When acupuncturist Adele Bishop met lecturer Jiang Man during her studies she couldn’t have imagined the impact the Chinese medicine guru would have on her future. Jiang quickly spotted Adele’s potential, becoming her mentor, lifelong friend and shaping the way she practiced forever in the process.

I was studying my acupuncture degree at Endeavour in 2010 when I first met Jiang. Before I had even met her I was already well aware of her by reputation. Everyone involved in acupuncture knows and talks about Jiang and sometimes it seemed as if she was this mystical character! Everyone wanted to be in her classes.

In my third year of study Jiang was my clinic supervisor. At the time I noticed a few areas that could be improved and took the lead and started to make some changes and organise which students would practice in which room. Jiang noticed and said: “I need your skills. You have to come and work for me”. I was simply blown away. At the time I was working in a natural health food store and so I rang them straight away to resign.

My first day at Jiang’s clinic was incredible. She had expanded to have multiple rooms and needed an admin person to organise bookings and manage the front end of her business. She had four to five rooms booked solid every hour, every day. It was a massive workload but an invaluable experience for me. Fast forward five years and I now run my own clinic which has two busy rooms and plans to expand, and it’s all thanks to the experience I got with Jiang.

I worked for Jiang for more than a year before going back to study full-time. By that stage we had a special friendship and in 2013 we went on holidays to Thailand. We had a fantastic time seeing the beautiful sights and sharing delicious local cuisine. I remember one day I got really bad food poisoning at the hotel by myself. It was quite late when Jiang returned loaded with shopping, not knowing I was sick. Jiang gave me an acupuncture treatment on the spot using needles we bought with us and then went out to buy special herbs to speed up my recovery. She even asked the hotel to cook me chicken congee and I was back to my normal self within 24 hours. That’s just the type of person she is.

Jiang is a very calm and caring person who is so passionate about Chinese medicine. She always gave her students extra time after lectures or practical sessions to ensure they were able to get as much from the lesson as possible. From observing her treatment style I came to understand the two sided treatment approach to acupuncture. It involves treating not only the immediate area of pain or discomfort but the corresponding areas all over the body that are interconnected, which brings instant pain relief. This way clients are treated in a more holistic way and I’m always blown away by the results.

I think of Jiang every time I treat someone at my clinic (http://www.acubalance.net.au/). I know I can pick up the phone anytime there is a case I’m stuck on and get Jiang’s recommendations on herbs and certain skills to use. She is an incredibly hard worker with an amazing work ethic.

She has such a special place in my heart. We are both very busy which makes staying in regular contact more difficult but when we do spend time together it’s as if no time has passed. I was so blessed to have Jiang come into my life.

I first met Adele when she was in the third year of her acupuncture degree at Endeavour. I was a lecturer there and also her supervisor in the student clinic. I quickly saw Adele was smart, very organised, assertive and good at talking to people. After seeing her interact with and treat patients in the student clinic I knew she would create a successful practice in the future. I was so impressed I actually offered her a part-time job working for me in my clinic. I knew I could put her organisational skills to good use whilst helping her grow.

We worked together for more than a year at my clinic (http://www.jiangmanclinic.com/) and during that time I saw Adele grow and develop fine business skills and continue her passion for Chinese medicine. I very much enjoyed having Adele in clinic with me as she was great at organising the business side and put in place new systems that helped it run more efficiently. Over that time I watched Adele develop not only her acupuncture skills but her ability to network and market a business.

It was easy to see Adele would do very well practising in her own clinic. Adele is very organised and has a great mind for business. She is caring, has a great bedside manner and treats her patients very well using her knowledge of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

One of my favourite memories was a few years ago when Adele and I travelled to Thailand for a holiday together. We shared many laughs, enjoyed some great food, rode on a scooter and saw a lot of interesting things. I had never been snorkelling before and Adele took me to the reef where we had a wonderful time. I remember I also got quite sick during the trip and Adele took good care of me.

I admire Adele for her happy and caring nature. She has helped me understand English much better and also taught me more about the Australian way of life. I truly admire her focused and determined attitude. She is dedicated and passionate about Chinese medicine and this will make her very successful.

I am very proud to have had a positive influence on Adele. It makes me happy to watch her create a successful practice and continue to grow. She means a lot to me and I cherish the time we’ve had together.