition, it is locked at the first-semester rate and is usually around $72,500 for the entire program (and pricing is around the same for both programs).
If you want to learn more about this information, feel free to check out AIMC, Berkeley's website: www.aimc.edu/clinic. Additionally, you may contact Maya at: Admissionsinfo@aimc.edu.
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