North American Institute of Medical Herbalism, Inc
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ON-SITE PROGRAMS Frequently Asked Questions School visit If you are considering attending the school, you may also arrange a visit, attend a class as a guest, and meet our director Paul Bergner. Frequently Asked Questions
What are the differences between your on-site programs and your Distance Learning programs? Our sequence of on-site programs provides hands-on training in medical herbalism and clinical nutrition. This culminates with the student working in our public clinic, and leads to an educational certification in Clinical Herbalism or Clinical Nutrition. Our Distance Learning courses are stand-alone classes that do not lead to specific certification. Each of these does earn a Continuing Education certificate reflecting the number of credit hours for the course. Do you have a certification course by Distance Learning. Not at this time. We only offer stand-alone classes by distance learning. These are all approved for Continuing Education credits but not for a broader certification. We may develop a certificate course in the future, but it will not be identical to the on-site program, as clinical skills cannot be taught by distance learning. How does your school differ from others in the field? We are primarily a school of clinical herbalism and clinical nutrition. Some other schools focus more on the aspects of herbal medicine making, botany and plant identification, and gardening or farming. We teach some of this, but the focus of our education is on developing clinical skills in the graduates. If you are more interested in these other aspects, we'd be happy to make a referral to one of these other schools. Of the schools offering clinical training, our training sequence is the shortest and the least expensive. We can do this because of our exclusive focus on clinical training, and because we keep our classes small, around twenty students. We are unique among schools of medical herbalism in our emphasis on nutrition, and integrating herbalism with nutrition at every level of the program, including in the clinic. Our nutrition training is someone greater than what you might obtain in a undergraduate degree program in nutrition, because we offer actual clinical experience, but it is less than would be obtained in a Master's Degree in nutrition. We are also unique in our adherence to the healing tradition of Vitalism. You can see a description of this on the home page of our website at http://naimh.com. What are the differences between your four on-site programs? The Fundamentals Program, which runs from late August through Thanksgiving is preparatory program to introduce you to the tools and concepts of herbalism, nutrition, physiology and pathology that you will need for the Advanced Program. This is a rigorous program and the chief method of learning is memorization of the new names, terms, and concepts. You will learn the common and Latin names and properties, uses, and potential side effects of more than 100 herbs. The Advanced Program, which runs for the months of January through June, is applied learning. In this program you learn how to apply the tools and concepts learned in the Fundamentals Program in the areas of acute and chronic conditions. You will learn how to combine herbs into formulas and apply them in individualized treatments specific to the presentation of a client, in the context of an overall plan for nutrition and lifestyle. You will also study the safety aspects of medical herbalism in greater detail. Finally, you learn interview skills and how to take a case and sort out the information into significant patterns. The chief method of learning is project based and readings. In the Clinical Program, which runs from September through May, the student works in our public clinic. Each week, the clinicians collectively review the cases from the previous week, and study them in detail. The chief method of learning is case-based. The Nutrition Program consists of 96 classroom hours of advanced topics in nutrition taken on Saturdays during the Clinical program. Do I have to take all four programs? No. Enrollment in the programs is entirely separate. If we receive more applications than we have spaces for, we favor those students who also want to do all the programs. What if I only take one or two of the Programs? Each program earns a certificate reflecting the number of hours studied. Because the Fundamentals program is preparatory in nature, it does not confer clinical skills. It does prepare the student for work in the retail herb or health food industries. The Advanced program does train the student with significant clinical skills, and graduates of this program regularly go out at set up clinical practices or work in other areas in the industry. See the question on employment opportunities below. The Clinical program adds a deeper knowledge of healing in a clinical setting, gives experience with coaching by clinical mentors, and develops clinical confidence in the practitioner. The Nutrition program gives extra skills in nutrition, and may also open up expanded employment opportunities. How much time is spent in class each week? How much homework? In the Fundamentals program, classes are held on Monday through Wednesday from 10Am to 5PM, with an hour break for lunch. The student should plan on 12-18 hours of homework and projects per week. This is a rigorous program, and has three one-week breaks during the three months of the program for student to catch up if they are falling behind. There is a break from Thanksgiving until after the New Year before the Advanced Program starts. In the Advanced program, classes are also held on Monday through Wednesday from 10AM to 5PM, with an hour break for lunch. The student should plan on 6-12 hours of readings and projects per week. There are three one-week breaks during the first 5 months