Eight Branches Academy of Eastern Medicine

Eight Branches Academy is a wonderful place to study Chinese Medicine. The Acupuncture and TCMP programs offer a balanced curriculum which includes a strong foundation in theory, as well as practical hands-on classes and self-care. Eight Branches teachers and administrators are knowledgeable, dedicated and caring. They work hard to ensure the highest standard of education and student success. I personally feel that these qualities, along with the school’s positive, supportive learning environment, make Eight Branches Academy an exceptional place to learn and practise the beautiful healing art of Chinese Medicine.

As a graduate of the acupuncture diploma program, I can say that I was very pleased with my two-year experience at this school. Excellent instruction, supportive staff, and an overall warm atmosphere, very conducive to the study of medicine.

I did my homework when shopping for an acupuncture school. I knew I wanted a place where I felt comfortable and supported, in addition to receiving an excellent education. I also was intrigued by the holistic vision of the founder – that we were not just intended to learn TCM but to develop skills that would prove useful as life-long practitioners – like tai chi, qi gong and shiatsu.

What I saw and heard from my first visits to the school remained true throughout my two years at Eight Branches. The teachers are experienced and proficient in TCM and/or Western Medicine (often both!). Clinical experience began early and provided exposure to a myriad of clients from the public and conditions. The administration is extremely responsive, friendly and open to receive input. The environment is conducive to learning, and to being a bit of a second home.

I would highly recommend this school.

I completed the Acupuncture & Moxibustion Diploma program at Eight Branches, in the accelerated 2-year (6 semester) option, and found it to be a very supportive school, with administration always willing to meet with you if you had any concerns or individualized situations to work out. For the most part the classes are very informative and well-structured, and the school is very diligent about gathering student feedback to improve (I've already seen this take place in my two years there.)

As a graduate, I am currently taking advantage of their very generous audit-for-life policy, which allows you to re-take classes you have already taken for no charge as a refresher. This is especially useful for classes that change teachers from year to year, to get a different teacher's perspective. And since Ontario regulation currently takes many months after graduation to complete, this is a great opportunity to stay in touch with TCM studies while waiting to be registered to practice.

I really appreciate that Eight Branches is concerned about keeping tuition affordable, and at the time of my enrollment they were the most affordable TCM school in Toronto. They offer student discounts for many very informative workshops, and they also offer registration exam prep courses, both paid for and complementary.

The mandatory attendance policy for all classes, including lecture classes, is sometimes frustrating if you don't feel connected to the lecture component, however, they are more flexible than other professional colleges when it comes to considering circumstances where you may need to miss classes, and/or open to discussion about making up missed class time.

There are many good things about Eight Branches that you have to experience and feel it ;) I feel comfortable here. That's why after graduation, I still come back once a week so to be in this nurturing environment . The thing I like the best about this school is all the best teachers. Each comes with distinctive strength. I wanted to ask the principal how he manages to collect all these excellent teachers :) Ryan is also extremely supportive to us alumni and I'm grateful for that. Choosing the right school benefits a long way, good luck :)

I completed my TCM Practitioner Diploma at Eightbranches after training in TCM elsewhere for one year.
During my six semesters at Eightbranches I had some fantastic teachers, and I enjoyed being with my fellow students.
The atmosphere at the school is the best for learning, very harmonious with a lot of attention both on curriculum and the person.

Our principal Ryan is always available to talk and support every student. He constantly strives to keep his school at the best level, and to help students in to their learning path.
Our Dean is brilliant, knowledgeable, and very fun to be around: nonetheless his classes are extremely intense and engaging.

The school welcome that students attend part of their clinical hours requirements at other clinics and with external practitioner, and this gives the students the incredible advantage of learning a variety of techniques and approaches that is impossible to learn attending only a school clinic.

At Eightbranches there are also a number of facilities that students are encouraged to use after they graduate to keep up and develop their own practice, and this too is something unique compared to the other schools that I know.

I really enjoyed my experience at Eight Branches and am grateful to the people at this school for all that they are doing; the faculty, staff and students are really committed to teaching and learning this traditional medicine. The program includes many modalities or branches of the medicine including tai qi and qi gong along with other practices which help to keep us well during our studies and as practitioners. I completed the acupuncture program here in 2 years and know that the administrators work hard to ensure that courses are offered in a way that keeps students on track. The clinic here is wonderful too with the opportunity to learn clinical skills from many different teachers. I would have continued studying if I could :) and will continue to take the opportunity to learn more from the many workshops and classes that are hosted at this school.

I transferred to Eight Branches from one of the other main schools and it was the best decision I could have made. Everything at Eight Branches is better. The curriculum, the faculty, the school spirit, administrators, organization, and on and on. It was so nice to have a school that you look forward to going to. The classes and instructors were so engaging. The practical focus really keeps the students engaged and learning throughout the whole program. I really can't say enough about this school. I highly recommend it to everyone. If you are picking a school try to ask acupuncturists around Toronto. They all recommend Eight Branches above all others.