ONTARIO COLLEGE OF HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE

BLENDED INTENSIVE DIPLOMA PROGRAM

This program is the newest iteration of our well-known, respected, high quality 3 year Professional Diploma Program. It was designed to reflect the desire of many of our most driven students to accelerate their training without sacrificing any of the breadth and depth of the content that OCHM is known for, all with the intention of getting well-trained homeopaths out into the community and practicing confidently and competently in perhaps a shorter period of time. As with everything we do at OCHM, we are happy to tailor this program to our student’s needs allowing you to get through the program at a faster or slower pace, depending on your individual requirements. While some students (especially those with prior healthcare training) may get through the program more quickly, the focus is on the quality of the teaching/learning, not the pace with which you get through the program.

The structure of the program includes:

A robust Pre-Requisite Program that must be completed before a student begins the in-class training (takes between 3-6 months)
An in-depth extensive in-class Classical Homeopathic and Health and Medical Science training
A supplemental independent, learning component with individual, one-on-one support
A scaffolded fully supervised clinical internship.

We recommend that you start your clinical internship at the same time as you start the in-class program so you can observe how the theoretical knowledge you are acquiring can be applied practically.

The speed with which students get through this program is highly individualized, depending on available time for study, other commitments, and prior experience. Students with a number of course exemptions (due to prior courses of study or experience) will find that they can complete this program more quickly than those taking the full course load. We expect that most students will complete the course within three years, unless otherwise agreed upon at the start of study.

PREREQUISITE PROGRAM:

HOM101 – Homeopathy & Therapeutics: Foundations of Homeopathy, Anatomy and Physiology and Clinic 1

Our prerequisite program is a robust introduction to the basic concepts of homeopathy. This program is similar to the full theoretical component of other homeopathic schools, but at OCHM, we believe that this prerequisite program represents the basic information and knowledge needed to start our intensive program.

The prerequisite program is a distant learning, independent study course of study consisting of 15 video lectures approximately one hour long, with an assignment to follow. You will be sent the modules one at a time, with comprehensive tutorial support along the way as needed. The content of the classes includes:

History of Homeopathy, Scientific Basis, Current Theories, Comparison of Paradigms
Fundamentals & Principles of Homeopathy
Symptomatology, Posology, Remedy Preparation
An Introduction to Provings & the development of the Materia Medica
Homeopathic Theory of Disease, and the Action of Medicines
Organon of the Medical Art
Repertories, their Structure and Organization and an introduction to Repertorization
The Art of Case Taking
Hahnemann’s Theory of Miasms
Acute versus Chronic Disease in Homeopathy
First Aid (part 1)
Colds & Flu Treatment
Materia Medica: 12 Widely Used (“polycrest”) Remedies (3 modules)

In addition to the lectures, the prerequisite program includes 4 units on Anatomy and Physiology as well as the first part of your clinical training: 5 video and/or paper cases with a guide for starting the process of learning about case analysis. Of course, at this point in your training the requirements for analysis are basic, but a good introduction to the art of homeopathic case-taking and analysis.

A grade of 60% on the prerequisite program assignments is required for students to move on to the in-class portion of the Intensive Diploma Program.

IN-CLASS HOMEOPATHIC AND MEDICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION:

Our in-class homeopathic and Medical Science education takes place on 2-3 weekends per month. As the modules of the in-class curriculum can be taken in any order, students are allowed to join the in-class curriculum at three different point in the year: September, January and April.

Module: KENT, HOM201 – Homeopathy & Therapeutics: Advanced Foundations of Homeopathy & Health and Medical Science 1

The lectures, case studies, tests and assignments in this module are designed to assist students in applying the fundamental concepts of classical homeopathy. The goal for the student is to achieve a high level of competency, particularly in case taking and philosophy, enabling their application of the knowledge acquired towards the understanding of the homeopathic process. This course builds on the prerequisite program and includes considerable focus on learning a broad range of homeopathic medicines with a focus on Remedy Families, a more intensive look at using the Homeopathic Repertory, Live Case-Taking and Advanced Case Analysis, Pediatrics, Women’s Conditions, an Introduction to the Remedies of the Periodic Table, a deeper dive into understanding Miasms, are some of the topics covered in the classes in this module.
The Medical Sciences included in this module are: Pathology, Laboratory Analysis, Regulation, Biochemistry and Nutrition 1.

