SA: Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program

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Use the links below to jump to the details of the program.

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Dates

Overview

Skills and Outcomes

Highlights

Qualified candidates

Pre-requisites and co-requisites

Course descriptions

Clinical externship

Schedules

Costs and payment plan

Books

Dates

Application deadline: August 15, 2020

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Program starts: August 31, 2020

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Program ends: June 26, 2021

Overview

The Svastha Āchārya Certificate Program (Āyurvedic Practitioner) is an accelerated professional program for students who want to practice clinical Āyurveda for personalized healthcare through consultations.

In this program students will:

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•  Learn deep, extensive core principles of Āyurveda and their application methods for multi-cultural environments. 

• Understand assessment methods that identify risk factors, individual constitution, deviation, external and internal factors that impact holistic health.

• Perform root cause analysis for individuals, confirm with scientific testing methods and correct deviations from individual health using diet, lifestyle, targeted herbal protocols and therapeutic treatments.

• Study from major classical Āyurvedic medical compendia and correlate knowledge with current scientific developments.

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Skills and Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, graduates are able to identify appropriate clients for their level, assess and quantify health in 15 primary areas, identify potential causative factors, create a custom health improvement plan and follow-up with clients to maximize positive results.

Graduates may find employment as independent counselors, coaches or practitioners, in health and wellness centers, integrative health centers, spas, yoga studios or health and fitness studios.

Highlights

Instructor: Jessica Vellela, BAMS

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Program length

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• 510 hours total

• 255 hours live, online class

• 255 hours clinical externship in-person (optional) and online

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Pre-requirements

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• Age 18 years or older on admission

• Valid, government-issued photo ID

• Valid email address

• Completion of Āyurvedic Health Coach (AHC) Certificate Program, or equivalent (min 250  hrs.)

• College-level Human Anatomy and Physiology I (3.0 credits)

• College-level Human Anatomy and Physiology II (3.0 credits)

• Candidates who have completed AYU-100 or its equivalent in a previous program will receive credit for this course. All other students must complete AYU-100 as a self-study course including its final exam by the end of fall semester.

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Classes

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• All academic lecture classes are online.

• Clinical orientation is a mandatory, one week, on-site training 

• Fall and spring semesters include 9 hours of live class time per week

• Clinical semester includes 4 hours of live clinical discuss per week (May 3 to June 25, 2021)

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Costs and payment plan

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• One-time registration fee, $100

• Total tuition, including clinical externship, $8,300

• Textbooks, $1026

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Additional requirements

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• Personal computer and internet connection

• Travel, stay and incidental expenses for one-week, onsite Clinical Orientation

Qualified candidates

All candidates for the Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program must meet the General Admission Criteria. Additionally, US or International candidates must meet their specific criteria.

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General Admission Criteria

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1. Age: at least 18 years of age on the first day of class

2. Identification: valid copy of government-issued photo ID

3. Email: valid email address and consent to receive all correspondence electronically

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Criteria for US candidates only

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1. Education: submit proof of completion of secondary education (high school diploma, GED certificate or the home-schooling equivalent) or higher

2. Interview: complete an online live interview with an Admissions Counselor

3. Pre-requisites: complete the Āyurvedic Health Coach (AHC) Certificate Program, or equivalent. Complete college-level A&P I and II, with lab (8 cr)

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Criteria for International candidates only

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1. Education: submit proof of completion for the home country's equivalent of secondary education

2. Interview: complete an online, live interview with an Admissions Counselor

3. English: demonstrated proficiency in English during Admissions Interview

4. Pre-requisites: complete the Āyurvedic Health Coach (AHC) Certificate Program, or equivalent, by August, 2020

5. Pre-requisites*: submit any one or more of:

   1. Post-secondary Anatomy and Physiology

   2. Bachelor's degree, or equivalent

   3. Active healthcare professional license

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* All college-level (post-secondary) pre-requisites must have been completed within the preceding ten years. Otherwise, candidates must provide proof of clinical practice for at least five of the ten preceding years.
 

* Applicants holding a degree or license in a healthcare discipline are exempt from the A&P prerequisite requirements.

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All international credentials in any language other than English must be translated with equivalency proof. Translations are accepted from any of the following Foreign Credential Evaluation Services:

https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Educators/Certification/Out-of-State_Certification/Foreign_Credential_Evaluation_Services/

Pre-requisites and co-requisites

The pre-requisites for the Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program include successful completion of the Āyurvedic Health Coach (AHC) Certificate Program, or equivalent. 

