The Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program at Five Branches University is designed to assist you in developing advanced TCM knowledge and skills, achieving a medical specialization and improving your research and teaching abilities.
You will have the opportunity to work in collaborative clinical settings and receive rigorous training from highly skilled and experienced faculty, in advanced concepts of TCM and biomedical theory. By learning how to integrate Western medicine with TCM knowledge, you will become a more competent practitioner, skilled in “Diagnosis by Disease Identification”, in addition to the “Pattern Differentiation” practiced in TCM. The 3-part emphasis of the program’s courses includes: TCM Pattern Differentiation, Modern Medicine Disease Category Differentiation, and TCM Treatment.
The DAOM program is offered at the Five Branches University San Jose Campus, located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Easily accessible by highway or air, the San Jose campus is just minutes away from major freeways and the San Jose Airport. San Jose is a multicultural environment that offers a fertile ground for promoting and exploring TCM and inter-disciplinary medicine.
Features of the Five Branches University DAOM program
Flexible Modular Structure
Courses in the program are offered once a month during four-day long weekends to allow you to earn a doctorate in 25 months, while maintaining a private practice. Clinical training is flexible and is scheduled apart from the weekend intensives.
Meets California and National CEU Requirements
The modules of the DAOM program fulfill both California and National CEU requirements.
Extensive Training with Leading Master Clinicians
Renowned senior TCM practitioners and biomedicine experts from China and the US are brought together by Five Branches University to share their invaluable experience and knowledge of TCM and Western medicine, through didactic and clinical sessions.
A Modern Integrative Medical Curriculum
The program provides you with Western medical training that will strengthen your TCM practice. This integrative program puts emphasis on bridging the gap between TCM and biomedicine approaches, enhancing cross-referrals and inter-disciplinary medicine.
Clinical Training with TCM and Western Medicine Experts
Train with specialists in the field at both the Five Branches medical centers, at local community clinics and hospitals and at major hospitals in China (affiliated with Zhejiang Chinese Medical University).
Specialization Training
As a DAOM student, you will have the option to achieve medical specialization in one of the following departments:
- Women’s Health and Endocrinology
- Neuromuscular Medicine and Pain Management
- Medical Qigong in Cancer Treatment
- Psychotherapy and Psychiatry
Exposure to Research
During the program you will critically review TCM research. You will learn how to assess evidence-based medicine, review new trends in TCM research, and enhance your TCM knowledge and scientific thinking skills.
Earn a Ph.D. in China
Upon completion of the program, you will be awarded a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) degree. If you are interested in continuing your education, with an additional year of study in China, you may earn a Ph.D. degree awarded by our sister college, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University.