Every now and then, an acupuncture superstar arises!
As an acupuncture student at the NCA you never know where your acupuncture journey is going to take you – and this is why we are delighted to share this inspiring story with you – Robin’s journey.
As our graduate Robin Sunley will testify, if anyone had told him at the point where he started his training at the NCA that he was going to become an acupuncture superstar, he would not have believed it.
Robin came to acupuncture through his passion for martial arts, and before he started his acupuncture training at the NCA he had very little in the way of formal qualifications. Despite this Robin, thrived on the course and always talks about the support he received from our former Research Module Leader (then Course Director) Lara who helped him to get to grips with the academic writing for his assessments and the benefits of research.
Even when Robin completed his training and started working as a successful self-employed acupuncture practitioner – he had no idea where he was headed!
Even when Robin applied and was appointed for a job at the Trinity Holistic Centre at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough as an employed acupuncture practitioner treating cancer patients – he had no idea where he was headed!
Even when Robin, a well-established practitioner working at the centre within a team of holistic therapists – he had no idea where he was headed!
Even when Robin got a call one day from one of the hospitals cardiothoracic surgeons inviting him to a conference in Paris where one of the presentations was about acupuncture helping post-operative pain in cardiothoracic surgery – he had no idea where he was headed!
Fast forward several years and Robin is now working within the cardiothoracic department at James Cook with top surgeon Joel Dunning. His work has grown and developed to treating patients preoperatively to calm their anxiety and postoperatively to reduce their pain (which can be considerable depending on the level of rib incision). Even then – when Robin started his pioneering acupuncture working with pioneering surgeon Joel – he still had no idea where he was headed!
In this video cardiothoracic surgeon Joel Dunning talks about Robins work within his department:
However, in these days of evidence-based medicine and the NICE guidelines (the National Institute for Clinical Excellence – which asks for evidence of effectiveness of treatments) it is not good enough to be a pioneering acupuncturist doing incredible work within the NHS – you need to produce concrete evidence.
This is where Robin has been headed through the years – from martial arts enthusiast to becoming an acupuncture researcher conducting trials into the evidence for acupuncture in cardiothoracic surgery.
And that’s where Robin rises from great acupuncturist to acupuncture superstar!
In this video Robin talks to our (former) Acupuncture Course Director Amanda during the NCA’s Acupuncture students’ recent trip to James Cook:
Acupuncture POV day at James Cook
In February Robin organised a full NCA acupuncture students POV (practitioner observation visit) day including talks from Joel, meeting the lead cancer surgeon at the hospital, seeing patients being treated and all of us having an inspirational and fun day!
Update from Robin April 2023:
“Since the POV day, I presented trial results at the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons Conference in Birmingham. This covered reduction in anxiety in patients awaiting heart surgery. The second part of this trial is continuing and another two departments within the hospital have asked for Acupuncture to be implemented in their area, one specifically following the presentation of the research.”
And finally!
If you are reading this blog because you are considering becoming an acupuncture practitioner training at the NCA gives you all the tools you need to become a “Robin” – an acupuncture superstar!
Start your journey today – book on one of our introductory events to meet us and find out more:
https://nca.ac.uk/introductory-events/acupuncture-introductory-events