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All US candidates must also have completed college-level Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (with lab, a total of 8 credits).

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US candidates who hold an active license in a healthcare profession are exempt from meeting this requirement.

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International candidates must provide proof of post-secondary Human Anatomy and Physiology, or a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) or an active, professional healthcare license.

Course descriptions

The Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program includes nine lecture courses and one clinical externship course.

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[AYU-100] Introduction to Professional Āyurveda 

Self-study , 2.0 credits 

30 hours total 

Independent, self study

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Students complete a formal introduction to the practice and scope of professional Āyurveda. They perform a comprehensive review of relevant, general knowledge and sciences through local, national and international perspectives. They learn to bridge concepts between Āyurveda and Western sciences for practical application.

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[AYU-110] Professional Āyurveda for the SA

Online, 1.0 credits

15 hours, live class

​Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a formal introduction to the practice and scope of American Āyurveda for the Svastha Āchārya. They review legal and ethical aspects of professional practice through academic study and example. Students examine various aspects of practice through examples, discussion and Q&A.

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[AYU-111] Sanskrit for the SA

Online, 1.0 credit

15 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students review Sanskrit knowledge and learn advanced rules for syllables, sandhi, dhātus, prefixes and suffixes with word dissection and formation. They practice common terms for this professional level.

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[AYU-120] Core principles of Āyurveda (Siddhānta)

Online, 2.0 credits

30 hours, live class 

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a thorough review of the study of key principles in classical Āyurveda
and correlate concepts to clinical applications. Students are exposed to the variety of classical opinions, perspectives and schools of thought through studying several classical references and pertinent commentaries. Students increase their reading and confidence of the classics through a stronger emphasis on direct reading.

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[AYU-121] The human body in Āyurveda (Śārīra)

Online, 2.0 credits

30 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a thorough review of the study of the human body in classical Āyurveda and correlate concepts to clinical applications. Students are exposed to the variety of classical opinions, perspectives and schools of thought through studying several classical references and pertinent commentaries. Students increase their reading and confidence of the classics through a stronger emphasis on direct reading.

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[AYU-122] Holistic living in Āyurveda (Svastha vṛtta)

Online, 2.0 credits

30 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a thorough review of the core principles of healthy living in classical Āyurveda and learn to correlate concepts to real-life applications. Students are exposed to the breadth and depth of core principles by reviewing major classical references and pertinent commentary explanations.

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[AYU-130] Therapeutic management in Āyurveda (Nidāna & Cikitsā I)

Online, 2.0 credits

30 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a thorough review of the foundations of therapeutic management in classical Āyurveda with a strong focus on identifying causative factors for disease. Students are exposed to the wide range of Āyurvedic management protocols through internal and external interventions, and their classical and current practices.

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[AYU-131] Classical study I

Online, 2.0 credits

30 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a comprehensive review of the major classical Āyurvedic medical
compendia. Students review key sections of the texts, read English translations, discuss topics and concepts, and engage in class discussions through question and answer sessions. They synthesize cumulative knowledge from the program through understanding classical presentations to enhance their skills in clinical applications.

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[AYU-132] Classical study II

Online, 2.0 credits

30 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students complete a comprehensive review of the major classical Āyurvedic medical
compendia. Students review key sections of the texts, read English translations, discuss topics and concepts, and engage in class discussions through question and answer sessions. They synthesize cumulative knowledge from the program through understanding classical presentations to enhance their skills in clinical applications.

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[AYU-133] Clinical Āyurveda for the SA

Online, 3.0 credits

45 hours, live class

Instructor-led lecture, discussion, Q&A

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Students integrate knowledge to practice independently and collaboratively in American Āyurvedic Healthcare. They learn common Āyurvedic presentations and diagnoses in the context of professional practice and management.

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[AYU-150] SA Clinical Orientation

Onsite, 1.0 credit

30 hours

Lab, supervised clinical practice and training

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Externs begin practice using simulated case management under observation in live and telehealth case scenarios. They receive training on documentation, case management, record-keeping and case review. They elect onsite and/or telehealth clinical practice.

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[AYU-155] SA Clinical Rotation

Online, 5.0 credits

225 hours

Supervised clinical practice (independent and collaborative)

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Externs practice clinical Āyurveda for nine weeks under supervision of an Āyurvedic Doctor and in collaboration with Certified Svastha Āchāryas. Each week, externs spend 24 hours on clinical practice and case work and 4 hours in discussion.

