NEW National OM Accrediting Agency

[Guest guest]

This is some of the NEWS the profession have been waiting for on the OMD

degree.

 

FYI

 

Richard

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NATIONAL ORIENTAL MEDICINE ACCREDITING AGENCY

MISSION

NOMAA’s mission is to provide accreditation for educational institutions that

will offer entry-level, doctoral degree programs in Oriental Medicine

(Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine) that are designed to prepare students for

professional, independent and primary care practice within the purview of each

state’s

scope of practice regulations.

OBJECTIVES

The mission will be fulfilled by establishing requirements, standards,

programmatic criteria and processes that ensure quality in accreditation of

qualified institutions of higher learning for the purposes of education and

clinical

training of independent primary care providers in Oriental Medicine leading to

the Doctor of Oriental Medicine (O.M.D.) degree. Once recognized by the U.S.

Department of Education, NAAOM accredited institutions will be eligible to

participate in Federal programs, including but not limited to, Title IV Student

loan programs.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

The curriculum was developed primarily with input from the profession, as

well as the participation of selected schools. Much of the effort on didactic

training hours was derived from the CAB’s Competencies Task Force effort

during

2001-2002. NOMAA’s emphasis has been on establishing educational requirements

deemed sufficient by the profession to provide excellent training in the

science, art, and practice of Oriental Medicine (OM), consistent with providing

primary care services while protecting the safety and welfare of the American

public.

 

NOMAA programmatic criteria include a 3600-hour minimum curriculum for an

entry-level Doctor of Oriental Medicine (O.M.D.) professional degree program.

This represents a 600-hour higher standard than the California AB 1943

requirement to be implemented in January 2005. The NOMAA Oriental Medical

science is

consistent with the needed competencies expressed by the profession, and

compares favorably with the major Chinese medicine schools in China when all

criteria

are adjusted to the same basis.

 

Curriculum consists of the following topics and hours:

Biomedical Sciences 450 hours

Oriental Medical Sciences

Oriental Medicine 150 hours

Acupuncture 200 hours

Herbal Medicine 450 hours

Internal and General Medicine 250 hours

Orthopedics and External Medicine 200 hours

Clinical Medicine 400 hours

Clerkship 1500

hours

Total

3600 hours

 

PROFESSIONAL PARTICIPATION

 

NOMAA will need your assistance in order to document acceptance of its

standards, policies, procedures, and decisions by all of the groups identified

in

§602.13: (a) Educators and educational institutions; and (b) Licensing bodies,

practitioners, and employers in the professional or vocational fields for

which the educational institu­tions or programs within the agency's

juris­diction

prepare their students.

This typically can be achieved through letters from representatives of each

group. There should be no difficulty securing letters from institutions that

NOMAA accredits, or that are interested in seeking NOMAA accreditation.

However, a major challenge will be to obtain letters of support from groups

listed

in §602.13(b), particularly the licensing bodies for Oriental Medicine in

various states. Ideally, a letter of support from a state licensing body would

indicate that the state regards NOMAA’s standards as adequate to evaluate the

educational quality of programs leading to the O.M.D. degree, and that the state

regards graduation from a NOMAA-accredited institution as a prerequisite for

state licensure. Primary staff and supporting services for the NOMAA shall be

provided by a sponsoring organization designated by the NOMAA. Professional

members and professional members of educational institutions shall serve as

NOMAA Commissioners.

 

NOMAA Recognizes §602.14 Purpose and organization.

“separate and independent†requirement in §602.14(b), as well as the

related

requirements in §602.14©. The related, associated, or affiliated trade

association or membership organization plays no role in making or ratifying

either the accrediting or policy decisions of the agency;

a. Representatives of member organizations shall be appointed for

five-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive appointments.

b. Each member organization shall select its representatives in the

manner it chooses but, insofar as possible, shall designate staggered terms to

provide continuity of service.

c. A member organization may designate a substitute representative for

any particular meeting.

d. The representatives on the NOMAA shall elect the public member.

e. Member organizations shall notify the Office of the Secretary of

NOMAA of a designated substitute representative prior to the meeting for which

the substitute has been designated.

FINANCIAL PARTICIPATION

 

The NOMAA is organized exclusively for educational or scientific purposes

within the meaning of Section 501 © (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

 

FINANCES

Unless otherwise provided for, and approved by the NOMAA, expenses shall be

borne in the following manner:

a. The expenses of representatives from member organizations to

meetings of the NOMAA shall be borne by those organizations.

b. The expenses of the representative from the federal government shall

be borne by the federal government.

c. The expenses of the public member and the general expenses of

meetings shall be shared pro rata, on the basis of the number of

representatives,

by member organizations.

d. The expenses of the representatives, consultants, and others

appointed to serve on committees of the NOMAA shall be paid by the NOMAA and

shared

pro rata, on the basis of the number of representatives, by member

organizations. The expenses of persons, other than those named to the committees

or those

named to staff the committees, who attend meetings of the committees, shall be

reimbursed by their sponsoring organizations.

All other expenses of the NOMAA shall be offset by income derived from fees

and service charges.

An annual financial statement of the NOMAA shall be submitted to the member

organizations.