CAM education project drives first program-integrated course

May 5, 2011 — Northwestern Health Sciences University successfully launched its first course integrating students from different programs within the classroom.

The Foundations of Evidence Informed Practice course was created as part of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Education Partnership Project. Previously open to chiropractic students, the course was expanded to include acupuncture/Oriental medicine students.

Students overwhelmingly supported the move, saying they learned useful information about the other health care professions; and that class dialogue was enriched by having students from different programs in class together. Of the 128 CAOM students registered for the class, more than half were interested in having more integrated classes at Northwestern.

The CAM education project is focused on integrating research into the practice of complementary and alternative medicine. The project is funded by a $750,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The broad objective of the CAM Education project is to facilitate “Evidence Informed Practice” among CAM practitioners. This includes a clinician’s experience, the historical experience of a profession, clinical findings, patient preferences, and research. Importantly, research is viewed as a resource, and is only one piece of the clinical puzzle.

As a result of the positive student response, the Foundations of Evidence Informed Practice course will continue to be offered as an integrated class at Northwestern from this point forward.

A proposal for renewal of the CAM Research Education Partnership Project was submitted to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in September. If successful the award will bring an additional $900,000 in funding to Northwestern to continue with EIP education efforts. A funding decision is expected in July 2011.

Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University, www.nwhealth.edu/nwtoday/index.html