What are the main disadvantages of TCM training?

Naturopaths TCM are able to advise and treat people with health complaints with the help of traditional Chinese medicine. They specialize in Ayurvedic medicine, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine or traditional European naturopathy.

The main disadvantages of TCM training are:

  1. Not all TCM or acupuncture training courses lead to a federal diploma. The TCM professional association, the ASCA, the OdA AM, the SVRT and the AVS can provide guidelines for TCM training courses. Find out exactly what is on offer, the qualification and the associated professional opportunities (e.g. EMR recognition for billing health insurance companies). The Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) as a naturopath in TCM offers a federal qualification.
  2. At the certificate level, the course content and admission requirements are generally not regulated and can be determined autonomously by the schools. However, there are clear regulations and certified training quality for the branch certificate of the OdA Alternative Medicine in TCM Acupuncture/Tuina. The same applies to the preparatory courses for the Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE).
  3. TCM training usually takes place alongside work and generally takes one to two years for a diploma course (up to eight years for a federal diploma). During the long training period, good time management between work, study and leisure is required.
  4. Even after completing TCM training, the learning does not stop: If you want to work as a qualified naturopath, you should ideally complete the Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) in addition to your TCM training. Incidentally, only those who complete the entire training as a preparatory course for the Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE), including the federal examination, can benefit from federal subsidies.

 

Graduates of TCM training generally work independently, sometimes also employed in therapy centers or joint practices. The basic medical knowledge ensures that the various forms of therapy are recognized by health insurance companies and guarantees responsible professional practice. In more and more cantons, licenses to practice TCM are only issued to people who have obtained the federal diploma as a naturopath specializing in TCM.

Provider of TCM training