| The last half of the 20th century witnessed dramatic changes in the landscape of American healthcare, including the rise of complementary and alternative medicine and the creation of new careers in Western medicine. Americans' use of acupuncture in particular has grown steadily in the past four decades. Despite these facts, there has been no sociological investigation of acupuncture students, and little to no recent sociological work on students of Western medicine.;This dissertation presents findings from a self-administered survey instrument which was offered to a sample of acupuncture (n=98), medical (n=167), and nurse practitioner (n=73) students in a metropolitan area of a Rocky Mountain state. Results from bivariate and multivariate analyses show significant differences in sociodemographics and cultural beliefs among the three groups. These results, along with testimonial narratives, show that for these respondents, the decision to embark on a particular type of healthcare career is dependent upon both social advantage and personal preferences which follow from cultural values.;By providing new information on acupuncture students and updated information on medical and nurse practitioner students, this pilot study integrates classic medical sociology, Inglehart's findings on postmaterialism, and Ray and Anderson's work on Cultural Creatives. This work may be valuable not only to sociology and bioethics, but also to professionals in healthcare and healthcare education. |
