Applications for the certificate program are taken from licensed acupuncturists throughout the year, with admission starting in fall quarter. An interview may be required. A candidate for the acupuncture and Oriental medicine degree must be able to demonstrate appropriate observational and communication skills, motor function, intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities, and behavioral and social maturity. A candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand.
Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation.
These are enhanced by the functional use of the sense of smell. Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients such as CPR and application of pressure to stop bleeding and the opening of obstructed airways. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of the sense of touch and vision. Observation and motor skills must be in coordination with each other in order to safely practice many of the diagnostic and clinical techniques specific to Oriental medicine.