Responding to learner needs and industry demand, Humber Polytechnic has launched the only Bachelor of Science degree of its kind in Canada with the new Bachelor of Science – Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture program. 

Starting this September, the four-year honours program integrates classical and contemporary Chinese medicine with biomedical sciences for those looking to become a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner in Ontario. The program is rooted in patient-centred care where students develop the clinical judgment, professional competencies and critical thinking skills needed to address the complex and evolving health needs of patients through acupuncture, herbal medicine and other TCM therapeutic modalities. 

For those who would prefer to focus more on acupuncture, Humber is launching the three-year Acupuncture program that will have its first cohort this fall. Humber also offers pathways into the Bachelor of Science program for those in the Acupuncture program. 

William Hossack is a program coordinator and professor with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner program, which is being replaced with the two new programs.  

Hossack said the move to a Bachelor of Science degree puts Humber’s program in line with other health professions and aligns with credential requirements in jurisdictions outside of Canada such as China and Australia. 

He said about a third of their students are direct and the rest are a mix of domestic and international students from all walks of life. Some already have a post-secondary degree in health sciences and are looking for specialization. 

Typically, some of the learners are those looking for a new career and Hossack said they often have medical professionals, sometimes retired, in the program. 

Humber has a TCM Clinic at North Campus where students interact and care for patients as part of their work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunity. The program also offers WIL placements at clinics outside of Humber including with the Rexdale Community Health Centre and Michael Garron Hospital. 

Martin Lu is a second-year student in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner program who’s strongly considering taking a pathway to the new Bachelor of Science program. 

Lu suffered from allergies and eczema in his youth and had been to doctors and specialists and found the treatments never made much of a difference. However, his family took him to a TCM clinic, and it helped a lot. The experience piqued his interest in TCM, and he started to consider it as a possible career. 

Lu says he’s enjoying the program and is excited to work with real patients at the clinic.  

“It’s been a very good experience at Humber,” said Lu. “We have a lovely community of students – we do potlucks and we’re all friends – and the environment is awesome. The instructors are professional and have worked in the industry and they offer so much help to us.” 

Meanwhile, Hossack was drawn to TCM as he suffered from asthma as a child. TCM helped and lessened his need for an inhaler.  

Hossack, who’s married to a physician, says he isn’t anti-Western medicine. He feels TCM appeals to people for a variety of reasons – for some it’s ideological, for others it’s a tool in their overall bag of treatments. Some feel it’s less invasive and less pharmaceutical-based than Western medicine, and others turn to it after exhausting all other options. 

“Traditional Chinese Medicine, to me, is integrative rather than complimentary and part of a spectrum of care,” said Hossack.  

Sarah Al-Juboori is a third-year student in the TCM Practitioner program who thought attending medical school was perhaps her only option out of high school to get into the field. However, a friend introduced her to Humber’s program and it was more in line with what she was looking for in terms of education and a future career. 

Al-Juboori said her time spent in the clinics, both on campus and off, has proved invaluable in terms of learning and has helped prepare her for treating patients in the future. 

More information can be found by visiting the Bachelor of Science – Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture webpage.