What Makes Integrative Medicine Specialists Unique?
Listen to physicians who advocate the practice of integrative medicine, and the qualities that differentiate integrative medicine specialists quickly become apparent. They speak of focusing on the lifestyle choices of patients as often as prescribing medicine. They discuss massage therapy, nutrition, and acupuncture in the same breath as the latest pharmacological study. It is a broader perspective on healthcare, a deeper understanding of how to connect with patients – and why that is important.
The number one quality shared by physicians who are eligible to seek board certification through the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) is the ability to demonstrate they possess the experience and knowledge necessary to provide the best patient care possible. In fact, every physician who becomes a Diplomate of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) has met the requirement to demonstrate a mastery of the core competencies within his or her chosen specialty. In addition to that, an integrative medicine specialist is someone whose approach to is guided by a focus on the whole person as a means to help patients maintain optimal health or achieve healing.
The specialty also is defined by a willingness to embrace versatility – not merely carrying a “bigger black bag,” but acknowledging the importance of “whole person” treatment and all that entails, including global healing traditions. It is, in many ways, an effort to combine the best of conventional medicine and practices that typically are included within the realm of complementary and alternative medicine. No relevant modality is disregarded.
To learn more about becoming board certified through the ABOIM, contact the ABPS today. The ABPS is the official multi-specialty certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.