Bastyr University CAM Camp Teaches Allopathic Medical Students about Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Since 2002, Bastyr University has been teaching allopathic medical students about natural, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) through a month-long summer course, known as CAM Camp. The four week program is designed to give health science graduate and professional students, including MD and nursing students, an introduction to CAM therapies. The course was developed to better enable allopathic medical providers to work with the nation's growing population of CAM users.
This summer, 11 CAMpers came from schools as far away as the University of Vermont and Michigan State University to spend four weeks on Bastyr University’s Kenmore campus learning about CAM topics, including: acupuncture and Oriental medicine, naturopathic medicine, whole foods nutrition, naturopathic midwifery and herbal medicine.
The 3-credit class, called "Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine," also provided unique opportunities for participants to experience CAM therapies first hand. CAMpers spent half a day with physicians and students seeing patients at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health to get a glimpse of how CAM services are provided in a primary care outpatient medical center. Students also experienced one of the modalities offered at Bastyr Center by being a patient in the acupuncture, naturopathic medicine or nutrition clinics. In hands-on laboratory classes, CAMpers also learned to make herbal preparations and practiced whole foods cooking techniques. They spent a day out in the Puget Sound region observing plants in various stages of development and studying plant families that contain local medicinal species.
Learn more about the student experience at CAM Camp:
