Residency programs focus on advanced clinical training within the boundaries of their department tradition. However, some crossover may occur. The practice of Medical Jyotish is a great example and might include training from Advisors in the departments of Ayurveda and Jyotish. Each department’s residency program is organized differently but follows the general training guidelines outlined by Sevanti Wellness with influences from trade association scope of practices such as those of NAMA and IAYT. We should remind ourselves that NAMA and IAYT guidelines are minimal guidelines established to create continuity and standardization in US schools. Their scopes of practice are definitive; however, they should by no means limit the skills of current practitioners. Residency programs allow practitioners to aim for practice mastery built upon exposure to advanced clinical skill sets, specialty training, and business development.

Sevanti Wellness residency programs will rotate residents among advisors, mixing didactic instruction with comprehensive clinical and specialty experience. Substantive instruction and clinical experience will be available in all departments. Programs are structured around a series of clinical rotations with the advisors in your department, with a specialty of your choice, with the first phase often being a general “residency” where residents gain broad clinical experience, followed by more focused training in their chosen specialty in a second phase, all while being supervised by attending advisors. The length of a residency program varies depending on the department and chosen specialty, typically ranging from 12 to 24 months.

Although most guidelines are standardized for all departments, they have structural differences. Department advisor lectures and mentorships will provide the primary training. Some departments may use advisors from other departments (ie, Ayurveda instructors for Jyotish practitioners seeking skills in Medical Jyotish). Some departments may utilize remote instructors or send residents to other institutional courses. Some departments may provide all instruction internally.

Didactic Instruction

All training programs will have regularly scheduled didactic instruction in their department’s clinical practice. The curriculum will include specialty practices, advanced methods, and pathology. If the program is weak in a particular specialty in high demand, attempts will be made to compensate for the weakness in the program, such as through guest lectures and advisor recruitment. Some departments may use outside training courses to supplement their internal lecture series.

Clinical Experience

Residency programs will provide a reasonable balance between clinical experience and didactic instruction. The clinical component will include supervised case management of both virtual and in-person clients. Each resident will participate in a clinical rotation schedule that includes primary responsibility for client care and provides access to advisor supervision. The program should be organized to provide a stable, well-coordinated, progressive educational experience for the resident and provide high-quality wellness care to clients.

Residents will perform an adequate number of client sessions, the number to be determined by each department, with an appropriate variety of client conditions. Specialty training may require a more focused approach. Resident performance will be adequately supervised. At the same time, there will be sufficient resident responsibility to allow for the growth and maturation of clinical skills.

Department Residency Programs include the following:

– Additional residency fees required. Fees TBD
– Residency programs are independently offered by each department and will vary in structure and content.
– To enroll, community members must upgrade their community membership to Residency Program status.
– Residencies are an opportunity to dig deeper into your practice skills or to develop a specialty practice.
– Residents can choose to dedicate their residency to one advisor for specialization or cycle through different advisors for set periods, allowing exposure to various skill sets and specialties.
– Residents can choose a specialty residency and focus on one specialty from the beginning or start with a broader overview before specializing later.
– Residents must select a primary advisor, but they can have several from the same department or from across departments for interdisciplinary studies.
– Advisors closely monitor and guide residents’ clinical decisions and case management.
– Residents will participate in lectures, workshops, and other educational sessions to deepen their knowledge. Residents may be asked by their advisor to give talks or seminars to other department residents and/or the larger Sevanti Wellness members. Other departments may request residents to share their knowledge with their department members and residents.

Professional Development: We want to empower your practice. In addition to community, we offer in-house mentorships, professional development workshops, national exam prep courses, online recorded courses from practice management instructors, downloadable PDFs, and continued education to help you rise and expand your practice skillset.

Leadership Workshops: Department Advisors and guest instructors will offer the following professional development workshops:
1. One or two monthly workshops: 60-90 minutes on a topic related to your practice field. No fee.
2. One or two quarterly workshops: 3-4 hours. Minimal fee. TBD.
3. Two biannual trainings: an in-depth online retreat and PD Immersion. Fee TBD.

These trainings are department-specific and will include topics such as clinical methodologies, client management, principles and theories of clinical practice, personal development, data management, business development, teacher training, marketing, branding, and technology used in practice.

Practitioner Workshops: Practitioners are encouraged to offer workshops to other team members. Department Advisors must approve the workshops and are provided at no cost. The workshops aim to educate each other and improve teaching skills. If you are in an Education Mentorship, please speak with your mentor about offering a workshop.

National Certification Exam Prep Courses: Sevanti Wellness team members are not required to be recognized by national trade associations such as the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) or the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). We aim to support graduates immediately upon graduation before they potentially drop out of practice. The period between graduation and NAMA/IAYT certification is critical. Though we do not require it, NAMA and IAYT recognition is a powerful step in your professional development, and we suggest you consider professional membership.

NAMA and IAYT have national certification exams. Preparation for these exams can be a bit intimidating without guidance. Sevanti Wellness will offer prep courses for both exams to support you on that journey.

Continued Education Credits: If you are a professional NAMA or IAYT member, you must submit continued education hours to maintain your membership. NAMA’s Professional Ayurvedic Continuing Education (PACE) program requires professional members to complete 30 credits every two years. IAYT requires at least 24 hours (24 CEs) of IAYT-approved continuing education every three years. Your attendance and teaching time at Sevanti Wellness may be accepted for CEU credits.

Mentorships

The SW Mentorship enables our practitioner members to receive critical support and guidance from a more specialized, experienced mentor within their discipline. In addition to the community peer exchange that comes with general SW membership, our mentors offer both one-on-one and group support at a higher standard of guidance.

Mentorship will be offered in two formats: individual and group sessions. Each department will develop a unique mentorship program based on the needs and practices within their discipline. Check with the Department Director for more details.

Choose a Mentorship Focus:

Clinical Mentorship | Focus on the best practices for case management and advanced clinical skills required to improve client outcomes more effectively. Most of these skills are not taught in schools and come from years and sometimes decades of experience. They are unique to each practice discipline and focus on building realistic and effective treatment plans and improving patient compliance.

Practice Management Mentorship | Focus on the business development skills needed to grow your practice. Skills include practice management, marketing, brand building, mindset, virtual tools, and reciprocal referrals.

Educational Mentorship | Focus on the skills required to teach your area of practice confidently. Skills include curriculum development, effective communication, storytelling, ethics, handouts/manuals/visual aids, course structure, course duration, team teaching, marketing and enrollment, virtual and in-person etiquette, teacher-student boundaries, live and recorded streaming, platforms that support online teaching, and the use of social media.

Virtual Practice Tools include:

– Slack channel – each department has a group and individual communications channel.
– Booking platform included – book clients from your profile page on the SW website and/or your website.
– Control your rates and hours of availability.
– Payment processing requires clients to prepay for your services upon booking.
– Booking links and widgets – can easily be plugged into your existing website.
– Zoom links are automatically embedded in your client email notifications upon booking.
– Clinical forms – optional client intake and clinical forms to give your practice additional structure.