Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
The Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) program is a post-graduate, clinical doctorate that is designed to accommodate licensed practitioners who wish to complete their doctoral degree while maintaining their practices. This multi-format program consists of online and hybrid courses along with monthly intensive, didactic, lab and clinical training in Seattle. The DAOM is a minimum two-calendar-year course of study with part-time extensions available. The program must be completed within four calendar years.
Purpose
The purpose of the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine program is to develop the knowledge and skills of highly qualified practitioners in the specialty area of advanced pain management. The program accomplishes this through rigorous training in East Asian medicine and biomedical concepts and by emphasizing an integrative model of care delivery in a hospital setting. The program fosters leaders prepared to make significant contributions in clinical practice, education, advocacy and scholarship.
Expected Program Outcomes
Graduates of the DAOM program’s clinical doctorate will have the skills to:
- develop advanced acupuncture and traditional East Asian medical diagnoses and treatments effective for complex and/or severe conditions. These diagnoses and treatments should include all applicable modalities within the scope of practice, commensurate with the status of patients’ health.
- demonstrate an understanding of fundamental and diverse advanced pain treatment strategies in order to inform acupuncture and traditional East Asian medical care.
- discuss and deliver evidence-supported treatment as part of a collaborative integrated medical team, describing East Asian medical practices in biomedical terms when needed if possible.
- demonstrate ability to participate as part of a clinical supervisory team educating master's level students in acupuncture and East Asian medicine.
- develop research fluency in academic and clinical settings, as well as demonstrating and refining research skills through study design and preliminary investigations.
- develop and show the ability to educate health professionals and others in the functional, dynamic characteristics of TCM and related East Asian medical systems, their diagnostics, and treatments.
- exercise leadership which results in fostering a community that will enrich and advance the profession and contribute to the development of future generations of practitioners, faculty, researchers, clinical supervisors and leaders.
Admission
For general information on the admissions process, please refer to the Admissions section in this catalog. The information below refers only to the DAOM program.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite for the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) degree is a master's or professional doctoral degree in acupuncture or acupuncture and Oriental medicine with a minimum of 45 hours of fundamental Chinese herbal medicine coursework from an ACAOM-candidate or ACAOM-accredited program. Students who do not have sufficient coursework hours in fundamental Chinese herbal medicine will be required to complete such work as a corequisite for the program. Students are required to be licensed as an acupuncturist in Washington or their home state by the end of the first quarter in the program.
The minimum cumulative GPA for required courses is 2.75.
Transfer
Students who wish to transfer from other accredited acupuncture and East Asian medicine programs are accepted on a space-available basis and must meet the same entrance requirements at the class level they seek to enter. Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis following completion of the application process. Transfer applicants must submit a $100 transfer evaluation fee.
Applicants must provide an official transcript from the college or program from which the transfer is being requested, demonstrating that they are leaving in good academic standing.
Applicants must submit syllabi from the courses they completed in their acupuncture program and should be prepared to submit additional documentation to support a thorough evaluation. If a transfer student is found to be deficient in some area(s) of study, the student may be required to complete additional courses at Bastyr University. Maximum allowable transfer didactic credit for the DAOM program is 24. None of the clinical credits from other institutions are acceptable. For more information on transfer admission policies and procedures, contact the admissions office.
Program of Study
The Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DAOM) is a post-graduate (post master’s), clinical doctoral program where students gain substantial clinical expertise, research competency, and greatly strengthened knowledge of acupuncture medicine. The DAOM program is dedicated to developing the knowledge and skills of qualified practitioners in the specialty of advanced pain relief and management.
The DAOM curriculum is delivered by a combination of Bastyr University’s expert faculty and nationally recognized guest faculty whose knowledge and experience deeply enrich student learning. The program is delivered in multiple formats consisting of online, hybrid and monthly in-person coursework. Didactic and laboratory training occur once a month at Bastyr Center for Natural Health. The required clinical internship is scheduled separately from the classroom modular coursework. Internship takes placein a hospital setting. In addition, students complete a series of self-designed preceptorships and either a China externship or Integrated Care rotation. Although the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine program gives students the option of living and working elsewhere while completing the degree, students should expect to make accommodations for the rigor of the program.
Bastyr’s DAOM students develop advanced clinical skills by combining theory and practice in hands-on internships, clinical theater, case discussions, preceptorships and a capstone research project. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a China externship near the end of their studies.
Students experience rigorous training in advanced traditional Chinese medicine and biomedical concepts in an integrative model of care delivery. Areas of study include Chinese medical classics, research literacy and skills, advanced clinical skills, and specialty training modules in the relief and management of acute and chronic pain.
