Opening Up and Closing Down!
How has the pandemic affected our graduates and their own practices? NCA graduate Jane Wood tells us how it’s affected her new business and how her journey led her to studying acupuncture at the NCA.
In 2015 I left the corporate world to become a student at NCA. My colleagues thought I was mad. Acupuncture was a bit of a weird new age sort of thing. A completely unsuitable occupation for a suit wearing, pen wielding senior manager. Not least was the concern about my future. I’d be a rich woman if I had a pound for every time someone shrieked “what about your pension!”
In reality, my life had been changing for some time. A search for length in my hamstrings had led to time at an ashram and training as a yoga teacher.
I began to see things differently and I knew I wanted to do something that felt more meaningful. I spent years looking at different courses. There were so many interesting opportunities. None seemed quite right, until I found the NCA acupuncture course.
Awareness of the impact of emotions on health was a key component for me, as was the low level of side effects. Who wouldn’t want to learn about this almost miraculous healthcare intervention?
I took off my suit and put on my jeans. Three years later I graduated from NCA. I was full of enthusiasm as I took my newfound skills out into the big wide world.
I found a place to rent in a multi-disciplinary centre in my hometown of Harrogate. I also worked one day a week at the clinic of an established acupuncturist, Alex Humphries, in York. Alex gave me bags of support, but I was more than a little nervous. I remember seeing my first patient. There was a moment of horror when I realised that she expected me to do something right there and then. There was no cosy kitchen with an NCA supervisor to retreat to and mull things over with! My confidence has since grown, but I am constantly aware that there is so much more to learn.
I also did some voluntary work after finishing my degree. Working with fellow acupuncturist Judy Blair at St James’s Hospital in Leeds was a joy. I expected the weekly clinic for men with prostate cancer to be a gloomy affair. Nothing could be further from the truth. The men, whilst often in the darkest time of their lives, were chatty and witty. We sometimes had a hard time keeping them under control. So much for the haven of tranquillity we aspired to create!
The support I had from Alex and Judy was an absolute godsend. If I had to give one piece of advice to students it would be this; If other acupuncturists offer support, take it. And keep in touch with your cohort and clinic buddies from college. Friends in the acupuncture world are worth their weight in gold. Anyone entering this field may think, as I did, that you’re on your own once you leave the comfort of NCA. That’s not the case; NCA students weave an ever-growing web of supportive contacts.
My Harrogate practice quickly grew. It became obvious that it was time to rent my own place. It made financial sense and would give me much more flexibility. I found a lovely space in the town centre and took on the lease in March 2019. I opened the doors on the 1st April, hoping that the date wasn’t a bad omen!
I loved having my own space, decorating it and kitting it out just as I wanted. After years in a big organisation, I enjoyed the freedom of being my own boss. My customer base continued to grow. Every day was interesting and challenging, and the future looked rosy.
And then Coronavirus struck. Almost a year to the day after signing the lease for my new clinic I closed the doors.
Closing the clinic was sad, yet I’ve enjoyed the time to relax and reflect.
I’ve discovered the world of online training and taken a chunky fertility course. At college I’d vowed that I never wanted to work with fertility cases. I didn’t think I could cope with the heightened emotions involved. I have mixed feelings about IVF treatments because of the mental and physical toll it takes on women. Yet I found myself strangely drawn to it in practise. Fertility patients tend to be 100% committed. They give priority to their treatments and generally do whatever you ask them to do. And nothing beats the thrill of a patient announcing a pregnancy.
Lockdown has also presented other opportunities. I never considered myself academic, but the enthusiasm of Lara led me to love research. Even so, I was taken aback when NCA offered to help me move my third-year research to publication. It went on the back burner while the business was in its infancy. Now lockdown has freed up time to get back on the job with support from the NCA.
The research element of the course has been important to me in practice. It gave me confidence talking to patients. Knowing that there is a solid evidence base for acupuncture is extremely useful. But so is knowing the limits of research and evidence-based medicine. Far too often, western medicine is seen as ‘proper’ medicine. Meanwhile, anything else is placebo. Having an insight into the world of research, good and bad, has been invaluable. I wish I’d known what I know now when I told my old colleagues my plans.
Hopefully, I’ll soon be back to work. Admittedly, I am nervous. After such a long absence it feels a bit like I’m starting over, only this time I already have my own clinic and patients.
The future is unknown. People may be more conscious of looking after their health. On the other side of the coin, there are predictions of a massive recession. Either way, I know that acupuncture offers very real benefits to health. I have faith that the clinic will flourish once more. I also have a new acupuncturist joining me on graduation from NCA. It will be great to have some company and give back some of the support I had.