ACCHS DAOM: Advanced Clinical Outcomes for You and Your Patients
The ACCHS Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) is a two year post-masters degree program providing advanced clinical training with a focus on:
Integrated Orthopedic Acupuncture
- Join an amazing community
- Enjoy a flexible hybrid, in person and asynchronous schedule
- Expand clinical outcomes and career opportunities
- Gain valuable experience in research projects
- Get CEU credit for DAOM classes taken
ACCHS DAOM By the Numbers
Clinic Training
- 650 hours total
- 120 Clinic Hours of Observation
- Minimum 60 hours of Internship
- Minimum 60 hours of Externship
- Minimum 60 hours of Professional Development
Didactic learning
- 240 hours of Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine
- 240 hours of Orthopedics & Pain Management
- 120 hours of Integration and Research
- Minimum 60 hours of Externship
- Capstone Research Paper and Presentation
- $318 per didactic unit
- $21.20 per clinic hour
- $4,416.33 per Trimester
- + app. $1,000 in fees = $27,500
- Alumni discount: 15% off
- Faculty and staff discount: 30% off (in trimesters when actively working)
Focus on the Classics
The purpose of the ACCHS DAOM (Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) program is to provide an advanced, clinically oriented program of study based on a foundation of Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine and Integrated Orthopedics and Pain Management.
The only currently accredited post-masters doctoral degree in Chinese Medicine is a DAOM (Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). Chinese Medical DAOM programs can focus on any number of paths. The DAOM at ACCHS has a particular focus on the Classics due to the fact that many TCM practitioners lack confidence as herbalists when they graduate from many primary licensing programs; without a coherent program for advanced learning, their knowledge and confidence in herbs and internal medicine may actually decline rather than increase with time and experience. For this reason, our DAOM opts to deepen the foundational principles of Chinese medicine and herbs knowledge for use in treating all manner of internal conditions.
Focus on Pain Management
The ACCHS DAOM also has a focus on Advanced Integrative Orthopedic Acupuncture and Pain Management, which is one of the primary reasons patients seek treatment. As primary healthcare practitioners, many of our doctoral candidates will see more patients who are dealing with pain than with any other type of health problem.
Focus on classical herbalism
The ACCHS DAOM also has a focus on Advanced Classical Jing Fang Herbalism. Jing Fang 經方, or Classical Formulas, refers to a collection of herbal prescriptions derived mainly from foundational texts such as the Shang Han Za Bing Lun (傷寒雜病論) and the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (神農本草經).
Developed during the Han Dynasty, which many scholars consider the Golden Age of Chinese Medicine, these prescriptions are among the most ancient and most definitive formulations in Chinese medicine, demonstrating remarkable effectiveness in medical practice for over 2000 years.
The Shang Han Za Bing Lun (傷寒雜病論), or Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases, was authored by Zhang Zhongjing (張仲景) (circa 150-219). After his death, the original text was lost and later reconstructed into two separate works: the Shang Han Lun (傷寒論) and the Jin Gui Yao Lue Fang Lun (金匱要略方論).
To fully grasp and effectively utilize Jing Fang 經方 formulas in clinical practice, it is essential to understand this advanced clinical and scientific system, which forms the foundation of Chinese herbal medicine.
DAOM Program Goals
Chinese Medicine has a rich history with many notable figures who embodied the ideals of the scholar physician. Through deep understanding of principles, these doctors were able to respond to the myriad manifestations of disease creatively and effectively, rather than applying pre-existing treatments in a formulaic or reflexive way. Striving towards this ideal necessitates a deep investigation of Chinese Medicine’s theoretical principles, guided by scholar clinicians who are leaders of the resurgence of Classical Chinese Medicine. DAOM program goals include:
Premier Instruction
To provide exceptional instruction in the areas of acupuncture, herbal medicine, qi cultivation and energetics, diet and nutrition, and manual therapy
Build Confidence
To enable our DAOM candidates to navigate areas of clinical assessment, diagnosis and intervention with greater confidence and ability
Deepen Knowledge
To foster a spirit of inquiry in our students, and provide them with the solid foundation in knowledge synthesis and analysis that will encourage their growth as lifelong students of Chinese Medicine
Thought Leaders
To empower our students to become leaders in the Chinese Medical field, developing along the ideal of the scholar-physician
DAOM Learning Outcomes
Our DAOM program provides established and licensed practitioners the professional capacity to:
Deepen Classical Understanding
Deepen your knowledge of the Chinese Herbal Medical Classics and apply this knowledge directly in the clinic
Discern Clinical Reasoning
Master and integrate advanced theory guiding clinical reasoning for assessment, diagnosis, and intervention
Communicate & Integrate
Appropriately communicate and integrate with other medical practitioners at an Expert level
Master Pain Management
Efficiently assess, manage and treat musculoskeletal pain conditions using classical anatomy, orthopedic testing, and TCM principles
Explore New Modalities
Apply major Chinese medicine modalities including herbal medicine, acupuncture, and manual therapy with greater skill
Increase Referrals
Practice high-level skills in consultation and collaboration with other healthcare practitioners and insurance providers
Build Your Practice
Measure and document patient conditions for insurance providers and non-TCM healthcare practitioners and cultivate clinical practice management, organization, and direction of end-to-end patient services
Supervise and Teach
Competently perform clinical supervision and teaching of upper-graduate level Chinese medical student
Conduct Scientific Research
Engage in original, creative, critical scientific/scholarly inquiry to synthesize & communicate knowledge
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