FAQs
FAQs
- What are the entry requirements for your courses?
- I am an overseas student, is there anything else I need to consider?
- Can I get any financial help with the course fees?
- Who teaches the courses?
- I want to retrain for a career in Oriental medicine, but I still need to earn a living. Is this possible?
- I've heard about TCM and 5 elements. I want to be sure I'm making the best choice by studying at LCTA. What do you teach?
- Is the Patient/Practitioner relationship important?
- Will I change as a person?
- Will I be able to make a living when I graduate?
- What is the government’s view of Chinese medicine?
- I have covered part of your course elsewhere, can I claim exemption?
- Can I buy any books through the College?
- What about clinical equipment, will I need to buy any?
- What support is there for me as a student at LCTA?
- What about assessment? Will I have to sit lots of written exams?
- Will I need a computer to do the course?
- Is there disabled access at the College?
- Is it easy to find accommodation?
Q: What are the entry requirements for your courses?
A: Although, strictly speaking, our entry requirements for our undergraduate programmes in Acupuncture and Tui Na are Grade C or above in English GCSE and 240 points at 'A' level (or equivalent), we are much more interested in your life experiences and dedication to the subject. Regardless of your educational qualifications you are strongly encouraged to apply and will be considered on the basis of your work and life experience. Although the average age of our students is 35 we have qualified students well outside that age range.
To join our postgraduate courses in Tui Na or Oriental Herbal Medicine, a previous TCM qualification is needed.
No previous experience is required to join either of our Qi Gong courses.
Applicants may already have significant commitments to work or family and will need to be able to show that they have the practical resources and support to sustain them through the course.
We have a commitment to selecting our students on an equal opportunities basis: students are selected for their suitability as individuals, not for their membership of any particular group.
To find out more, or to apply for one of our courses contact the College on 020 8446 3332.
Q: I am an overseas student, is there anything else I need to consider?
A: LCTA is an approved education provider by the UK Border Agency. We have a licence to teach international students and are on the Tier 4 Register of Sponsors. We are also actively working with the US to establish an equivalence with our qualification.
In order to obtain a student visa, you are required to undertake full-time study while you are in the UK. Our 3 year Acupuncture course and 2 year Tui Na course are studied on a full time basis and would be suitable for the purposes of applying for a visa. You can also combine one postgraduate course with the Acupuncture course if you wanted to become qualified in more than one discipline of Chinese medicine.
If English is not your first language you will need to satisfy the College that you are capable of undertaking degree-level study in English. In general we ask that you achieve band 6.5 in each area of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For Masters level courses we ask for band 7.
For further information please see the International Student section of our website.
Q: Can I get any financial help with the course fees?
A: Yes. Many students on our Acupuncture course are now eligible to apply for a Student Loan. There are two types of Student Loans available to students on a full time course:
- Tuition Fee Loan – to help cover the cost of course fees
- Maintenance Loan – to help with living costs
Student loans have to be paid back but not until you have finished your course and are earning over £15,000. There may also be the option to take repayment holidays.
In addition to Student Loans, some students may also be eligible for a maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant to help with living costs
To find out more visit www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
If you are not eligible for a Student Loan, or a looking to study Tui Na Massage or Oriental Herbal Medicine with us then visit www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning or contact 0800 100 900 for information on financial assistance to support your learning.
If the course you wish to study ties in closely with your current career development path then you may find that your employer will be willing to pay for you to do it. This may not be an easy task as you will need to convince your employer that it is worth them investing in you and much depends on the nature of the company you work for. If you do get your employer to sponsor you study, be prepared for them to ask you to sign an agreement tying you to them for a specified period once you have finished the course. This route can be a matter of luck but is worth pursuing nonetheless.
There are several private and charitable organisations that you can apply to for funding. They often focus on people who live in a particular area, or have a particular disability. You can find out more about these at your local library. Useful publications include:
- The Grants Register
- The Charities Digest
- The Educational Grants Directory
- The Directory of Grant Making Trusts
It is best to ask the library staff for assistance as they can often help you get the information from the books more quickly and may be able to give advice on your situation from personal knowledge. Some charities are administered by local authorities, in which case the local authority may also be able to help. Once you have found some suitable charities it is a case of writing lots of letters!
