Northwestern Students Serving on National Acupuncture Board
Posted on April 9, 2008
Three students are representing Northwestern Health Sciences University on the national board of directors of the American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM) - Student Organization.
Amanda Troelsen, an April 2007 graduate, is serving as the national co-president; Hilary Patzer, T5 student, is the national central regional director; and Jolene Habeck, T5 student, serves at the national co-president elect.
Troelsen, who graduated summa cum laude with a masters in acupuncture, said she felt it was her duty to be a part of an organization promoting her profession.
“I’ve always been involved in organizations at the officer level at every level of education so it is natural for me to want to do this,” she said. “The faculty at Northwestern, particularly John Pirog, who is the AAAOM-SO member at large, helped me to be aware of the issues and threats facing our profession and the need to do something about it.”
The national board meets twice a year – once at the AAOM national meeting of acupuncture professionals and then in the spring at another event. The last two years the meeting has been held at the Great River Symposium at Northwestern. Ten board members were present at this year’s Symposium.
The board’s mission is “Promoting communication and cooperation between Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine students, professionals, and government agencies in an effort to insure optimal standards of care and integrity in the professions of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.”
Patzer said one of the board’s primary goals is increasing membership and visibility.
“Organizations always want to have more active members, but I feel the most important reason to increase our membership is so that all the students across the country would be united,” Patzer said. “A feeling of belonging is very important in any career choices, but I feel it is especially important for us in a career that is just getting its roots down in the United States.”
One of the initiatives students at a state level have been concentrating on is legislative movements including the Minnesota Equal Access to Acupuncture bill. Recently, more than 100 students, teachers and practitioners sat down with state legislators to discuss the bill.
Habeck said the organization has great benefits for acupuncture students nationwide.
“It’s about building camaraderie between all of the schools nationwide,” Habeck said. “It’s about getting students proactive in legislation. It’s an opportunity for networking and scholarships.”
Acupuncture students can get involved by joining their local chapter or signing up for a committee at the national level. The AAAOM national conference will be Oct. 16-20 in Chicago. For more information, go to www.aaaomonline.org/studentservices.
ABOVE PHOTO: (left to right) Jolene Habeck, T5 MCAOM student; Amanda Troelsen, 2007 Northwestern graduate; and Hilary Patzer, T5 MCAOM student; all Northwestern representatives on the national board of directors of the American Association of Oriental Medicine, get together for a photo.