| News: November 5, 2009: Popular China Externship Strengthens Students' AOM Education | November 21, 2009 |
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The best way to develop an in-depth understanding of an ancient healing art is to study it at its place of origin. To deeply understand yoga or Ayurvedic medicine, explore it in India; to master shiatsu massage, learn it in Japan; to wrap your mind around homeopathy, study it in Europe. The acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) program at Bastyr University follows this educational philosophy in several ways, one if which is by offering an annual for-credit externship in China. The China externship gives third-year AOM students an opportunity to spend 30 days learning Chinese herbal medicine from experienced herbal masters at one of Bastyr’s sister schools, either Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine or the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This externship fulfills a portion of students' required clinical training hours in herbal medicine. Sarah Everett, a third-year AOM student, explains her reasons for taking this year's trip to Shanghai along with the majority of her classmates: "I knew I would be able to gather countless clinical pearls as I observed extremely experienced physicians treating hundreds of patients," she says. In the externship, students spend 40 hours a week attending informative lectures and observing physicians prescribing herbal treatments at an outpatient teaching hospital. (View a typical day in China.) Cultural differences mean practitioners in China see triple the daily patient load typically seen by practitioners in America. "The exposure to such a huge patient volume gets students up to speed on herbs really quickly," says Bastyr professor and externship supervisor Sue Yang-Eng, DAOM, MS, LAc.
Explains Dr. Yang Eng: "Our students spend years at Bastyr learning to be 'gatekeepers' — to treat when appropriate, but also to determine when Western interventions are needed. In the externship, they witness an extremely integrative approach in a way they cannot see in the U.S." Everett says immersion into the culture and seeing the context in which the treatments are delivered enhances learning. "I was interested in observing the difference between the practice of Chinese medicine in the U.S. and in Asia," she says. "I also wanted to witness how the people of Shanghai incorporate the philosophy of Chinese medicine into their lifestyles." Students not only learn a great deal; they also demonstrate Bastyr's educational rigor to the Chinese doctors. During clinical observations, the Chinese teaching physicians administer pop quizzes to students. "The doctors are often surprised that our students know as much as they do," Dr. Yang-Eng says. Everett says the externship boosted her confidence in her ability to treat patients and reinforced her faith in the healing power of Chinese medicine. "The doctors in Shanghai were constantly relating details of the spectacular recoveries that had been produced by Chinese medicine," she notes. " I was encouraged to find that several of the recoveries were accomplished using formulas and herbs with which I am already familiar from my studies at Bastyr. This confirmed my belief that I have been thoroughly prepared to serve my future patients."
To participate in the externship, students must be in good academic standing. They apply by writing an essay and interviewing with faculty. Most students cover the costs of the trip through a combination of participation an annual fundraising event, Haunted Trails, and student loans. In the end, students leave China with reams of notes about herbal medicine combinations, an understanding of treatment regimens they can apply to their future practices — and, perhaps most importantly — greater confidence. "It's an eye-opening experience, academically and culturally. It solidifies everything they've been learning," Dr. Yang-Eng says. "It really gives students confidence in what they learned at Bastyr. Often students will say 'Wow, it feels good to know that the time and effort I’ve put into a Bastyr education has paid off.'" A Typical Day in the China Externship
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Training in China offers other advantages. Bastyr's sister-school practitioners are Oriental medicine doctors (OMDs) trained in both Western and Eastern medicine. These doctors model an integrative approach to treatment, often prescribing X-rays and laboratory tests in addition to Chinese herbs. In America, acupuncturists cannot order such medical tests.
When they're not busy with their school regimen, students have plenty of free time for sightseeing, receiving treatments and meeting the local residents. Popular weekend activities include climbing Thai Mountain, visiting the Panda Research Center, hanging out in Suzhou (the "Venice of the East") or traveling to Hangzhou (a city just outside of Shanghai) to see the world-famous Dragon Well Tea plant. And, with foot massages and full-body massages inexpensive and accessible, many students use their down-time rest and rejuvenate.