American Institute of Alternative Medicine

American Institute of Alternative Medicine Academics

The American Institute of Alternative Medicine offers four different schools of study including massage therapy, acupuncture, medical assisting and nursing. Programs take as little as nine months for the medical assisting, to three years for the acupuncture certification. Classes are available during the day, at night and on weekends so that any student that would like to attend may do so.

Acupuncture

The acupuncture program at AIAM takes three years to complete and is an extremely comprehensive area of study that is the equivalent of a master’s level program. Students studying for this degree will take courses in ethics, communications, biomedical science and professional development as well as the classes directly related to applying the techniques of acupuncture. By the end of the program, students will have completed nine 12-week quarters and over twenty-one hundred clock hours.

Students in this program are expected to maintain high grades. Due to the advanced academic challenge of this program, students will be required to have a minimum of an associate’s degree or sixty semester hours at the baccalaureate level prior to acceptance.

Nursing

The nursing program provides two separate degrees. Students may study in either the Practical Nurse Program or the Registered Nurse Program. Both programs are accredited by both the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools and the Ohio Board of Nursing. The PN takes twelve months to complete and requires nine hundred sixty total clock hours. The RN takes an additional fifteen months. It is required that students entering the RN program have already completed the Practical Nursing program either at AIAM or at another accredited school of nursing.

Students will study traditional scientific nursing methods as well as holistic methods of nursing that promote caring for the patient’s psychological, spiritual, sociocultural and biological needs in order to prepare them for passage of the Ohio nursing boards so that they may then obtain employment in the field of nursing. Students will learn to demonstrate competent, safe practices and a firm knowledge of computer technology required in the nursing field today.

Medical Assisting

The need for medical assistants is expected to grow nearly thirty-five percent over the next several years. AIAM provides a holistic approach to the training received at their institution by including holistic and complementary methods along with traditional training in their Medical Assisting Program. Students that complete this training may work in doctor offices, hospitals or schools.

Over a period of nine to twelve months, students will learn in a variety of environments including traditional classroom training and externship opportunities in order to be more capable of transferring their training into their profession. The curriculum consists of clinical procedures, business practices, pharmacology, computer training and communication training necessary to assist with varying levels of patient needs.

Massage Therapy

Students choosing to pursue a career in massage therapy may choose from two different schools at AIAM including Western Massage and Chinese Massage. Though the two methods share some similarities, they represent two vastly different schools of thought and students will study the theories and practices behind their chosen method. Students studying either method will take classes in basic anatomy and physiology as well as business and ethics classes in order to prepare them for the entrepreneurial side of their new careers.

The Western Massage curriculum includes study of basic and advanced anatomy and physiology, Swedish massage practices, clinical training and training essential to certification in Neuromuscular Therapy. Students will focus intensely on the anatomy of the human body as well as the pathologies that affect the muscles and skeletal system. Asian massage will be discussed briefly, but western medicine and treatment is the greater focus. The program may be completed in nine months if the student attends full time, or may take up to twelve months for those who choose to atten part time. Graduates will be prepared to take the licensed massage therapy examination and enter into entry-level massage therapy positions.

The Chinese Massage curriculum focuses on the energetics of the body versus the mechanics and pathologies. Students studying this method will learn about soft tissue manipulation techniques, structural realignment methods and acupuncture points as means of providing treatment to clients. Students will also learn about the function of the musculo-skeletal system and internal organ disorders. Chinese medicine is known to be largely preventative in practice and this program follows that belief system. In addition to learning restorative health techniques, students are taught to encourage the promotion and maintenance of the body. Students graduating from this program will be prepared to take the Ohio State Medical Board’s examination for licensure as a massage therapist and also for certification in Asian Bodywork Therapy from the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.