Students of Chinese Medicine Practice New Role at California’s Yo San University

Nov. 12, 2008 - PRLog -- Interns studying Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at Yo San University in Los Angeles will partake in a new university program designed to demonstrate what life is like in a professional medical clinic.  Many interns often experience ‘jitters’ or nervousness with their first few experiences outside of the classroom.  The new program being introduced at YSU will help expunge those jitters before interns move on to become medical professionals.    

The Standardized Patient Program (SPP) was developed in the early 1960s by Dr. Howard Barrows, a clinical professor at the University of Southern California. In the SPP, the clinic is the classroom and the “patients” are actors who have been coached to present a wide variety of illnesses and disorders that the students must properly identify, diagnose and treat.  

During this process, the students interact with the staff, supervisors and patients to prove their ability to demonstrate appropriate, professional behaviors.  Learning how to work in the clinic under realistic conditions removes the new intern “jitters” when students begin to work with public patients.

In the Spring of 2008, Yo San will introduce the SPP to students making their final preparations to become clinic interns.  Brady Chin, the Dean of Clinical Education commented, “The Standardized Patient Program (SPP) has been a staple of virtually all biomedical education since the 1980s.  Working in a clinical environment is far more complex than most people realize.  Basic skills such as time management and patient interaction skills are scarcely practiced in the didactic courses. The SPP will fill these, and other gaps, to create a more confident, efficient, and competent physician who can best deliver Chinese medicine as taught at Yo San.”

Yo San University is the first Traditional Chinese Medicine School to include a SPP as an integral part of its medical training. “The University is delighted to make the Standardized Patient program part of our clinical education,” announced Johnathan Heywood, University President. “As a result, our students will enter their internship with greater confidence and certainty in their skills.”

About Yo San University
Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a professional graduate school offering a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Founded in 1989 by Dr. Maoshing Ni and Dr. Daoshing Ni, the University encompasses a deep, rich heritage of sage practitioners. Bringing ancient wisdom to modern medicine, Yo San University celebrates the Ni family legacy of healing traditions and wisdom. This includes techniques of Qi (chi) cultivation for strengthening and refining one's physical, mental and spiritual energies, a practice so necessary for effective healing. The University operates a low-cost community clinic at its campus in Los Angeles, California.

More information on Yo San University is available at http://www.yosan.edu


Johnathan Heywood
President
Yo San University
13315 West Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90066
(310) 577-3000 x11
jheywood@yosan.edu
http://www.yosan.edu