By Meghan (Fremon) Miller, clinical intern at Emperor’s College Acupuncture Clinic
The thing I love most about being an acupuncture student at Emperor’s College is that I am living my passion. I truly believe in the effectiveness of what I’m studying and am excited about what the future holds for me as a practicing acupuncturist.
Meghan (Fremon) Miller
My classes are full of useful, practical information about wellness and self-care, and I am inspired to share these pearls of knowledge with my community. If you find yourself in a similar situation (which I am sure you will!), I say, “Ride that wave, young grasshopper!”
My favorite way for channeling my excitement is by volunteering in the community. It’s a great way to share my new knowledge; it enriches my learning experience, opens my heart, and helps me begin to build professional contacts for my future career.
Here are a few tips for branching into public education and outreach and expanding your community-networking horizons:
- Start with the basics. Just like new students, many community members need to be introduced to the foundations of TCM before they are willing to incorporate them in to their lifestyle. If a particular area of TCM interests you (nutrition, 5 elements, Qi Gong), put together a 30 min. presentation touching on fundamental concepts, and present it at a nearby community, youth or senior center. Keep your audience in mind and prepare an “age appropriate” presentation. Creating your presentation will be a learning experience in itself, and you get to take advantage of this opportunity to talk about what you love with your community. It’s a win, win!
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Meghan treating community members in the Masai Mara, Africa, as part of OWHP's pilot International outreach program.
Be consistent. One of the most difficult things about being a TCM student is time management. It is very easy to over-commit yourself, and then get slammed with tests, quizzes, flashcards, and reading. When committing to a volunteer opportunity, be mindful of your demanding schedule, and only bite off what you can chew. Commit your time on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis and then follow through.
- Partner with existing organizations. As a student, sometimes it’s hard to re-create the wheel every time you’d like to volunteer. Get in contact with organizations that have established programs, and see how you can help. One World Health Project is an organization founded in 2009 by Emperor’s College students and graduates and myself. We have a local education program that visits the Boys & Girls Club in downtown Los Angeles and a local elementary school for annual presentations of “3 Pillars of Health: Movement, Meditation, and Nutrition”. For clinical interns, there are also volunteer opportunities abroad, currently in Kenya and September 2012 in Sri Lanka. Check out our website to learn more about how you can get involved.
- Keep a record of your contacts. This doesn’t only apply to contacts you make while volunteering, but contacts you encounter in your day-to-day life.
For OWHP, Meghan travelled to Kenya where she trained local health care providers on auricular acupuncture techniques.
Beginning to build a list of people that you have crossed paths with can be a very powerful tool for career building. You may wish to keep a contact list using your own familiar organizational tools, or expand your horizons and take advantage of services like Mail Chimp, an online newsletter generator and great place to store contacts. You may want to touch base with these contacts in the future or recruit them as patients when you begin your clinical internships.
- Be mindful, have fun. Enjoy your volunteering experience! It can be a wonderfully rewarding experience and provide a reminder of how impactful Oriental medicine can be in enhancing lives by promoting wellness.
Best wishes on your journey!
Meghan (Fremon) Miller is a clinical intern at Emperor’s College Acupuncture Clinic and co-founder of One World Health Project.