Skills in clinical supervision and teaching are introduced and supported through instruction and practice at Bastyr Center for Natural Health. Students complete a total 264 clinical hours in a hospital setting. Integrated pain management takes place during internship rotations with the Acute Pain Services at Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in conjunction with University of Washington Medical School in Seattle, Washington. Patients are referred to Acute Pain Services from other departments at Harborview and are treated in their rooms. A primary focus is relief of pain while reducing the use of pharmaceutical medications, particularly opiates.
In addition to training at Harborview and Bastyr Center for Natural Health, students' knowledge and skills are expanded through varied practical applications such as Clinical Theater, where they observe experts practice what they teach, and through preceptorships, private practice, clinical case histories and a two- to four-week China externship. Each student is appointed a mentor to assist them with their capstone project. The students gain knowledge and apply research skills as they engage with their mentor and other colleagues while working on this project, which also has the purpose of advancing the profession.
Clinic Credentialing
Prior to clinical rotations, DAOM students are required to fulfill medical and training requirements, summarized below:
- Acupuncture License
- National and state background check
- TB screening
- BCNH and Harborview Medical Center training
- CPR/AED certification
- Immunizations:
- Hepatitis B
- MMR
- TDap
- Varicella
- Influenza
The curriculum tables that follow list the tentative schedule of courses each quarter.
DAOM Year I
Winter
| AM7100 | Clinic Entry for Clinicians and Supervisors | 0.75 |
| AM7102 | Introduction to Statistics | 0.5 |
| AM7103 | Pharmacology of Pain Management | 1 |
| AM7108 | Introduction to Case Study Writing | 0.25 |
| AM7111 | Neurobiology of Pain | 1 |
| AM7115 | Reading Research 1 | 0.5 |
| AM7200 | Physical Exam | 2 |
| AM7300 | Trigger and Motor Points | 1 |
| AM7809 | Clinical Supervision | 0.5 |
| AM7825 | Preceptorship 1 | 1 |
| AM7832 | Preparation for Clinical Internship | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9.50 |
Spring
| AM7113 | Research Methods | 1 |
| AM7114 | Applied Research Skills | 2 |
| AM7116 | Reading Research 2 | 0.5 |
| AM7121 | Biostatistics | 1.5 |
| AM7205 | Orthopedic and Neurological Assessment | 1.5 |
| AM7312 | Laser and Electro-Acupuncture | 1.5 |
| AM7814 | Clinical Case Discussions Lab 1 | 0.25 |
| AM7817 | Internship 1 | 1.0 |
| AM7826 | Preceptorship 2 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10.25 |
Summer
| AM7117 | Reading Research 3 | 0.5 |
| AM7118 | Chinese Classics and Pain | 1.5 |
| AM7119 | Chinese Classics Discussion | 0.5 |
| AM7120 | Capstone Development 1 | 0.5 |
| AM7130 | Recent Research | 1 |
| AM7206 | Laboratory | 1 |
| AM7207 | Imaging 1 | 0.5 |
| AM7309 | Orthopedics and Sports Acupuncture 1 Upper Body | 1.5 |
| AM7313 | Clinical Theater Lab 1 | 0.125 |
| AM7815 | Clinical Case Discussions Lab 2 | 0.25 |
| AM7827 | Preceptorship 3 | 1 |
| AM7833 | Internship 2 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10.375 |
Fall
| AM7131 | Capstone Development 2 | 0.5 |
| AM7208 | Imaging 2 | 0.5 |
| AM7310 | Orthopedics and Sports Acupuncture 2 Lower Body | 1.5 |
| AM7311 | Master Tung's Points | 1.5 |
| AM7314 | Clinical Theater Lab 2 | 0.125 |
| AM7315 | Clinical Theater Lab 3 | 0.125 |
| AM7316 | Auricular Acupuncture and Other Microsystems | 1.5 |
| AM7816 | Clinical Case Discussions Lab 3 | 0.25 |
| AM7820 | Clinical Applications Lab 1 | 0.25 |
| AM7828 | Preceptorship 4 | 1 |
| AM7834 | Internship 3 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9.250 |
DAOM Year II
Winter
| AM8108 | Capstone Development 3 | 0.5 |
| AM8303 | Advanced Tui Na for Pain | 1 |
| AM8321 | Clinical Theater Lab 4 | 0.125 |
| AM8401 | Structural Integration and Pain Relief Lec/Lab | 2 |
| AM8403 | Urogenital System | 0.5 |
| AM8404 | Digestive System | 0.5 |
| AM8405 | Gynecological System | 0.5 |
| AM8406 | Vascular System | 0.5 |
| AM8820 | Clinical Case Discussions Lab 4 | 0.25 |
| AM8823 | Clinical Applications Lab 2 | 0.25 |
| AM8827 | Preceptorship 5 | 1 |
| AM8831 | Internship 4 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9.125 |
Spring
| AM8104 | Psychological and Emotional Aspects of Pain | 0.5 |
