The Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture plans to nearly double its enrollment to 250 students this year, then double it again by 2011.
This exponential growth comes at a time when Americans are spending billions of dollars out of their own pockets on complementary and alternative medicine. Americans surveyed in 2007 by the National Institutes of Health said they had spent nearly $34 billion out of pocket on complementary medicines during the previous 12 months.
As the use of acupuncture and other alternative treatments increases, so does interest in careers in that industry, said Catherine Niemiec, founder and president of the 13-year-old institute. Alternative medicine is emerging as a top growth career, she said, with an estimated 10,000 students graduating from 54 colleges of acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the U.S. last year.
PIHMA has graduated 91 students from its four-year program in the past decade. But now, the school is drawing about 60 new students a year.
“Our goal is to get 100 new students a year in class,” Niemiec said. “Spring is looking pretty good for next year already.”
Niemiec said PIHMA is attracting a variety of students, from yoga instructors to bankers, who will continue to boost the state’s numbers.
“We are getting more (military) veterans as well, who are using their GI money,” she said.
The college and its clinic are housed in office space at
With the increase in students comes a 22 percent increase in employees. The private college now employs 40.
Niemiec said her graduates are getting creative in the marketplace. One is offering acupuncture to help golfers improve their swing, while another has combined acupuncture with massage.
Even doctors are getting into the alternative side of medicine.
Dr. Eddie Wai, who already has osteopathic and pharmacy degrees, saw the emerging trend in alternative medicine and went back to school in
He brought back more than 500 Chinese medical books, many of which describe unique healing herbs. Some are made from unusual natural substances, including donkey hide, scorpions, deer antlers and animal droppings.
“I combine the cultures of the Western and the Chinese ways,” said Wai, adding he is not seeing insurance companies cover alternative treatments as quickly as he would like.
Some insurers, including
“The Healthy Rewards discount program, which includes discounts for acupuncture, chiropractic and massage, is available for anyone with a Cigna plan,” she said.
While Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona doesn’t cover acupuncture, it does provide discounts on chiropractic, massage and acupuncture treatments through the American Specialty Health Network, said BCBS spokeswoman Regina Frieden.
Jim Hertel, publisher of the
“Beginning with chiropractic services, many plans have added a number of complementary and alternative medical services in recent years — usually as a supplemental benefit package that can be added to an employer group’s basic plan,” he said.
Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture
Description: The Valley’s only accredited college of acupuncture and Oriental medicine
Location:
Founded : 1996
Students: 130
Employees: 40
Clinic: Student and professional treatments offered to the general public
Master’s Degree in Acupuncture: $11,000 a year
Master’s Degree in Oriental Medicine: $14,000 a year
Years to graduate: 4
Web: www.pihma.edu
