AACMA Newsletter - 18 October 2024

Resources

This Issue:

Renew Your 2025 AACMA Membership
1st Asia-Pacific Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine: 23 November 2024
Research Project: Recent Graduate Member Participation Required
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Reminder & CPD Resources
Moving or Adding a New Clinic?

Renew Your 2025 AACMA Membership

The AACMA Board is mindful of the increases in everything else in our day to day living and working and has therefore voted to again keep membership rates at the same 2017 level AND a 10% discount is yours if you pay your full membership by November 30^th .

Why continue to choose AACMA as your professional association?

A dedicated team at our national office trained to support our members in all aspects of the profession, its practice and conducting a business- we value you!
Quality, subsidised CPD including AACMAC which delivered 44 hours of CPD with international and local speakers, our professional series of webinars to provide the necessary information for improving and growing your business and importantly our research webinar bringing you the most current studies being conducted on our medicine now
Focused social media campaign which raises public awareness of our medicine, increasing patient traffic to our members’ clinics as evidenced by the clicks to the practitioner search function
Discounted professional indemnity and public liability insurances
The AACMA Research Centre that is only available to members and is exclusively Chinese medicine related research
The only association with a structured mentoring program specifically designed for new and beginning practitioners
A website that will host a secure Communities platform for members to network, engage and discuss relevant clinical and professional issues with the AACMA member community
The most culturally diverse professional association that is exclusively dedicated to Chinese medicine. AACMA does not endorse or support dry needling and acuneedling delivered by undertrained therapists or practitioners as other associations do
Continued lobbying and advocacy to government, private health funds and worker’s compensation agencies and other industry stakeholders
AACMA actively collaborates and supports educational institutions providing Chinese medicine courses to nurture and support Chinese medicine students thus laying a strong foundation for the future of our medicine
AACMA is a founding member of the international collaboration One Voice with the vision of advancing acupuncture and its practice globally
AACMA is a member of Wildlife Protection in TCM and World Animal Protection strongly supporting the protection of endangered species
AACMA - progressive, proactive and professional. Thank you for being our member

How to Renew Your Membership & Save 10%

Members without Annual Direct Debit
To get your 10% discount by paying in full before November 30^th 2024, please click the “Renew Membership” button on https://acupuncture.org.au/members/mymembership and start your renewal process.

Members with Annual Direct Debit
If you had chosen the Annual Direct Debit (ADD) option for auto membership renewal. Please be advised that this year ADD will be processed on the 15 November 2024. The early bird discount is 10% off the standard rate.

Please make sure your credit card details are up to date, the functionality is on the “My Invoices” page: https://acupuncture.org.au/members/invoices. For first time login, please click the “Forgotten Password” button to set up a password. Username is your email address on AACMA’s record.

Once logged in, please click “Update payment method linked to my subscription” button next to the membership invoice and an “Update Payment Method” window will pop up. You can enter the details there then confirm to save.

The credit card details will be saved at the Commonwealth Bank’s database for security purposes and AACMA will have no access to this information.

Please make sure your credit card details are up to date for the auto deduction to avoid any dishonour fees.

Should you have questions or need any assistance regarding this matter, please feel free to contact the AACMA office on 07 3457 1800.

Financial Assistance
If you under financial stress, please talk to a team member as AACMA has options that may be of assistance. AACMA also offers post-payment plans for your consideration. Please complete the form and send it to accounts@acupuncture.org.au.

Membership Hub
You can now manage your membership, view invoices, update details and access important information by using our Membership Hub. From the AACMA website, just click on “Login” and follow the onscreen prompts. For a first time login, please click the ‘Forgotten Password’ button to set up a password. Username is your email address on AACMA’s record.

General Queries
If you like any assistance or have questions about any of the above issues, please contact us on 07 3457 1800 or email aacma@acupuncture.org.au

Important Documents
Being a member of AACMA means adhering to certain standards, codes and regulations. For your information here are some of them;

1st Asia-Pacific Forum on Traditional Chinese Medicine: 23 November 2024

To celebrate 10 years of collaboration between Western Sydney University and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, AACMA is pleased to join with Western Sydney University‘s Chinese Medicine Centre to host the inaugural International Communication of Traditional Chinese Medicine 1ST Asia-Pacific Forum on November 23^rd 2024.

This forum celebrates CMC's achievements and offers a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and networking within the global TCM community. It brings together renowned practitioners, researchers, industry leaders, university leaders, and government officials to discuss the latest developments, challenges, and future directions of TCM. The event features a distinguished panel of speakers, each offering unique insights into various facets of TCM practice and research.

Confirmed speakers:

Professor Huang Huang, world renowned and one of China’s foremost experts in the use of formulas from Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue in the treatment of difficult-to-treat disease will be presenting “From Ancient Formulas to Modern Solutions”
Dr John McDonald, will be presenting “Acupuncture is point specific”
Professor Shi Xinde, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences presenting “The Three Character Classic for Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis”
Waveny Holland, President of the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association, Healing Across Borders: “Cultural Harmony in Health: A Thriving TCM Clinic Serving All”

Event Details

Date: 23 November 2024
Time: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
CPD: 7 points (pending)
Location: State Library of NSW
Registration by: 22 October 2024
Fees:
- Regular (In person): $200
- Western & BUCM Alumni: $150
- Online Participation: $260

For all inquiries, please contact Xiangxu (Johnny) xiangxu.zeng@westernsydney.edu.au

The full program to be released shortly as a speaker from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) is yet to be confirmed pending visas and travel arrangements.

