Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine

Program

The Dragon Rises 3230 hour, 40 month Master's Degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Graduates are qualified to apply for licensure to practice Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Florida and many other states. Our program meets or exceeds all national and Florida educational requirements. It fully prepares students for National Boards and Florida state licensure examinations as well as the licensure examinations of most other states.

We teach Contemporary Oriental Medicine because it works…

Our graduates are trained, caring physicians who through the use of Contemporary Oriental Medicine are able to help people achieve both genuine healing and their highest sustainable level of long-term health. This medicine is the natural evolution of the centuries-old system of diagnostic, therapeutic, and philosophical information called Chinese medicine, revised and updated by taking into account the health impact on modern individuals of the increased pace of life, changing societal roles, and ever increasing environmental toxicity. It also incorporates the relevant aspects of Western biomedicine. Contemporary Oriental Medicine is based upon the understanding that genuine healing is a unified activity encompassing the physical, mental, and spiritual. Such healing, and the subsequent maintenance of good health, is achieved through a health management program exclusive to each individual.

The distinctive curriculum of the college is based upon the fact that the defining skill of the physician is the ability to diagnose accurately. Contemporary Oriental Medicine modernizes the principal diagnostic methods found in Chinese medicine, and enables the physician to diagnose with accuracy and confidence. The execution and interpretation of the traditional practices are updated with new or revised principles and insights based on the well known, decades-long work of John Shen, O.M.D. and Leon Hammer, M.D. A Dragon Rises education includes all the major Chinese diagnostic methods with emphasis on a sophisticated Contemporary Oriental Medicine pulse system that provides a clear standard of health and the ability to perceive the slightest deviation from that standard. This ability provides not only the basis for effective treatment but also allows for the application of preventive medicine at the earliest stages of disease. The prominence our program gives to students learning to diagnose successfully is uncommon among schools teaching Oriental medicine.

We believe the role of the physician is to help people manage their overall health recognizing that treatment is only one part of an individual's health management regime. Fundamental to all that we teach is the understanding of the therapeutic relationship and how an individual is shaped by life style from the womb to the present.

The Contemporary Oriental Medicine that our program is based upon integrates the best from the many traditions of oriental medicine, including TCM and Five Element, as well as the applicable parts of Western medicine. Our unique concentration on diagnosis, therefore, is but the foundation for our teaching of a broad but unified and integrated, practical approach to healing and health maintenance.

Faculty

The college faculty represent a wide range of experience in both Oriental and Western medicine. The senior member of the faculty is Leon Hammer, M.D. who began the practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine 33 years ago. He is an internationally renowned diagnostician and teacher, and is the author of many articles in the field of acupuncture and oriental medicine as well as two classic books, Chinese Pulse Diagnosis, A Contemporary Approach and Dragon Rises Red Bird Flies, Psychology and Chinese Medicine.

Location

Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine is located in Gainesville, Florida, a city of 250,000 that is a major health education center and home to the University of Florida as well as Florida's largest community college. The area is basically rural and it is graced with sunshine, lakes, rivers, crystal-clear springs, warm weather, and clean air. Gainesville is, however, less than 2 hours from Orlando, and 11/2 hours from both Jacksonville and either the Atlantic or Gulf beaches. The area cost of living is reasonable and there is readily available, low cost housing. There are both educational and employment opportunities for significant others. The town has all the attractions and facilities one would expect in a major university center including several local theaters, a beautiful Performing Arts Center, and the Harn Museum of Art. People magazine has named Gainesville as one of the country's best places to live.

Financial Aid

Students are eligible for a variety of deferred educational loans through Key Bank. Consolidation loans allowing students to defer payments of previous loans are available. Our program is approved for V.A.Vocational Rehabilitation and Florida Department of Education Rehabilitation benefits.

Make a Difference

If you want an exceptional education so that you can make a real difference…. and a real living, please Request Information.