Module: HERRING, HOM301 Homeopathy & Therapeutics: Advances in Homeopathy & Health and Medical Science 2

In this module, knowledge of Materia Medica will be furthered by the teaching of remedies through additional Family Groupings, a study of Nosode Remedies Bowel Nosodes, as well as LM Dosing and Posology. Homeopathic Pathology will focus on Headaches, Sleep Disturbances, Immunology, and Cancer. As in all modules, students will further their case taking skills and comfort with analysis and the use of the Repertory. As students’ skill with case-taking matures, they will develop methods of case taking that will lead to a clearer perception of the patient’s state and an understanding of the nexus of disease in the case.
The Medical Sciences included in this module include: Psychology and Physical Examination.

Module: CFSH, HOM401 – Homeopathy & Therapeutics and Advanced Analysis: Explorations in Homeopathy & Health and Medical Science 3

This module continues the exploration of homeopathic medicines, the use of the Repertory and skills in Advanced Case Taking and Analysis explored in the other modules. The Second Prescription, Palliation, and Long-term Case Management are studied in this module, along with other Remedy Families and New Remedies. Homeopathic pathology in this module includes Dermatology and Skin Disorders, Arthritis, and Men’s Conditions. In this module we explore bringing current homeopathic issues, psychotherapeutic applications, and up to date research regarding the physical evidence of potentization into class. We will also explore the relationships between homeopathic remedies – a concept that will have been introduced in other modules as well.
The Medical Sciences in this module include: Pharmacology and Differential Diagnosis. There is also a course on Practice Management with the goal of providing our students with the best possible preparation for getting themselves started in their own practice.

CLINICAL INTERNSHIP:

All OCHM students in the Intensive Diploma Program are required to complete a robust clinical internship program of 300+ hours. There are 4 segments to this program, each one demanding a greater depth of analysis than the previous.

Clinic 1 is encompassed in the prerequisite program and includes 5 video and paper cases. Students are eligible to start clinic 2, 3 and 4 as soon as they have completed their prerequisite program.44

Clinic 2: Observation –minimal requirement is 10 new patient cases and 10 follow-ups, 5 of which are for cases seen as new patients. Credit hours are awarded once the case write up has been submitted. Case write-ups are due before the discussion of the case. Observation students are not expected to contribute to the case-taking, but may, in some instances, be asked if they have a question they would like to ask of the patient.

Clinic 3: Secondary Case-Taker — minimal requirement is 10 new patient cases and 10 follow-ups, 5 of which are for cases seen as new patients. Credit hours are awarded once the case write up has been submitted. Case write-ups are due before the discussion of the case. Secondary Case-Takers are expected to contribute to the discussion of the patient case in a more fulsome manner. They are expected to check that all administrative work is completed on the case, and may be asked to ask follow-up questions of the patient. Secondary case-takers make be asked to take a case over if the Primary case-taker has graduated or is unavailable for clinic.

Clinic 4: Primary Case-Taker — minimal requirement is 20 new patient cases and 40 follow-ups, 3 follow ups for 10 of which are for cases seen as new patients. Credit hours are awarded once the case write up has been submitted. Case write-ups are due before the discussion of the case. Primary case takers are fully responsible for the taking of the patient’s case, although there is always an experienced supervisor present who may guide the newer case taker, or step in if a complicated or challenging situation arises. Primary case-takers act as professional homeopaths in their management of the case, although they are not allowed to have unsupervised access to patients until they are fully registered with the College of Homeopaths of Ontario.

Many of our Primary Case-Takers chose to do many more than the minimum amount of cases listed here. As long as we are able to accommodate, students are welcome to continue taking cases under the guidance of our clinical supervisors until they feel ready to break out on their own.

Primary case-takers often develop close ties with their patients and are welcome to invite their patients to follow them once they leave the student clinic to set up their own practice. This can be a nice start to establishing a dedicated patient base.

Upon successful completion of our Diploma Program, you will be granted a Diploma in Homeopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (DHMHS).