Overview
The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine was established as a nonprofit educational institution in 1983 in response to the growing need for comprehensive professional training in traditional Oriental medicine. The College has grown significantly in recent years and now includes more than 270 individuals—students, faculty, staff, and board of trustees—who learn, practice, and support traditional medicine within the school's own campus and facilities. Through the efforts of this community, the College has emerged as an important contributor to national and regional health care and education. In addition to academic excellence, the College mission includes a commitment to public health as evidenced by its relationships with numerous clinics offering affordable community health care. The learning environment is supportive and conducive to the development of academic and clinical competencies requisite for success in independent health-care practice. The four-academic-year professional master's degree program in acupuncture and Oriental medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Approval to grant the degree of Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine has been conferred by the state of Oregon Office of Educational Policy and Planning.

The majority of the College's graduates enter into private practice or group practice with complementary health-care providers. Several pursue careers in public health settings and have accepted positions with public agencies that provide services to clients with HIV/AIDS, chemical dependency, and mental illness. These treatment settings include homeless shelters, residential treatment facilities, jails and prisons, and outpatient drop-in clinics.

The Community
The College is situated on a 1-acre campus 10 miles east of downtown Portland. Portland, Oregon, a city of 500,000, is heralded by many observers as one of America's most liveable cities. Surrounded by the exhilarating beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Portland is blessed with lively commerce, a burgeoning performing arts scene, a symphony orchestra, an NBA franchise, an award-winning school district, and a beautiful urban parks system. Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge offer some of the best hiking, skiing, fishing, boating, and windsurfing in the country. Eighty miles to the west is the rugged Oregon coastline, a favorite weekend retreat for city dwellers.

A diverse student body of 201 individuals (70 percent women) from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia, and Europe bring impressive knowledge and experience to the study of Oriental medicine. Many students are engaged in a major career change from such fields as law, computer science, research, and teaching, as well as from the medical fields of nursing, physical therapy, and therapeutic massage. Increasingly, younger students pursue this educational path as their first professional degree program. The academic environment encourages cooperative study among students, who form supportive practice and study groups in support of their learning process.

Programs of study and degree requirements
Candidates who complete this three-calendar-year (four-academic-year) graduate program are awarded the Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (M.Ac.O.M.) degree, are qualified to sit for the national certification exams, and are prepared to enter into independent health-care practice as regulated by each individual state. The academic program presents course work and training in all aspects of traditional Oriental medicine, including the theory and practice of acupuncture, herbal medicine, traditional Chinese physiotherapy, exercise, and qi-cultivation; adjunctive courses in Western biomedicine, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and clinical diagnosis; and relevant course work in public and community health, clinical research, practice management, and practitioner/patient dynamics. At the heart of the academic program is the college clinic, whose mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care to the public and to support the development of Oriental medicine as a vital healing methodology complementary to Western medicine. Acupuncture and Oriental medical services are provided in the clinic by student interns who practice under the direct supervision of experienced acupuncturists, many from China, who are licensed in the state of Oregon. Students complete 900 hours of supervised clinical training and as third-year interns treat more than 400 patients in supervised clinical settings. All students complete an internship rotation in a community health clinic, underscoring the College's commitment to practitioner training in public health. A specialized certificate program in teacher training is additionally available to advanced students of qigong.

Facilities & Resources
The College has incorporated clinical research into the core curriculum by providing both the didactic course Topics in Clinical Research as well as the project-oriented research practicum experience. The College Clinic supports student research projects through the organization and accessibility of patient demographics and outcomes data. Students, faculty members, and alumni involved in research have full access to the College's outstanding library and computerized online search services as well as Internet access. By virtue of their enrollment, students have library privileges at the Oregon Health and Science University and the nearby National College of Naturopathic Medicine and Western States Chiropractic College. In addition, OCOM is a full participant in two National Institutes of Health–funded research projects, in conjunction with Oregon Health Sciences University and Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research.

Expenses and Aid
Costs: Tuition costs total $17,760 for nine months (three quarters) of enrollment. Books and medical supplies cost an additional $700-–900 per academic year.

Financial Aid: Federal financial aid is available through the Federal Stafford Loan Program, veteran's benefits, and the Federal College Work-Study Program. A college payment plan is also available.

Housing/Living Expenses: The College is located in a residential area, with rentals available at reasonable rates. Many students share housing with monthly costs as low as $600–$800. Students can often find housing by utilizing the bulletin board maintained for this purpose in the student lounge. For financial aid purposes, living expenses for nine months are estimated at approximately $9,000.