You can find more information on alternate funding sources at:
www.family-action.org.uk - Educational Grants Advisory Service
A: In order to integrate the many strands of Oriental medicine in teaching, we work with teachers who not only come from all over the world, but are trained all over the world. Our teaching team is unique, special and dynamic. We have a group of teachers with enormously varied qualifications and experience, many of whom have been with us since our inception. Our lecturers’ knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject goes a long way towards producing the approachable, stimulating atmosphere that students immediately notice between students and staff. Graduates tell us that this opportunity to access teachers' combined wisdom and skills is invaluable to them in developing their own expertise and individual approach to practice. To find out more about the teaching team and why we are so proud of them check out the staff biographies.
Q: I want to retrain for a career in Oriental medicine, but I still need to earn a living. Is this possible?
A: Yes, many of our students work and study at the same time, and with our wide range of study options your decisions are never set in stone.
- We have a variety of study options for our undergraduate courses. You can usually choose whether to study full time or part time and whether you want to study during weekdays or at weekends and many have intakes in both October and March. The course units are exactly the same, regardless of which format you choose.
- Courses normally operate over 'school' terms, so holidays are at Christmas, Easter and in the summer. Timetables are issued at interview but can normally be given earlier on request.
- Study consists of lectures and seminars, clinical and practical experience, and home study. There is quite a high proportion of home study in all our courses, for more information on the amount of home study required see the FAQs specific to the course you wish to study.
- The College day runs from 9.30 am to 5.00 pm, with a further half an hour at the end of the day for tutorial sessions. Clinical sessions, however, are often run outside these hours.
Q: I've heard about TCM and 5 elements. I want to be sure I'm making the best choice by studying at LCTA. What do you teach?
A: People are often confused by these two terms. The terms TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Five Elements come from popular understanding and tend to be misleading and simplistic when used on their own. TCM is what you may have heard as the more physical, mechanistic side of Chinese medicine. The Five Elements, on the other hand, are what some people describe as the best tool to use when treating emotionally based conditions.
Our view of this subject, however, is rather different. A better way to describe Chinese medicine, as it has traditionally been used in China, is to see it as made up of a range of tools, suitable for diagnosing and treating all sorts of different patients and different conditions. So, for example, the Four Levels or the Six Divisions look at how deeply into the body (to what “Level) a disease has penetrated. You can also look at whether a person’s Yin/Yang balance is upset, or whether they are showing imbalance in one or more of the Five Elements. Whichever tool you use, you would take into account your patient’s physical condition and their constitution, as well as their emotional responses.
We don’t integrate Five Element theory with TCM because we don’t see them as ever being separated from each other.
This description highlights only a small number of ways of using Chinese medicine but, if you think of it as a toolbox, what is important is to be able to use all the tools in your toolbox skilfully. In its more authentic form, Chinese medicine uses many tools, as and when they are called for and without conscious separation. This, therefore, is how we teach them. This skill is an essential starting point (the core, if you like) if you want to go on and study more than one discipline in Chinese medicine, as a high proportion of our students do.
Rest assured - at LCTA you will learn how to use all the tools in your toolbox, not just one or two, and you will be fully equipped to take your practice and your further study forward in whatever direction you chose.
For more information, see Our Philosophy fom more information on our approach to teaching Chinese medicine.
Q: Is the Patient/Practitioner relationship important?
A: We believe that this relationship is central. You will be encouraged to develop a deep understanding of your patients and of your own practice through sharing your observations and reflections and through receiving a high level of one-to-one guidance from your teachers. You will learn how to use your new knowledge and skills to make good and effective relationships with patients. This adaptation of ancient wisdom to modern-day relationships is exciting and inspirational even to those already experienced in working with people. You will learn how to focus your treatment and encourage your patients in moving towards the ends that you have agreed between you. In the process, you will learn a great deal about yourself, and this self-understanding will be woven back into your practice as increased skill and understanding of the patient.
A: Without doubt. You may find that your work on the course brings up personal issues that need your attention. We will encourage and support you in this work, as we often find that personal development goes hand in hand with your evolution into a self-aware and effective practitioner.
Q: Will I be able to make a living when I graduate?
A: Potential students often ask this question - for obvious reasons! We encourage our students to work out exactly what they want from Chinese medicine and to go for that: a very high proportion succeed. Some choose to work full time, some part time; some work in the UK and some abroad; some work privately, and others within the NHS. When you are working in the Teaching Clinic, you will make strong relationships with your patients, many of whom may want to come with you to your practice when you graduate. Then, if you continue to focus strongly and talk enthusiastically to people about what you do, your practice will thrive.
