The Acupuncture Poll's question for September 2001 was:
"If given the opportunity, would you like to have practice rights at your local hospital?"
Results are as follows:
These results are based upon 657 responses. Here is a sample of the comments made by those who took the survey and how they voted:
Yes: Of course! I presently work in a hospital, and many of my fellow acupuncture students are very qualified to practice in the hospital setting. The student base at my institution encompasses physicians, registered nurses, chiropractors, massage therapists and physical therapists to name a few. We would love to be able to take care of our patients in whatever setting they require of us.
No: We must not kid ourselves. We are not competent enough to handle a hospital setting. Hospitals are where we want to prevent people from going by helping to prevent the disease process from going to the deeper levels. Being in a hospital will eliminate the holistic preventative aspect of what we do and turn us into crisis managers, and crisis management is what the MDs do best. We will only be in their way.
Yes: I do believe in acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Today, many of us are avoiding surgeries and drugs as much as possible. It is always nice to find alternative healthcare techniques that work. However, the government needs to fund more money on its research.
No: Why would I work in a hospital? We have very little insurance coverage. Patients don't pay cash in a hospital. Who will pay me? The MD has full coverage including Medicare. We, on the other hand, have next to no coverage. It's a complete waste of time.
No: To be totally honest with myself and you, I have to tell you that I don't believe acupuncture school has prepared me to deal with patients on the hospital inpatient level. Anyone who is an acupuncturist would tell you that the profession is ready to be integrated into the medical community because we want this to be true, but it is far from reality. We are not physicians in the Western sense of the word, and we are not prepared to deal with life and death matters just by sticking a few needles in someone or administering herbs. To think this is craziness. We should stop all this political posturing because it is futile. If we concentrate on our own business and treat the public at large instead of wasting our resources as a profession, we would be far better off.
Yes: Certainly. It will help more people.
Yes: Acupuncture should be performed by trained acupuncturists. I think it is a miracle form of therapy if you do it correctly and select only the diseases that respond well. However, if you do it incorrectly, there may be some complications and (it) does not work.
Yes: The more exposure our profession gets, the better it is in the long run for all of us. There is no reason why acupuncturists should not be allowed to practice in hospitals if the only thing it does is help patients.
For more information on the Acupuncture Poll, contact Acupuncture Today at editorial@acupuncturetoday.com.
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