Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) education is at a crossroads and has been an area of increasing debate. Public use of CAM has risen dramatically since 1997, with initial reports ranging from 30% to a possible 60% in the United States. Much attention has been directed to the education of the public regarding CAM, with respect to efficacy, potential harm, and integration. Far less attention has been paid to the education of CAM practitioners. In the current climate of integrative health settings, CAM practitioners should be trained to interact with conventional physicians, the public, and policy makers in an evidence-based format. In order to create communication effectively, an evidence-based approach may provide the common ground required for all schools of thought.
Background: The effectiveness of teaching critical appraisal to students of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has not been studied. In this study we attempt to determine if a workshop for final year students at a naturopathic college improved their ability to utilize critical appraisal concepts.
The philosophy ofchiropractic has always been regarded as an integral and indispensable component of the curriculum at chiropractic colleges. This study describes a review process in which instruments were designed to survey students andfaculty to obtain information concerning curricular aspects ofphilosophy at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. Approximately one halfofthe student body (N = 292) and sixty percent ofthefull-time andpart-timefaculty members (N = 66) responded to the surveys. The students who were surveyed indicated that philosophy was a very important part oftheir chiropractic education and theyfelt that their needs in this regard were not being met by the present program. Further, they perceived mostfaculty as being unappreciative of philosophy. The resultsfrom thefaculty survey were at odds with the students' perceptions and indicated that thefaculty members werefavourably disposed towards philosophy andfelt that it should be an integral part of the students' educational experience. The information gainedfrom these surveys was subsequently used as a catalyst to stimulate discussion in a series ofstudent! facultyfocus groups on philosophy. These discussions helped to clarify some curricular philosophical issues and resulted in specific modifications to the philosophy program in the areas ofcontent, format, faculty, and evaluation methods. (JCCA 1999; 43(3)
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