herbal medicine school/apprenticeships?

has anyone here ever taken an apprenticeship to further their education, instead of or in addition to college? i think the hand-on, practical, imersion-type career training is better suited to my learning style, even though my grades were great when i dropped out of college to start having babies. i'm considering studying herbal medicine. i'm looking at a school in ithaca. does anyone know of any others?

 

In response to your first question I have done an internship. I did it a few summers ago at the US House of Representatives. I didnt work for any member in paticular I just basicly answered the phone on the floor, and in the cloackroom. We would also pick up any bill packets, or document that the members needed delivered either to the bill hopper, or the different committies. We were also in charge of the flag proram, where you can get a flag flown over the capitol. It was great, internships are ways to get invaluable expeirence, and to see some pretty cool stuff. (I bet most people havent been in the elaborate tunnel system under capitol hill)

 

check out this place- i'm not sure what they offer for herbal medicine, but they offer something- they have campuses in San Diego, New York and Chicago

http://www.pacificcollege.edu/

 

susun weed has a distance ed course. i dont know how good it is though.

i'm doing the full-time mom thing right now, but i've thought about getting a job in a naturopath's office or working in a wellness clinic or something like that to as you say, immerse myself in what i want to be doing. i have an allopathic background already but my path is leading away from that. i've thought about working as a receptionist or assistant type position and at the same time going thru some sort of distance ed courses. that way i'd still have an income and learn and aquire real experience, and end up with the piece of paper on the wall that everyone seems to require.

my husband is finishing his last year of informal apprenticeship this year--he's working in the field that he wanted to learn about, earning a lowish wage and picking the brains of everyone he's working with. he's in a really niche area. there are courses that he could take, but it's more of a hands on field, so the classroom courses would be a waste of time for him. it's not something that you can practically learn in a classroom anyways. he'll be self employed next year and he doesnt need that "piece of paper" to do what he wants to be doing.

 

Rosemary Gladstar has a good distance program in herbalism also, and I believe that she does apprenticeships and workshops, etc at her home in Vermont as well. She is one of the pioneers of the herbalism studies movement in this country, and I feel, one the best herbal instructors in the country...I am actually taking her distance course now, although I haven't gotten very far at this point....but, I have known about her for a very long time.