The mission of the Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine is to train well-prepared and well-rounded practitioners of Oriental medicine. This is achieved by emphasizing active learning with a focus on problem solving in clinically-based, apprentice-like experiences. At the same time, students are exposed to a variety of approaches to Oriental medicine that engenders awareness and respect for the validity of different healing traditions. The entire program is designed to give students a solid grounding in the basics of Oriental medicine and supply the tools and encouragement for students to develop their own approaches.

The Seattle Institute's statement of purpose grew out of the founders’ belief that education in Oriental medicine is best accomplished in a clinically-based program in which students work in small groups with experienced practitioners. The Seattle Institute fulfills its statement of purpose by offering a single Master's degree program to train practitioners of Oriental medicine. The school is designed to support its purpose in several distinct ways:

1. A limited number of students are accepted annually to insure a small class setting.
2. Students begin clinical instruction with experienced practitioners in their first trimester to focus on patient care in a clinically-based, apprentice-like experience.
3. Faculty are selected who represent different styles of acupuncture and have extensive experience as practitioners.
4. Competency in accessing information from Chinese medical books and journals is supported by three years of coursework aimed at reading medical Chinese.
5. Students are expected to be independent learners with class time being focused on discussions and labs that go beyond the material available in the texts.

Educational Objectives

The school’s educational objectives are measurable traits or qualities we expect students to attain by the time they graduate from the program. These objectives are relatively broad and give general guidance for the development of the curriculum and the measure of its success. The following outcomes are expected of the graduates of the Seattle Institute. The graduate will be:

• Knowledgeable in different approaches to Oriental medicine and able to access resources in Chinese and English.
• Skillful in the assessment of patients and the administration of various modalities in the treatment process, as well as providing recommendations for maintaining and promoting health.
• Competent in clinical reasoning and able to make appropriate diagnoses, treatment plans, and referrals.
• Professional in communication and demeanor with healthcare practitioners and patients.