911±¬ÁÏ

Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Student Blog

AOM Specialties…When Will I Know???

by Monique Carter | October 23, 2023 | 3 min read

The further I progress in the AOM program I have no idea what area I will specialize in. Some students come in with a clear vision for their future practice. Others decide along the way. In my other life as an educator, I knew right away I did not want to teach English. Grading essays was painful. Math was my niche. It is right or wrong, and I could clearly see and show students where they made mistakes. I am currently teaching a math class at a community college in Chicago. It is an online class, but I can manage that with my course load at 911±¬ÁÏ, because I am very comfortable with the content.

This is how I want to feel about my area of specialization in AOM. I want to look forward to helping my future patients. I would also like to feel knowledgeable and comfortable when treating patients who are putting their faith in my skillset. When I started in the clinic, I would see a wide variety of patients. Now I guess through word of mouth my patients often fall under women’s health, mental health and anti-aging. I enjoy seeing patients and I don’t mind in the student clinic if I am not focusing on a certain area, because I am in a learning environment.

When I started teaching in 1993, I was a high school science teacher. I was very green…LOL…I was even asked to go to prom!! From there I bounced around quite a bit trying to find a good fit. It took me about 10 years to find my area: college math. But I was young then, now I am…uhm…more seasoned and I feel like I do not have the luxury of 10 years to decide. Hopefully, it will find me sooner rather than later.

When I look at other AOM practitioners’ websites, they definitely have narrowed down their areas of treatment specialties.  Well, I graduate in August 2024. Then I will need to pass boards. Hmmm…maybe I will have an epiphany. Until then I will keep thinking about it and maybe do a vision board. Or maybe I will make a wish for clarity? If you are contemplating starting your AOM journey at 911±¬ÁÏ, do you have an area that you want to specialize in? If so, you are ahead of the game!

Did you know that 911±¬ÁÏ offers Doctor of Acupuncture, Doctor of Acupuncture Completion, Master of Acupuncture and Master of Acupuncture with a specialization in Herbal Medicine programs?

Find out more about student clinical opportunities here.