How to Apply
Candidates for admission must demonstrate the potential to become caring, dedicated, and skilled practitioners of traditional Oriental medicine and evidence the maturity and preparation necessary to undertake the challenging academic program. Minimum requirements for admission include the successful completion of at least three years of college at a federally accredited institution, although it is recommended that incoming students have completed a four-year college degree. As part of the required undergraduate education, or in addition to it, applicants must also have completed college-level courses in general biology, general chemistry, and psychology. The application process includes a completed application form and $50 fee as well as complete and official academic transcripts, two admission essays, and two formal letters of recommendation. An on-campus interview is required of all qualified applicants. Applicants are accepted beginning in September for enrollment in the following year's entering class, and admission decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Harry Affley, B.S., Multnomah School of the Bible, 1993. Taiji quan.

Satya Ambrose, Clinical Supervisor; N.D., National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1989; L.Ac. Clinical seminar, case observation and demonstration.

Cindy Anderson, M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1994. Point location, observation skills.

Teri Applegate, M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 2000. Qigong.

Elizabeth B. Burch, N.D., National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1986. Western pharmacology.

Junlan Cai, B.M., Chengdu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (China), 1982. Chinese nutrition.

Hui-Xian Chen, B.A., Institute of Foreign Languages (Beijing), 1954. Qigong.

Joseph J. Coletto, N.D., National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1983; L.Ac. Point location, living anatomy, Western clinical diagnosis, acupuncture techniques, clinical skills.

William Duarte, Clinical Supervisor; M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1993; L.Ac. Advanced acupuncture.

David C. Eisen, Clinical Supervisor; Dip.Ac., New England School of Acupuncture, 1982; L.Ac. Public health, community health and chemical dependency, auricular acupuncture.

Lindy Ferrigno, L.M.T., Shiatsu Education Center of America, 1972. Shiatsu.

Lisa Francolini, M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1995. Practice management II: Business skills.

Marnie Freeman, M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1994. Chinese herbal medicine.

Lucinda Friedman, B.A., Illinois, 1971; L.M.T. Jin Shin Do; dynamics of illness.

Mark Goldby, M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1995; L.Ac. Survey of Western physics.

Richard Hammerschlag, Ph.D., Brandeis, 1967. Research Director, Oriental medicine research, research practicum.

M. Stephen Hardenbergh, Clinical Supervisor; B.A., Cleveland State, 1996; L.Ac. Community health and chemical dependency.

Zina Hurley, Clinical Supervisor; M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1993; L.Ac. Advanced acupuncture.

Hong Jin, Clinical Supervisor; B.M., Nanjing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (China), 1985; L.Ac. Pathology and therapeutics, point actions and indications.

Shelley L. Jones, Ph.D., LaSalle, 1998; RN. Introduction to issues in public health.

Robert Kaneko, Clinic Director and Clinical Supervisor; B.S.Ac., Samra University of Oriental Medicine, 1985; L.Ac. Case observation and demonstration, clinical seminar section.

Dan LaGrande, M.A., Montana, 1971. Practice management I: clinic marketing.

Regina Lellman, N.D., National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1995. Western medical pathology, pharmacology.

Nicole J. Levitt, D.C., Western States Chiropractic College, 1995. Structural diagnosis.

Wei Li, Clinical Supervisor; M.S., Anhui Provincial Medical University (China), 1988; L.Ac. Chinese herbal medicine.

Guohui Liu, Clinical Supervisor; M.S., Chengdu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (China), 1985; L.Ac. Chinese herbal medicine.

Roger Lore, Clinical Supervisor; Dip.Ac., Southwest Acupuncture College, 1987; L.Ac. Auricular acupuncture, acupuncture techniques.

Yan Lu, Clinical Supervisor; B.M. Heilongjiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (China), 1990; L.Ac. Tuina.

Barbara Mitchell, J.D., 1977, L.Ac., 1992, Florida State. Ethics and jurisprudence.

Sandra M. Mullany, L.M.T., East-West College of the Healing Arts, 1991. Shiatsu, advanced shiatsu, shiatsu clinic.

Catherine Salveson, Ph.D., RN, Oregon Health Sciences, 1996. Introduction to issues in public health.

Alan B. Shaw, M.Ac.O.M., Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, 1999; L.Ac. Dynamics of illness.

Mitchell Bebel Stargrove, N.D., National College of Naturopathic Medicine, 1988; L.Ac. Medical history East and West.

Eric F. Stephens, Dip.Ac., Hong Kong Acupuncture College, 1979; L.Ac. Case observation and demonstration.

Elizabeth A. Zenger, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1991. Language and culture in TCM.

Lili Zheng, Clinical Supervisor; M.S., Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (China), 1982. Traditional Chinese medical theory I-III, TCM pathology and therapeutics I-III, TCM diagnosis lab.

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