Paid off your student loan yet? If average student-loan debt for graduates of AOM programs in this state is an indication of the nationwide reality, you're not even close.
An analysis of 500+ programs at 57 institutions in Oregon reveals that graduates of Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM, which offers a Master of Acupuncture, Master of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine) carry an average student-loan debt of $159,504. Graduates of National University of Natural Medicine (NUHM; originally a naturopathic college, but now also offering a Doctor of Science and Master of Science in Oriental Medicine) carry average debt of $231,702.
Here are the state's top 10 debt-generating programs based on the analysis of U.S. Dept. of Education data:
#1: Oregon Health & Science University (dentistry, first professional degree) – $276,675
#2: NUNM (alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems, first professional degree) – $231,702
#3: Oregon Health & Science University (medicine, first professional degree) – $221,089
#4: Pacific University (clinical counseling and applied psychology, doctoral degree) – $209,599
#5: Pacific University (pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and administration, doctoral degree) – $199,228
#6: Pacific University (optometry, doctoral degree) – $180,654
#7: University of Western States (chiropractic, first professional degree) – $169,703
#8: Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems, master's degree) – $159,504
#9: Oregon State University (veterinary medicine, first professional degree) – $155,786
#10: Willamette University (law, first professional degree) – $154,190
A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.
Acupuncture can be highly effective in cases of nasal congestion so common in allergy presentations; so much so that I often treat such issues using acupuncture protocols alone. In cases of seasonal allergies with highly predictable causes such as obvious elevations of environmental allergens, I use a skeleton acupuncture prescription that can easily be fleshed out to target potential underlying patterns and effectively customized to the patient.
The field of acupuncture in the U.S. continues to grow in visibility, patient demand and clinical effectiveness. Yet behind the curtain, many acupuncturists are quietly struggling to keep their doors open. While the profession is rooted in centuries of healing tradition, modern economic pressures – particularly those driven by insurance limitations, low reimbursement rates and job-market saturation – are making it increasingly difficult for licensed acupuncturists to thrive.