We recognise that perhaps one of the most difficult times for our undergraduate students is when they leave the College and begin in practice. To address this we have developed a unit specifically to guide students through the process. The unit explores finding premises and setting up a practice, promoting what you do and attracting patients, book keeping skills and developing a support network. Using your own vision of how you want your practice to run, you will be asked to compose a detailed and workable practice plan that you will then implement before finally completing the unit. We provide just the right amount of hand-holding and, by the time our students leave us, they are delighted with their independence and confident about their competence.
What is the government’s view of Chinese medicine?
A: The Department of Health is currently working with the acupuncture and herb professions and more generally with CAM as a whole to establish a system of legal regulation that will safeguard the public interest. We welcome this because it will mean that the professions get a well-deserved increase in credibility in the marketplace. Statutory Regulation is expected to take place in due course.
Over the last few years, under voluntary regulation, LCTA has participated in helping to establish degree qualifications as the benchmark in our field and we fully support any government move that formally recognises this. It is important that patients understand exactly what type of treatment is on offer and have the knowledge at their fingertips to make an informed choice. The aim of regulation is to achieve this.
Q: I have covered part of your course elsewhere, can I claim exemption?
A: The short answer is yes. We have a policy of Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning (APEL) which we use with each individual to find out which units you might be exempt from. Students wishing to transfer from other colleges in the UK or abroad will be assessed individually to determine what exemptions they may be eligible for.
There are three different ways to assess exemption:
By Certification
Students wishing to claim exemption from any part of the course, such as those working as western health professionals or shiatsu practitioners, will be required to produce certificates to confirm their qualifications. If you have current membership of an approved professional body this will usually be enough to qualify you for exemption.
By Portfolio
If you do not have the appropriate qualifications or certificates, or your knowledge has not been used professionally for over 5 years, in certain circumstances you may be invited to submit a portfolio showing details of your studies, including how you have covered necessary aspects of the course.
By Assessment
If neither of the above are adequate, it is sometimes possible to undergo a formal assessment to determine your level of understanding in a given area.
Q: Can I buy any books through the College?
A: Yes you can. We have an arrangement with Balance Healthcare who provide all the essential course texts that you will need at less than the RRP. You will receive an order form for your books before your course begins. If you decide to order books through Balance, they will be delivered to the College on your first or second day of term. There may also be the opportunity to come to the College earlier to collect them. Alternatively if you contact Balance Healthcare by telephone on 0800 072 0202 it may be possible to pay a bit extra and have them delivered to your home.
On the acupuncture course you should expect to pay around £350 for your essential books. On occasion you can buy books second hand from other students via the College notice board but many of the books you will buy are books you will use throughout your career as a practitioner.
Q: What about clinical equipment, will I need to buy any?
A: In your first year you will need to buy a white coat to wear when you are observing in the clinic. These are usually around £15-20 and can be bought from many places including www.alexandra.co.uk.
It is not necessary to buy any clinical equipment unit you reach the clinical year of your course. A detailed lost of equipment required for the Acupuncture clinic is given to you in plenty of time before you start the clinic. Starter kits are available at a reduced cost from Balance Healthcare. Currently a clinic starter kit from Balance costs £215.
Q: What support is there for me as a student at LCTA?
A: There is a large variety of support for students at our College, including personal and academic tutors, a student psychotherapist and the Learning Space. For more information see the Student Support section of our site.
Q: What about assessment? Will I have to sit lots of written exams?
A: Chinese medicine is a practical skill and, where appropriate, we teach and assess your work practically. For example, a point location class is taught by marking points on real bodies (usually those of your classmates!). You will also be assessed practically and taught in small groups with close supervision. Likewise, when you are in clinic you will be taught and assessed in a very practical way. A more theoretical unit, such as Chinese Medicine Theory, is taught in a more lecture-based format and is assessed using written exams and projects. We always tailor the assessment to suit the subject being learnt, and, whenever we can, we adjust the timetable so that your assessments are spread evenly through the year.
Q: Will I need a computer to do the course?
A: You will need to have access to word processing, internet and e-mail facilities from the start of your course as we ask for all written work to be typed. We have a computer room for you to use at the College but we would expect you to have access to a computer either at or near your home.
Q: Is there disabled access at the College?
A: Yes, the College is easily accessible for students with disabilities. We have disabled toilets, a lift up to our floor and there are no steps within the College itself. Our Student Support Officer is available to individually assess your needs and how we can best support you.
Q: Is it easy to find accommodation?
A: There are several hotels and inns near to the College, click here for a list. You can also search www.yell.com.