Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
Posted November 2nd, 2007 by lumiel
ACAOM just came out with their standards for the first professional doctorate degrees (that is, the idea of replacing all masters programs with more substantive doctorate programs, in the future). If interested, read and comment...
[www.acaom.org]
I sent in this comment:
I am opposed to the idea of the Doctoral Programs replacing the Masters' programs, as a decision that could seriously damage our profession by reducing both the number of schools and the number of practitioners. There is no reason both degrees could not co-exist to serve the public well. One does not need a doctoral degree to heal enormous numbers of people in a safe, informed and responsible manner. I myself have just earned a DAOM, and intend to use it in both research and outreach to western medical establishments. Not every acupuncturist is needed for this kind of work. THe greatest need, I feel, in our profession, is to educate the public and to make acupuncture accessible to as many people as possible. A Master's degree, as taught in our schools currently, mostly prepares our students for this. Requiring them to complete doctoral hours is not only over-educating them, it is saddling them with a financial burden that few will be willing or able to carry. If this First-Professional requirement is instituted, I see the numbers of students dwindling to a dribble, thus forcing the schools to close down. Please consider these points before making such an important decision final.
I consider this situation as threatening to our profession and ourselves personally as the above-mentioned natural disasters. This dictate (the First-Professional degree requirement) will make us easy pickings for the M.D., D.C., R.N., etc. crowd to take over our medicine, because we will shrink to something pathetic in size and voice.
Save our medicine. Log in and express your concerns. If enough of us create a wave of protest, that will get their attention and perhaps wake them up.
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
Their web site gives the phone number, fax number and address, but not the email address. I suspect that you can contact them through email by writing to the 3 separate directors' email addresses. These are the addresses that Cris M. lifted from the document:
dort.bigg@acaom.org
juanita.eagleson@acaom.org
Annette.donawa@acaom.org
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
What is ACAOM's email address?
Thanks
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
It is absolutely NOT just a matter of time for anything in our profession. Every time someone says that, ('just a matter of time') the next comment of the conversation is a critical one.
Another way of looking at it is that if we do go ahead with Dr degrees to the exclusion of masters degrees, acupuncture as a profession will just dwindle.
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
It just amazes me (I don't know why though) that people in the healing profession just don't get it or give a crap in what needs to happen to actually heal people. I think doctorate degrees are great, but this is making it damn well impossible to further this profession.
Money makes people stupid.
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
Just submitted my comments to ACAOM advising it's a BIG mistake to replace the M.S. program w/ a Doctoral, that a Doctoral degree is not needed to treat many patients. As Lumiel wrote above, the 2 programs can co-exist.
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
Hi friends,
I took Lumiel and Marty's inspiring words and let rip with my fingers on the keyboards...sorry I have nothing to paste here...I thought I saved it, but it is off to ACAOM-land in any case.
I suppose these sorts of power plays and attempted coups are inevitable within any unenlightened world.
When the time comes to rally for the next "battle", perhaps we will have a million or two patients nationwide ready to step in and work collectively for We the People.
I'm almost through reading "The Real Wealth of Nations", by Riane Eisler. It is interesting to see how the conditioned impulse to replicate social organizations based on domination instead of partnership is still playing itself out across thousands of years of human history - even within professions ostensibly devoted to healing such as ours.
May all beings be healthy.
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
Thanks to you both and the rest of the well-written crowd here for penning what is needed.
Well put.
Andy
Re: Besides Fires, Earthquakes and Floods
Here was my comment to ACAOM. EVERYBODY in CAN MUST respond to this. One acu school rep I spoke to today says it is just a matter of time before this passes. I very much hope not.
Marty Calliham
*******
I am opposed to the proposal to make the doctorate the first professional degree for acupuncture.
There seems to be some who think that the status of “doctor” will encourage insurance coverage of acupuncture. It is highly unlikely that this will happen, for several reasons.
In the first place, it is employers, and not insurance companies, who ultimately determine what kind of group insurance is offered to employees. High-option plans are becoming increasingly more expensive for both employer and employee. At present, employers and employees often reject dental, vision, chiropractic, rehabilitative and similar coverages because of the extra cost. We can be sure the same will happen with acupuncture benefits.
Secondly, the healthcare system is broken. It cannot be revived in its current state. When the country eventually adopts a single-payor healthcare system, it will be important that healthcare be delivered as efficiently as possible. Acupuncture training at the doctoral level will collapse because it cannot be supported and sustained in a system that covers everybody instead of relying on rich third-party reimbursement for a few.
Instead, it is time for the acupuncture profession to consider whether the current masters’ level training is of sufficiently high quality, so that all graduates are truly prepared to support themselves in sustainable practices serving all levels of society. Community acupuncture business models are sustainable for acupuncturists, both now and in the future.