The idea of an educational structure came to life in the consulting practice of two doctors (one of which was an homeopath), a naturopath and the actual college director, David Bentata, an acupuncturist and acknowledged member of the Collège des médecins du Québec in 1988 (then known as the Corporation professionnelle des médecins du Québec). At the time, the consulting practice was host to trainees from other schools. Demand was great, in a context of developing different but complementary approaches.
The Government of Quebec and the Office des professions du Québec had passed a bill (#25) making acupuncture fall under the control of the Corporation professionnelle des médecins du Québec. This happened in the 1980s, after which the acupuncturists of the time underwent exams. In that same period, Dolisos and Boiron installed laboratories in Montreal. It lead to the unprecedented development of homeopathic medicine, practiced by practitioners not medical doctors. These practitioners followed courses in diverse schools and laboratories in Quebec with passion. The founder and director of the College was a pioneer in promoting acupuncture as early as 1979 and homeopathy as early as 1984.
In the 1980s, naturopathy existed, but much more inconspicuously; the laboratories Robert et Fils were the first to provide quality natural products. However, it wasn’t until the end of the 1990s that a real interest for this type of practice manifested.
At its beginning, in 1988, the College offered a multipurpose training in its consulting rooms, one weekend a month for three years. The teachers kept in mind their desire to pass on quality scientific knowledge enabling a true communication and collaboration with medical doctors. This was a legitimate pursuit since three of the four teachers were involved or members of the Collège des médecins du Québec.
Distance Education
The idea of distance education came when teachers recognized the problems in maintaining a quality program while only meeting students one weekend a month. With such limited meeting time, weather, illness, and vacations could easily disrupt a student’s progress. Distance learning would solve these issues. Textbooks and written materials were added to all courses. This complimented the practical workshops at the College. These textbooks also provide a reference library for students and teachers alike.
Quickly, distance learning proved to offer numerous advantages. Students could manage their time independently, taking advantage of free time, and without worries of travel. Workshops completed the training.
Once distance learning was shown to be successful, the College could accept students from any French speaking country. The College grew successfully for many years, including opening branch in Switzerland.
In 1994, the College adapted the curriculum to international teaching standards. Each course underwent restructuring, based on a 45 or 90 hour model. We also added course in anatomy-physiology, that became a prerequisite for training.
Becoming an Online College
In 1997, the College launched its first website, and online courses. These advances improved the educational experience of our students. Communications with tutors was quicker, more spontaneous and more fluid. In 2000-2001, courses were translated to English, attracting a great number of Anglophone students from all five continents.
Today, the College has as both French and English speaking students, supervised by a team that is always available to them.
