Not sure how time flies away so fast! I’ve been in school for almost two years and it seems like yesterday that I was sitting in Dr. Wang’s “Introduction to Oriental Medicine” trying to understand what he was talking about…. I remember having no clue about anything and just studying as much as possible, so I don’t hear Dr. Fan saying in my Points Location exam, “I think this point should be one mm this way.” 🙂

Now, two years later, everything is on fast forward and each day comes with a new challenge. I absolutely love my clinic shifts, but not so much some of the classes. Last week I was writing my resumé for my Business class, and I was honestly surprised when I looked at all the trainings and certifications I managed to do in just 2 years. Until I saw everything put on paper I didn’t really perceive all these trainings as something so important, but looking back I can only be thankful that I was able to attend them and learn so much more.

People always ask me, “Is it worth it?” “Do you need trainings aside from school?” “Why would I do something like that when I don’t even know all the things we learn in school?” I can’t speak for everybody but if everything comes easier to me now it’s also because of all these trainings. If I seem to understand or know more it’s also because of all the money and time I invested.

I know that there will be enough continuing education for us to take after graduation, but I preferred to take some classes now, not only because I wanted to know more, but also because most of the seminars have a discounted price for students.

It also depends on what you plan to focus on in your practice. If you don’t necessary want to specialize in something, maybe you don’t need other trainings. If you want to practice only TCM and nothing else, maybe school is going to be enough to get you started.

For me, it was a little bit different because I was interested in Five Elements, Japanese Acupuncture, Functional Medicine, and so much more. I envision my practice as an integrative one, so I wanted my training to be an integrative one, even if I’m not pursuing the ND program.

So here I am trying to sprint and finish my sixth trimester with 5 more papers to write, 9 clinic shifts, 6 exams, and one more training next weekend. Wish me good luck!