| AM8105 | Exercise Physiology | 0.75 |
| AM8109 | Capstone Development 4 | 0.5 |
| AM8316 | Arthritis and Rheumatology | 0.75 |
| AM8317 | Balance Method | 0.75 |
| AM8322 | Clinical Theater Lab 5 | 0.125 |
| AM8407 | Point Injection Therapy | 1.5 |
| AM8408 | Trauma and Pain | 0.5 |
| AM8813 | Internship 5 | 1.0 |
| AM8821 | Clinical Case Discussions Lab 5 | 0.25 |
| AM8824 | Clinical Applications Lab 3 | 0.25 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6.875 |
Summer
| AM8306 | Japanese Acupuncture Techniques for Pain | 1.5 |
| AM8318 | Oncology and Autoimmune Conditions | 2 |
| AM8323 | Clinical Theater Lab 6 | 0.125 |
| AM8814 | Internship 6 | 1.0 |
| AM8826 | China Externship | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8.625 |
Fall
| AM8110 | Capstone Presentation | 1 |
| AM8319 | Pediatrics and Gerontology | 2 |
| AM8320 | Chinese Herbs for External Application | 0.5 |
| AM8402 | Nutrition, Botanicals and Supplements | 2 |
| AM8410 | Bleeding Techniques | 0.5 |
| AM8411 | Scalp Acupuncture | 0.5 |
| AM8815 | Internship 7 | 1.0 |
| AM8822 | Clinical Case Discussions Lab 6 | 0.25 |
| AM8825 | Clinical Applications Lab 4 | 0.25 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8.00 |
Total Requirements
Total Prerequisite/Corequisite Credits
|
3 |
| Total Core Didactic Credits |
49.25 |
| Total Clinic Credits |
23.75 |
| Total Credits |
76 |
Curriculum and course changes in the 2020-2021 Bastyr University Catalog are applicable to students entering during the 2020-2021 academic year. Please refer to the appropriate catalog if interested in curriculum and courses required for any other entering year.
Academic Status and Graduation Requirements
Evaluation of didactic and clinical competency achievement for each course in the program is conducted online via Bastyr’s learning management system. The evaluative tool is at the discretion of each instructor and could include an exam, paper, a homework assignment, a relevant case history, etc.
Student competencies are assessed each quarter on a scale of H/AC/PC/F/IP/I. All Incompletes (I) must be completed by the end of the following quarter. A failed grade must be remediated within the following quarter through completion of a directed study, which will entail extra cost to the student.
The student must produce original work, writing or presentations that fulfill program standards. Successful completion of the degree program requires a capstone thesis project pertinent to the area of specialty. The capstone project is an experiential project in which students apply what they’ve learned throughout the doctoral program and examine a specific idea. A variety of forms are possible including the following: clinical research, either a clinical trial or outcome study; laboratory in-vitro research, case study or case series; retrospective clinical case review; meta-analysis; literature review; translation study; or a scholarly academic study. The Bastyr Capstone Manual defines required citation style and details of formatting.
Attendance
Attendance is required for all courses and clinic rotations. If a student knows in advance that a course will be missed, the student must submit a proposal to the instructor and program director with a plan for course remediation. (Please refer to the Directed Study Policy.) The remediation plan must be pre-approved one week prior to the weekend module. In case of emergencies, students must notify the department as soon as possible to initiate a remediation plan. Absences due to health problems require documentation by a physician. Courses missed for any reason without prior notice may result in failure (F), delayed graduation and additional tuition. Absences due to personal travel choices are not considered excused absences. Students are required to attend all portions of a given course unless granted an excused absence by the instructor; if the absence is not excused, an F will be given, and the course repeated. The need to repeat a course in this weekend modular program may delay progress toward graduation.
Attendance is taken for each class by the instructor, who is responsible for providing proof of student attendance to the DAOM administrative team.
The limit on excused absences with remediation is the hourly equivalent of one module per DAOM academic year, 32 hours total between classroom and clinic. If more than one module is missed in a given quarter, that quarter must be repeated. This may result in a significant delay in graduation.