Open Letter from NACSCAOM
by Gary Arsham, M.D., Ph.D. Chair of NACSCAOM |
I am writing on behalf of the National Accreditation Commission for Schools and Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. I am convincsd that the best interests and welfare of the profession, as well as the health needs of our patients, would best be served if the leadership of your organizations (and others you may wish to include) attempted at this time to develop a proposal for a professional doctoral degree that represents a reasonable consensus or compromise among the national organizations. The development of a professional doctoral degree in our field is a step of singular importance.
The Commission is well aware of the difficulties in reaching a reasonable consensus (if it were easy, it would have already been done) and that not everyone will be totally satisfied. However, such a compromise will help to avoid destructive political battles that could impede the successfull implementation and public and professional acceptance of the new doctoral degree. We hope that each of you is willing to initiate this consensus-building process and begin.
We understand that a meeting in November of the national organization leaders has been proposed to discuss professional issues and concerns. Perhaps this meeting could be used to develop one proposal that all can live with, so that we can rapidly and effectively move this process along.
The Commission would like to receive one proposal that reflects the areas where there is agreement, among at least the three organizations, along with any areas where there is still disagreement (we hope the areas of disagreement can be kept to a minimum). If there are areas where consensus cannot be reached after good faith efforts, then we would hope that the proposal presented to the Commission would outline the areas of disagreement and reasons for such disagreement, with the pros and cons listed. Then, we would try to develop our standards utilizing the principles governing accreditation and higher education. If requested or needed, the Commssion is willing to provide technical consultation as your three organizations work towards a compromise proposal.
Please feel free to share this letter with your constituencies, and to publish it in your newsletters. Thank you for your efforts to develop a credible and accreditable doctoral degree.
Sincerely,
Gary Arsham, M.D., Ph.D.
Chair
Acupuncture.com |