Tri-City Voice Newspaper Publication

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"...AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH COUPLED WITH COOPERATIVE ATTITUDE..."

As an Admissions Peer Advisor at Five Branches University in San Jose, I am part of our enrollment service which in turn works very closely with the marketing department to help attract not only prospective students but also prospective patients. When I released the press release to our August 12th Fall Festival/FBU Inauguration Day, I had no idea I'd get interviewed by one of the journalists. 

When speaking with the journalist, I felt like I was pouring my heart out about our medicine and its willingness and yearning to be accepted in not only the mainstream media but also even among professional healthcare practitioners specifically MD's. Five Branches University is doing an exceptional job at creating that bridge by having the Highland Hospital Residency Program where DTCM/MTCM and Post-Graduate Doctoral Fellows be given the opportunity to work alongside Medical Student Residents. These students are from all over the US and the Bay Area such as UCSF, Stanford, UC Berkeley, etc. 

The MTCM program that I completed was about 1/4 Western Medicine taught by strict MD's and some Integrative MD's who also had 2/4 Acupuncture, Herbs, and TCM Theory, and 1/4 clinical practice. The total program time for an MTCM Degree which by the way is a Graduate School Degree, is standard, 4 years. The same is for a Medical Doctor Degree, of course internship for MD's is much longer. I think it's important to also note that in the state of California, California Board Licensed Acupuncturists are Primary Care Providers as well and thus the people that come see us are designated as patients and not clients, a good distinction to know and understand.

What is a primary care provider/physician? According to Wikipedia, A primary care physician is a physician who provides both the first contact for a person with an undiagnosed health concern as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system, or diagnosis.