American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

We at the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) would like to extend a warm welcome to interested students from across the country. AAAOM is the only independent accredited college of acupuncture and Oriental medicine in Minnesota. At AAAOM, we teach students a perfect combination of medical science, life philosophy and healing art. Our goal is to train health care professionals who will be highly competent, highly skilled and dedicated to the practice of traditional Chinese medicine.

Graduates of our program acquire a comprehensive theoretical knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, as well as the practical and technical skills needed to effectively treat patients. Students gain expertise in various modalities of Chinese medicine, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, medical Tuina (therapeutic massage), dietary therapy and Tai Chi/Qi Gong. At the same time, our students receive a thorough grounding in fundamental scientific concepts and biomedicine, emphasizing the integration of Western medicine with traditional healing practices.

The AAAOM is a truly unique institution; some of our special features include:

Faculty. An extremely accomplished body of faculty members one of AAAOM's strongest distinctions. Our professors include top-level scholar-doctors from China who have made significant contributions to the existing body of knowledge on traditional Chinese medicine. They have collectively published over 450 textbooks, research papers and reference books in China and the United States. Our faculty members bring the highest possible educational standard to their students.

At the same time, most have maintained active TCM practices for decades, providing a vast wealth of experience for students to draw off. The faculty at AAAOM also includes highly-skilled practitioners and instructors trained in the United States, and professors of biomedicine who have received training in both Western medicine and acupuncture. The Academy's faculty members, with their strong theoretical background, clinical experience, and technical skills, constitute a very diversified body of knowledge and expertise. In 2000, AAAOM was presented with the Best Faculty Award by TCM World, a New York-based national traditional Chinese medicine publication.

Curriculum. Theory, technique, real-life applications and clinical experience are deftly interwoven in AAAOM's comprehensive curriculum. Students find the program to be both intellectually stimulating and practically sound. As part of our core curriculum, we offer specialized courses in the TCM approach to gynecology, pediatrics, geriatrics, dermatology, psychology, neurology, and musculo-skeletal disorders. Vital course work in practice management, ethics and legal issues, medical referrals, and the health care system prepare graduates to enter the professional world. In the 2002, AAAOM was awarded the Best Curriculum Award by TCM World.

Student Clinic. From their very first trimester, students participate in clinical observation in our on-campus clinic. Advanced techniques in acupuncture and herbal medicine are modeled by expert faculty practitioners, who carefully discuss each patient's case with observing students. In their third and fourth years, student interns treat their own patients under faculty supervision, gaining confidence and proven experience diagnosing and treating a wide variety of conditions. AAAOM is proud to offer affordable acupuncture and herbal medicine services the Twin Cities community.

Study Abroad. A unique feature of AAAOM program is its affiliation with several medical schools in China. The Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Jinan, China, our sister school, has served as a model for high-quality instruction methods, as well as providing invaluable advice on curriculum development and standards of practice. Advanced AAAOM students can continue their studies at the Ph.D. level or participate in different certificate programs offered by Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and facilitated by AAAOM. Exchange programs between AAAOM and other traditional Chinese medical schools in China have also been arranged to provide students with the best possible opportunities to study traditional Chinese medicine.

Student Body. Our programs attract intelligent, accomplished students who represent a diverse group of cultures, ages, interests, and a wide variety of academic and career experiences. Many of our students come to us from other areas of the health care field, such as nursing, body work or health care administration. Many come from unrelated fields and are simply drawn by a passion

for Chinese medicine. Exchanges among students contribute to a wider learning process outside the context of formal study. Students quickly form a close bonds and become close to faculty members as well.

Library. The AAAOM library has a comprehensive collection of books and periodicals on acupuncture and Oriental medicine. We collect every book on acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine published in English. We keep over one hundred journals on traditional Chinese medicine from around the world. Our goal is to have the most complete TCM library outside of East Asia.

If you are interested in any of our programs and would like to find out more, please Request Information.