| Bastyr University » Academic Degree Programs » Interviews » Student Interview | May 16, 2008 |
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Graduate Spotlight: Acupuncture Graduate Thrives on Diversity
McIntyre has been teaching at Bastyr since 1998, and in 2001 he was invited to become a clinical core faculty member, which contributed considerably to his daily demands. But he doesn’t seem to mind. “If I were doing only one thing, I think I’d get burned out,” he explains. In mid-May, McIntyre began treating patients with acupuncture at the Virginia Mason Pain Clinic. The impetus of this came from Virginia Mason, whose staff members asked Bastyr to provide an acupuncturist and naturopathic physician to work at the pain clinic on a limited basis to help provide an integrated approach to care. Kevin Connor, ND, volunteered to deliver naturopathic care. McIntyre willingly added the acupuncture shift at the pain clinic to his other duties, which include teaching at Bastyr, supervising at Bastyr’s teaching clinic, practicing at his Greenwood office and preceptoring advanced acupuncture students. The mix of practicing and teaching works well for McIntyre, as he finds teaching to be especially educational for the instructor. “In order to field questions from advanced students, I have to know the subject extremely well,” he explains. “I need to understand all aspects of acupuncture and TCM, as well as be knowledgeable about Western medicine.” He reports that what enhances his own education the most is the research he puts into preparing for his classes. In addition to supervising shifts and teaching Auricular Therapy and Acupuncture Therapeutics VIII classes, McIntyre has also offered instruction through Bastyr’s continuing education program. Most recently, he conducted a seminar on acupuncture at the Seattle REI store as part of Bastyr’s 25th anniversary lecture series. McIntyre sees a difference between today’s acupuncture students and his fellow classmates of 10 years ago. “Back then, the majority of students were training for their second career; nowadays, more students are seeking acupuncture as a first career.” He still believes that Bastyr offers the best in education and community. “Bastyr gives you a solid foundation for what you encounter in private practice,” he says. “The university teaches skills, but learning really starts when you get out of school and no longer have the safety net of supervisors.” McIntyre finds Bastyr to be a unique and supportive community, which those in the Bastyr community sometimes take for granted. “We tend to focus on problems and differences and fail to notice the advantage of our common approach to well-being and community,” he says. “It’s something we take for granted, like health itself, and we only miss it in its absence. When you get out into the ‘world,’ you really notice what you’ve left.”
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If you like variety, you might like being an acupuncturist--especially if you’re as ambitious as Andy McIntyre, LAc, who teaches at both the university and teaching clinic, serves as a preceptor in his own private practice, gives public presentations about acupuncture and now is employed as an acupuncturist at a local hospital. “I like variety,” says McIntyre, who graduated from Bastyr in 1994. “It keeps me interested and focused.”