September is always a special time at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM). We welcome our brand new first-year students from all over Canada and the U.S. and celebrate the beginning of the school year with a Welcome Back BBQ. Second- and third-year students get deeper into the study and application of naturopathic medicine, while fourth-year students intern at our one of our teaching clinics and work one-on-one with patients and their health care needs.
Journey to China
We offer many externship opportunities at CCNM. In early September, a group of third- and fourth-year students, led by CCNM Clinic Supervisor Amanda Zheng, ND, had the opportunity to intern at the Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, in China. For one month, students shadowed clinical and teaching activities and learned about the way the hospitals treat patients using a blend of traditional Chinese medicine and conventional approaches. And to cap off the trip, the students delivered a presentation on CCNM and naturopathic medicine to the hosting doctors and residents. See the gallery from their visit.
Student-led research
One of the reasons why CCNM is renowned for research is because students and faculty often collaborate on a wide range of studies, helping to further the profession and naturopathic medicine. To support and promote student-led research at CCNM, we established the Student Innovation Fund. The winners of this year’s fund are third-year students Bisleen and Christilynn, who won a grant to investigate naturopathic care for fibromyalgia at CCNM’s on-campus teaching clinic, the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic.
Opportunities for new grads
We had four new clinical residents start with us in August, and all were graduates from the CCNM Class of 2019. They are focused on clinical training and supervising interns at CCNM’s teaching clinics, the Integrative Cancer Centre, or community healthcare clinics.
In the most recent issue of CCNM’s alumni magazine, we featured our new resident, Greg Nasmith, ND, who shares how he prepared himself for residency. In the same issue, Class of 2018 graduate Max Crispo, ND, covered his whirlwind year since graduating, which involved writing licensing exams and a move from Toronto to Hawaii to start a residency position in integrative cancer care.
