Shannon Miller, MS in CAM (Honors)
Shannon Miller, MS in CAM (Honors), ACHS Ambassador
I completed an MS in Complementary and Alternative Medicine with concentrations in holistic nutrition and herbalism from ACHS. The program allowed me the freedom to choose the classes that best suited my educational and career goals, and I loved the flexibility to incorporate additional classes, such as aromatherapy, into my degree plan. I have a Reiki practice in Huntsville, Alabama, and there were wonderful reception and demand for the additional holistic nutrition and herbal aspects of my practice. My education and training from ACHS helped me feel fully prepared to meet the demands of my clients, and I have numerous resources available if I need to investigate a request (i.e. herbal management of hypertension) to ensure that my clients are managing their conditions safely and in conjunction with the recommendations of their entire care team (i.e. primary care doctor, nurse practitioners, specialists, CAM practitioners, etc.).
What are three things you would tell prospective students?
Don’t let nervousness about starting a new educational or career path hold you back! ACHS offers lots of support, and the training really does prepare you for the next step in your career.
If you feel like you’re getting overwhelmed by your life, educational, and work demands, reach out to someone for help! ACHS has so many people who are here to support learner success. If you need help, all you have to do is ask your Academic Advisor to help you connect with someone who can talk you through the challenge.
Make time for yourself! Fitting a new educational program into an already busy life can be overwhelming. ACHS has resources that can help you improve your time-management so that you will be able to meet each of your competing demands while still having time to take care of your needs.
What are your three best tips for current ACHS students?
Embrace your educational experience with a sense of adventure! This is a fun experience, and the challenges you may face will feel less intimidating if you hold on to the adventurous spirit that led you to ACHS in the first place. Take advantage of the time-management assistance! Even seasoned learners can have moments when there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to take care everything. Learning how to manage your time and reprioritize your commitments can be a sanity-saver, especially around finals.
Be kind to yourself! As adult learners, we often have so many time demands that it can be very easy to forego self-care to get one more thing marked off the To-do list before bed. If this happens too often, though, we can start suffering from burn-out and can even become more susceptible to illness and injury. No matter how busy your day gets, or how much you have to do, make sure you take at least 15 minutes a day to tend to your needs. Meditate, soak in the tub, read or exercise, whatever you need to do to help you relax your body and reset your mind. Self-care can really work wonders to help maintain our mind-body-spirit balance so do your best to make time for yourself each day.
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