The College's main teaching clinic serves the community. Interns practice under direct supervision of experienced, licensed clinical faculty members. Interns also have the opportunity to practice under faculty supervision at off-campus clinics within the University clinic system and in other clinical settings. Clinical services are offered at three non-profit agencies serving the needs of diverse patient populations—women in recovery and persons living with HIV (see Clinical Studies).

Oriental medicine is also offered at the University's integrated Natural Care Center on the Woodwinds Health Campus. Woodwinds is the result of a partnership between two of the most respected leaders in the health care industry, HealthEast Care System and Children's Hospitals and Clinics. Northwestern Health Sciences University supplies the natural care health services on the campus in Woodbury, Minnesota, east of the Twin Cities.

Clinical Observation

In the beginning of their clinical education, students are required to observe supervisors, senior interns, and graduates caring for patients in the school's teaching clinics. Once they have become familiar with the operations of the clinics, observers are asked to provide assistance with general clinical tasks.

Opportunities for Clinical Observation include:

• MCAOM Teaching Clinic(s)
  Most observation takes place on the main campus in Bloomington. A student may, however, do some of the observation requirement at the MCAOM Teaching Clinic in Saint Paul.
• HIV Clinic (Aliveness Project)
  Observation at the Aliveness Project is not required unless the student intends to do clinical internship there. Observation at the Aliveness Project, however, allows a student to observe some of the more serious or unusual health presentations and their treatments. A student is required to complete 15 hours of Aliveness observation before beginning internship there.
• Perspectives
  Observation at Perspectives is not required, unless the patient population consists of women in recovery from substance abuse, who have recently been homeless, are in a transitional housing program, and are working on getting their lives back together. These patients often have multiple health care issues and frequently bring their children in for treatment. Students must complete 15 hours of observation at Perspectives before beginning internship there
• Woodwinds Natural Care Center
  Students may observe the practice of Oriental medicine in Northwestern's integrated Natural Care Center on the campus of a teaching hospital (Health East and Children's Hospital, Woodwinds Campus).
• Faculty Clinic
  Students may observe our faculty members in their private practices in the Bloomington Faculty Clinic.
• Clinical Theater
  Clinical Theater is an opportunity for a group of students to observe while an MCAOM faculty member interviews, diagnoses, and treats a patient. The instructor discusses the clinical thought process with students present. Students are encouraged to ask questions of the instructor.
• The Courage Center
  Observation at the Courage Center is not required unless the student intends to do a clinical internship there. The Center offers students a chance to practice acupuncture on a variety of patients including spinal trauma and stroke victims. A student is required to complete 15 hours of observation and Courage Center training before beginning internship there.

Supervised Clinical Internship

Under direct supervision of a licensed clinical faculty supervisor, interns perform diagnosis, treatment planning, treatment, and outcomes evaluation in the teaching clinic. Students begin internship in pairs and then practice individually. Clinical internship is divided into three stages. At each stage, the instructor focuses on the development of specific competencies. By the final stage, students are expected to be fully competent in all clinical skills, from accurate information gathering through diagnosis and treatment, and including clinic operations. Oriental medicine students are expected to be able to construct, modify, and dispense Chinese herbal formulas and to be familiar with the operations of a Chinese herbal pharmacy.

Supervised interns make regular assessment of the patient's progress, arrange follow-up care, refer where necessary, counsel patients on dietary and lifestyle modifications where required, and in general assume responsibility for the patient's ongoing care.
The Teaching Clinic is open to the public.

Clinic Seminar

During each term of clinical internship, students participate in weekly group case study sessions. Students research and present cases for discussion among students present and the clinical faculty member in charge, with particular reference to complex or difficult cases. These sessions are also the forum where general issues of patient care and clinical protocols may be periodically reviewed, with the goal of continuous improvement of clinical services and intern clinical experience.