of the program. There is a break for the months of July and August before starting the Clinical Program. In the Clinical Program, the student takes a 4-hour shift once a week in our clinic. Evening and weekend shifts are available. There is one 3-hour evening class per week, on Thursdays. The clinician should plan on 6-12 hours a work on cases and projects per week most weeks. For the Certificate in Clinical Nutrition, the student completes the above programs, and, during the Clinical Program, takes advanced nutrition classes two Saturdays a month, from September through May. The student should plan on an additional 12 hours of homework per month. Can you have a full or part job while going to school? Most of our students also have part-time jobs. You can see from the classroom and and homework descriptions above that this is more difficult during the three months of the Fundamentals Program, but is easier after that. The Clinical Program and Nutrition Certificate program are designed so the clinician may also maintain full time employment while taking it if necessary. What are the tuition costs of the program? The Fundamentals Program tuition is $1695. The Advanced program tuition is $4400. The Clinical program tuition is $2800. To take the additional advanced nutrition classes for the Clinical Nutrition certificate is an additional $1600. How is the tuition paid? Our basic tuition plan requires a $300 tuition deposit to hold a place in the program. Then the balance of the tuition is prorated over the months of the program. For example, in the Fundamentals program, $300 is due on enrollment, and then payments of $697.50 are due in September and October. We also offer an extended payment plan. Again, a $300 deposit holds the place for the student, but the tuition balance is then extended into 4 equal monthly payments for the Fundamentals program, or 12 equal payments for the Advanced program. This comes to payments of $348.75 each for the months of September through December for the Fundamentals program, or 12 payments of $341.67 for the Advanced program. Is your school eligible for student loans? Not through any of the government programs. Some private banks will make loans, but usually require excellent credit or a co-signer. We make limited student loans available to student who may need them. See the payment plans described above. More extended loans may also be available for established students in the later program in the sequence. Do you offer scholarships or work-study? When our classes are full or nearly so, we offer partial scholarships to several students per year based on need. We sometimes have a part-time work-study opportunity for several students. We identify students with such needs during the interview and enrollment process. What employment opportunities can I expect in the field of medical herbalism or clinical nutrition? We cannot guarantee any kind of job placement after graduation. The field of medical herbalism, and even more so clinical nutrition, are expanding in our society at this time. Most professional herbalists in North America today divide their time in various ways between seeing clients in an office or retail setting, teaching classes and/or writing, and making medicines, formulating, or working for an herbal company. We offer dual certification is Medical Herbalism and Clinical Nutrition, because we've seen that the nutrition certification can open many more employment opportunities, even if the practitioner uses herbs in the nutrition practice. The following is a description of career opportunities in herbalism from the web site of the American Herbalist Guild (http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com) "Careers in herbalism include working within the herb industry as an herb buyer, formulator, researcher, consultant, retailer, grower, medicine maker, writer/journalist, or educator. Some herbalists have found positions working in practices with physicians or other practitioners. While there are some opportunities for working in an integrative setting, the practice of herbal "medicine" is not legally recognized in most states. In the current climate even licensed health professionals are at risk if they practice or supervise a practitioner of herbal medicine. Based on a review of salaries published by the AHG, herbalists' incomes range from $20k-$120k. Most practicing herbalists supplement their incomes with a variety of professional activities including teaching, writing, and consulting." It is our experience that students with a strong sense of calling and mission to become healers succeed in developing their careers as herbalists and nutritionists. Are you accredited? We are not accredited as an academic school, but are approved and regulated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational Schools Board. This means that our curriculum has been reviewed by professionals in the field, that we maintain financial stability and responsibility, that we are practicing legally, and that our student have the legal protection of the state laws governing occupational schools. What is it like living in Boulder, CO? The town is beautiful, with ready access to the mountains. At least a dozen botanical zones are compressed within a 2-hour drive of Boulder, making the Colorado Front Range one of the most plant-diverse areas of the continent. The climate is mild, with few extremes of weather in summer or winter. The town is small, with a well-developed network of bike paths. Boulder has a very health conscious population, many alternative practitioners, and more than a dozen schools of various forms of alternative medicine. The cost of living is high, with a typical one-bedroom apartment averaging more than $500 a month. A shared room in a house averages $300-$400 a month. Housing is less expensive in outlying areas with a commute of 20-40 minutes.
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