The majority of students’ clinical training is guided by the clinic faculty on campus in the Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic. Throughout their internships, students treat a wide range of conditions including musculoskeletal problems, arthritis, and athletic injuries; an assortment of internal conditions such as symptoms related to cancer treatment, gynecological complaints, digestive, respiratory, and urinary tract disorders; and ongoing conditions such as migraine headaches, chronic fatigue, and mood disorders (mild depression and anxiety).

Students also have clinical rotations off campus at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) clinics and at several local public health facilities. At these diverse treatment sites, students are exposed to many different patient populations and a variety of ailments and conditions. Student interns have the opportunity to work at Hooper Center, Outside In, Mercy & Wisdom Healing Center, Project Quest, or Old Town Clinic, where treatments are primarily performed in a group setting and complaints are commonly hepatitis, substance abuse, chronic mental illness, and may include HIV/AIDS; the Hollywood Senior Center, where care is focused on the geriatric population; the OHSU Richmond Center treating an economically challenged population; and Family Medicine at OHSU Health and Healing Center. Both OHSU sites afford students the unique opportunity to work concurrently with an OCOM clinic faculty member and an OHSU MD.

As Chinese herbal medicine is a major emphasis of our clinical program, students have the opportunity to work in our on-campus dispensary and learn how a Chinese herbal dispensary functions. Our excellent herbal dispensary offers bulk herbs, granule herbs, pills and patent medicine, as well as liniments and topical applications.

The clinical studies program begins at the end of first year with Clinical Observation in the Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic, continuing through year two, up to year three and the beginning of Clinical Internship. During Clinical Observation, students observe treatments by interns and clinical faculty in the Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic, as well as by licensed acupuncturists at private acupuncture clinics and public health sites around Portland. Observers may also have opportunities to treat patients with non-acupuncture modalities such as moxibustion, cupping, and massage under the supervision of the acupuncturist.

Students will spend one academic quarter in the Herbal Dispensary in Herbal Practicum, learning to put granule and bulk herb formulas together. Though they will not be writing herbal formulas, Herbal Practicum gives hands-on experience with herbs and an opportunity to discuss herbal formulations with the dispensary supervisor. Students are also exposed to the complexities of selling herbs to patients.

During first year, students take one of two Oriental Therapeutic Massage courses: tuina (a Chinese form of massage) or shiatsu (a modern Japanese form of massage). During second year, students apply these skills in a clinical treatment situation.

Finally, in their third year, along with a lighter academic load, students begin Clinical Internship. Interns treat patients using Oriental medical therapies including acupuncture and non-needling techniques, Chinese herbal medicine and Oriental therapeutic massage.

We want our graduates to have as much independent experience as possible when treating patients. To this end, interns work in pairs for the first eight weeks of the first quarter of internship to gain self-confidence and receive intensive attention and direction from their clinic supervisors. The remainder of their internship is then spent treating patients independently under supervision. All interns are trained and supervised by an expert group of clinical faculty, with a variety of styles, strengths, cultural backgrounds and specialties.