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Each extern must complete a minimum of 50 case encounters with appropriate documentation and submit their results on a regular basis. Up to ten demonstration cases covered in lecture and lab may be included in an extern's final records.

Clinical externship

Clinical externship includes two portions of training:

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• Clinical orientation with one week of onsite (optional), clinical training from April 26 to April 30, 2021, of 6 hours per day for 30 hours total

• Clinical practice with bi-weekly clinical discussion classes (Mondays and Thursdays) plus 25 hours per week of telehealth practice

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Each extern must complete 50 case encounters with appropriate documentation and submit their results on a regular basis. Case encounters include observed cases, group study cases and those managed independently for initial or follow-up cases.

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Personal costs associated with externship including travel, accommodation, food and other
expenses are the responsibility of the student.

Schedules

The Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program is taught in three segments.

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1. Fall semester, August 31 to December 12, 2020

2. Spring semester, January 4 to April 23, 2021

3. Clinical semester, April 26 to June 25, 2021

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Fall semester class schedules

August 31 to December 12, 2020

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1. Mon and Wed, 3:30 to 5:30 pm (ET)

2. Saturdays, 10am to 3pm (ET)

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No class for holidays from Wed, Nov 25 through Sat, Nov 28, 2020

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Spring semester class schedules

January 4 to April 23, 2021

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1.  Mon and Wed, 3:30 to 5:30pm (ET)

2.  Saturdays, 10am to 3pm (ET)

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No class for study holiday on Sat, Apr 17, 2021

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Clinical externship schedules

April 26 to June 25, 2021

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Session I, one week, onsite clinical orientation

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1. Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm (including 1 hour break)

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Session II, eight weeks, online clinical practice via telehealth

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1. Mondays, 3:30 to 5:30pm (ET)

2. Wednesdays, 3:30 to 5:30pm (ET)

3. Weekly, 25 hours of clinical practice via telehealth

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Clinical discussion class on Monday, May 31, 2021 will be held on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 due to Memorial Day holiday.

Costs and payment plan

The total cost of the Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program is $9,426 when the program is completed in the standard time frame of 10 months.

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Standard costs

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1. One-time registration fee: $100

2. Total tuition, including clinical externship: $8,300

3. Required books: $1,026

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Additional costs may include

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1. Multi-year fee: $900

2. Late payment fee: $100

3. Additional, personal costs (varies)

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Students may opt to complete the program over multiple years. When they elect this option, the multi-year fee is due at the beginning of each subsequent year. All standard costs must be paid within the first year of enrollment.

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All additional costs are the responsibility of the student. These may include a personal computer and equipment, financial transaction fees (currency conversion, wire transfer, etc) and externship.

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Payment deadlines are by 5pm Eastern Time on the date listed. Late payments are subject to a $100 Late Payment Fee unless the student notifies the Academy in advance and receives approval.

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Payment Plan

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Tuition may be paid in full at the start of the program, or as interest-free installments.

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1. First payment, $3,000, by August 15, 2020

2. Second payment, $3,000, by January 15, 2021

3. Third payment, $2,300, by May 15, 2021

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The $650 enrollment deposit, paid at the time of admission to the program, is applied in full to the first payment.

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Payment methods

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All payments are accepted electronically, unless otherwise agreed upon.

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1. Workshop fees, PayPal

2. Registration fees, PayPal

3. Tuition, ACH debit (electronic checking)

4. Books, ACH debit (electronic checking)

Books

Required textbooks for the Svastha Āchārya (Āyurvedic Practitioner) Certificate Program total $1,026. These can be purchased through the Academy or any vendor of choice.

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Books must only be purchased when the student is ready to begin the related portion of the program.

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Fall Semester​

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1. SA Series, Volume 1, $60

2. SA Series, Volume 2, $100

3. SA Series, Volume 3, $100

4. Caraka Samhita (translated by RK Sharma and Bhagawan Dash)

5. Suśruta Saṃhitā (translated by GD Singhal)

6. Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya (translated by KR Srikantha Murthy)

7. Bhāva Prakāśa (translated by KR Srikantha Murthy)

8. Modern and Global Āyurveda

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Spring Semester

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1. SA Series, Volume 4, $100

2. SA Series, Volume 5, $60

3. SA Series, Volume 6, $60

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All prices include shipping and handling within the continental US.