Beginning this fall, UWS chiropractic students will be able to complete a 10-12 week preceptorship during their final term within the Oregon Health and Science University’s (OHSU) Comprehensive Pain Center.
The OHSU Comprehensive Pain Center is an integrative care network for pain patients that consists of a variety of different providers, including allopathic anesthesiologists, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, a physical therapist and a chiropractic physician. Currently, the chiropractic physician on staff is UWS alum Jordan Graeme, DC, MS.
Through this collaborative relationship, UWS students will be under the direct supervision of Dr. Graeme during their preceptorship. These students will engage in integrated, team-based patient care and will also participate in observational rotations within other departments of the hospital. The program closely aligns with the model of rotations UWS students perform in Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals.
“I appreciate OHSU for developing such a comprehensive, collaborative pain center, particularly in a traditional hospital setting,” Joseph Pfeifer, DC, UWS vice president of clinic affairs said. “This experience will be invaluable for our students. After obtaining the foundational knowledge and clinical skills at UWS, this rotation in an integrative environment at OHSU will enhance students’ competence and confidence in working with professionals of other disciplines to provide collaborative patient care.”
In addition to the OHSU rotation, UWS has partnered with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIHM) through the Oregon Collaborative for Integrative Medicine (OCIM) to create a fellowship program for health care providers.
Through this fellowship, field practitioners gain knowledge of other healthcare disciplines through various coursework and receive firsthand exposure to patient care through observational clinic rotations. Providers in the fellowship program observe chiropractic care through the UWS clinic system, traditional medical care through OHSU, eastern medicine and acupuncture via the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM), and naturopathic physician care at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland.
Participants in this program come from a variety of disciplines from all over the country, as well as internationally, to learn through didactic material available online. The culmination of their coursework is a trip to Portland, where fellows participate in weeklong rotations between the participating schools and health care facilities.
“There is an inherent understanding and good evidence that having providers interact with one another to explore what is in the patient’s best interest improves the quality of care,” explained Dr. Pfeifer. “Providers gain an appreciation of each other’s role, and patients’ care and satisfaction benefit from a collaborative, coordinated team approach.”
“Both of these programs are consistent with our mission at UWS to advance integrative health care, and they reflect the type of training we aim to provide our students. We want our graduates to provide high-quality, integrative care, whether it be in a private office setting, a multidisciplinary group setting, or a hospital. Wherever they end up, they and their patients will benefit from their awareness of what other practitioners do, and they will help other providers gain insight and appreciation of the chiropractic profession.”