Advances in medicine have allowed practitioners to specialize in very focused areas of care. Devoting themselves to the mastery of a particular set of symptoms and disorders so that they can provide patients with the highest level of confidence in the treatments they are receiving. While most ailments start with a visit to a highly skilled general practitioner, be it a Medical Doctor or Nurse Practitioner, patients are often referred on, when appropriate, to a specialist within a focused field of medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has operated in a similar manor in the People’s Republic of China. Practitioners start with a general education in both western and eastern philosophies of medicine which last for four years following their undergraduate studies. Many will then specialize in a particular field of medicine, often going on to receive a PhD and producing meaningful research for growth and development of Chinese Medicine in the hospital setting.
In California, all practitioners go through the first two of these steps, receiving a very good general education in the basics of western and eastern medical philosophies. Regulation varies state to state and competency expectations can be very different depending on the part of the country one in residing in.
Some practitioners chose to go above and beyond the expectations and basic minimums of continuing education that one must complete to maintain a license. Choosing to complete a Doctorate program, where they hopefully produce some new research, or to specialize in a particular field which they feel passionate about. I have chosen to commit myself to the study and practice of Women’s Health. In addition to focusing many hours of continued studies on the topics of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, I have become board certified with the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM). A medical board focused on maintaining the highest levels of competency in the integrated work of Acupuncturist, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Gynecologist. In order to maintain professional standing with ABORM, each practitioner must complete twenty additional hours of education in reproductive medicine per renewal period and be an active member in group discussions concerning research and joint practice between Acupuncturist and Reproductive Endocrinologist.
This is the level of commitment to a specialty that is needed in order to provided competency in a particular field. Patients should seek out someone who is focused on constantly continuing the education process so that they communicate with both the patient’s Medical Doctors and help explain the difficult process of Assisted Reproductive Therapies (ART).
Please visit the Marinwood Community Acupuncture website as well as the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine website for further information about this specialty.
