Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) attitudes and competencies of nursing students and faculty: results of integrating CAM into the nursing curriculum.

As part of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) R25 Education Grant Program, a faculty development program for integrating CAM into the nursing curriculum was instituted in 2003-2006. The Integrating CAM program was composed of a number of elements; the primary strategy included a series of 4-week didactic and experiential summer CAM "Camps," attended by 27 faculty members. Camps were designed to influence faculty integration of CAM material into course offerings.

Integrating complementary and alternative medicine instruction into health professions education: organizational and instructional strategies.

A few years ago, the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine funded a program called the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Education Project. Grantees were 14 medical and nursing schools and the American Medical Student Association, which funded six additional medical schools. Grants were awarded in cohorts of five per year in 2000, 2001, and 2002-2003.

Integrating CAM into nursing curricula: CAM camp as an educational intervention.

Background: In 2002, the University of Washington School of Nursing (SON) partnered with Bastyr University on a five-year plan to offer a four-week intensive "CAM Camp" (CAMp) for SON faculty members and medical students from across the country. The four-week educational program introduced attendees to various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities through didactic and experiential learning.

Objective: To enhance complementary and alternative medicine content in a SON curriculum and to increase SON faculty knowledge and understanding about (1) the range of CAM therapies, (2) the theoretic and cultural backgrounds of these therapies, and (3) their potential contributions to the health of diverse populations.