Community Services for Entering Students

We believe that it is important that all ACTCM students have a community service experience. Many other AOM colleges have such a requirement, which benefits the students, the college and the field. As of Fall 2007, all entering ACTCM students will have 30-hour required community service component during their program at ACTCM.

ACTCM has had a long history in encouraging and supporting students to actively engage in working in the community. Examples include the founding of ACTCM herbal garden, the student representative to the Board of Directors, the establishment of Student Council, and student participation in the 25th Anniversary Committee and the Graduation Committee. Many of our graduates who were active in community service while being students at ACTCM, have gone on to become leaders in AOM education and professional organizations.

The following is a list of possible sites students may consider when fulfilling their community service requirement:

• Volunteering for an ACTCM Admissions Open House or TCM day as a representative of the Student Body' answering questions of prospective students and their family/friends.

• Volunteering in a practitioner's office (especially Alumni) or Community Clinic (marketing).

• Work in Garden (watering, fertilizing, etc.)

• Library

• Faculty projects (making a presentation, doing research, translation) Helping with special events.

• Write article in Campus Forum pertaining to profession

• Interview Alumni (Campus Forum).

• Special projects given by different departments.

• Volunteer gardening work at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens.

• Volunteer work at the Kaiser Hospital, which currently has an Acupuncture Department any of ACTCM's CAP sites would be applicable.

• Haight-Ashbury Clinic, CPMC, etc.

• Going with a faculty member to a local college or university for a day to answer questions about Chinese medicine.

• Chinese Hospital in Chinatown volunteer work.

• Volunteer for California Bicycle Race.

• Volunteer for Avon Breast Cancer Walk, Walk for the Cure, Run for Research, Leukemia Foundation, or Diabetes Foundation.

• Visiting/hosting School visits.

• Talk to senior centers about TCM.

• Brown Bag Presentations at UCSF, CCSF

• Working in the office of an acupuncturist or M.D.

• Get involved in HIV/MS Society/Public Health Department.

• Volunteer services, including providing acupuncture, acupressure, shiatsu, or tuina to any of the following organizations:

  • Larkin Street Youth Organization

  • ARC of San Francisco

  • St. Anthony's Foundation

  • Habitat for Humanity

  • Mercy Charities Housing

  • Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco

Independent Research

• Special research as to what is happening in the profession, e.g. NIH, what projects they are funding.

• Any research done on stroke, Geriatrics, Cancer.

• Research how to write grants (e.g. for scholarships, garden, a special project)

• Contact Institutions in China - what research are they doing?

• Create your own.