FEATURED ALUMNI
Doctor of Acupuncture Completion ( DAc-C ) Program Graduate Shares
HOW SHE BALANCED COURSEWORK WHILE OPERATING A PRACTICE
acupuncture alumni are eligible to complete the program in 23 credit hours .
The program , offered completely online in an asynchronous format , is specially set up to be completed while students are in practice and earning an income . Over the course of a week , students are able to watch lectures and complete assignments at any time as long as it ’ s all completed by Sunday .
Breanne Driscoll , LAc , LMT , DAc
Despite having a busy practice and family , Breanne Driscoll , LAc , LMT , DAc , didn ’ t hesitate to begin the National University of Health Sciences ’ ( NUHS ’) Doctor of Acupuncture Completion program in fall 2022 .
“ I ’ ve been wanting to get the degree for a long time ,” Dr . Driscoll said . “ It allows me to expand my knowledge into different areas . If I decide to work at a clinic with physicians , they ’ re more likely to take me more seriously .”
Dr . Driscoll , who graduated with her Doctor of Acupuncture in April 2024 , currently provides acupuncture and massage therapy at her practice Concentrated Motion in Wheaton , Ill . She treats all ages for pain-related conditions , stress , anxiety , insomnia and gut issues .
While going to school and operating a practice full-time had its challenges , the courses covered relevant topics that directly relate to what she does on a dayto-day basis . This includes learning how to approach various case studies along with business courses that detail what ’ s needed to get a loan , how to do billing and how to determine what the next three years in business might look like .
Because Dr . Driscoll had already completed her Master of Science in Acupuncture at National University of Health Sciences in 2014 , she was able to take advantage of four credits of advanced standing toward the one year Doctor of Acupuncture Completion program ( DAc-C ). NUHS started offering this three trimester , 27 credit hour program in May 2023 . NUHS
For Driscoll , the asynchronous format helped make the program very manageable . It allowed her to easily split up her time between her daughter , work and studying .
“ I got to it when I got to it , sometimes that meant watching lectures during my lunch and completing assignments at night ,” she said . “ Even though in the moment , it felt stressful , I was able to take it one day at a time .”
In addition to the flexibility , Driscoll said the faculty were helpful and more than willing to provide extra assistance if needed . Although the classes are online since Driscoll lives in the area , she had the option of meeting with faculty oneon-one in-person or via Zoom .
“ Even though the program is online , we ’ re all working together . The teachers were amazing at helping us ,” she said .
8 ALUMNEWS / SUMMER 2024