The awards ceremony for the First International Bilingual TCM Short Video Competition will also be announced at this event.

The forum also includes a special session on global TCM communication in the modern era, which will explore new trends and opportunities in the field, helping attendees plan their future careers in the growing world of integrative medicine.

To be part of these celebrations while earning CPD points, register now for in person or online attendance.

Research Project: Recent Graduate Member Participation Required

This research project examines barriers to care for trans and gender diverse people with endometriosis. Trans and gender diverse individuals presumed female at birth experience elevated rates of chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis (approximately 1 in 4) yet face significant barriers to care due to a shortage of providers trained in gender-affirming care. Therefore, this project is investigating the inclusion of trans and gender diverse health in healthcare provider curriculum (looking at medical and complementary medicine providers - specifically Naturopaths and traditional Chinese medicine/acupuncture practitioners).

This survey is targeted at recent Naturopath and TCM graduates and aims to explore the current inclusion of trans and gender diverse health in medical and complementary medicine curriculum, with a focus on gynaecology/endometriosis education. It asks participants questions about themselves and their background (e.g. age, ethnicity and other non-identifiable details), as well as questions about the inclusion of trans health in their education, their knowledge of gender affirming care, attitudes towards trans patients and confidence in their ability to provide gender affirming care. The online survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete.

The survey aims to answer the following research questions:

How is trans health incorporated in complementary medicine (CM) curriculums across Australia and Aotearoa?
How well do students feel the current curriculum has prepared them to address the gynaecological needs of trans people?
What are areas of unmet needs for trans health in current medical and CM curriculums?

Inclusion criteria:

Survey participants must have graduated from an undergraduate naturopathy or TCM/acupuncture degree from January 2020 onwards, have been in clinical practice for at least 6 months and studied at an institution in Australia or Aotearoa.

Outcomes:

The survey data will be used to generate descriptive statistics on the degree of inclusion of trans health care, attitudes towards trans patients and knowledge of trans health.

The final results will be made widely available via open access publishing, conferences and will inform the development of a free online trans and gender diverse healthcare module.

Participant criteria & further Information:

Recent complementary medicine graduates in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand) are invited to participate in a survey exploring the inclusion of transgender and gender diverse health in your undergraduate degree.

To participate you must be:

Graduated from a medicine or CAM degree (naturopathy or traditional Chinese medicine) in Australia or Aotearoa after January 2020
Over 18 years of age
In clinical practice for at least 6 months post graduation

The aim of this research is to assess the current curriculum for gaps in trans and gender diverse health and identify factors which contribute to poor access to health care.

Specifically the survey will explore:

Inclusion of trans and gender diverse health as a whole
Inclusion of trans and gender diverse gynaecological health
Bias and attitudes towards trans and gender diverse health care
Knowledge in trans and gender diverse health care and confidence caring for these patients

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete.

Please download the participant information sheet pdf for further details and don’t hesitate to get in touch with Sam via email 22077344@student.westernsydney.edu.au should you have any questions.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Reminder & CPD Resources

What are the requirements?

complete a minimum of 20 hours (points) consisting of;
5 points (minimum) in an interactive setting with other practitioners
4 points related to professional issues (non-clinical issues)
Outline of your Learning Goals / Objectives and Actual Outcomes
Reflection on each activity, how it improved your skills / practice
New graduates must complete a minimum of five (5) points for every three (3) months registration remaining.

When does the CPD year start and when is it due?

The CPD year is from 1^st December to 30^th November as per your CMBA/AHPRA registration year.

AACMA requires members to email their completed CPD cards by November 30^th each year to ensure compliance with CMBA and Health Funds.

To download the CPD form click on the following link CPD Record Card or email aacma@acupuncture.org.au.

For further information please refer to AHPRA’s Continuing Professional Development Guidelines and the CMBA Registration Standards.

Need more CPD points? Make the most of the CPD resources on AACMA Membership Portal

We have a range of free and low-cost recordings of AACMA webinars on the membership portal to assist with members’ continuing professional development. Simply log in as a member on www.acupuncture.org.au and click “CPD that may interest you - view all” on your dashboard, then scroll down to find the AACMA CPD recordings to watch and purchase.

Moving or Adding a New Clinic?

Please contact our membership team with your new clinic details by email at aacma@acupuncture.org.au so they can apply to the health funds for new provider numbers.

Medibank only update: deadline Sunday 13 October 2024
October monthly updates: deadline Thursday 24 October 2024

Ceased practicing at a clinic, please provide the address and the ceased date so we can advise the health funds to remove your details.

To check your workplace details or membership go to our website https://www.acupuncture.org.au/ then

Go to ‘Login’ at the top right-hand corner then
Click ‘Member Login’ to log into the website your Username is your email address on AACMA’s record and the password you created.
For the first time login, please click the ‘Forgotten Password’ button to set up a password.

If you have issues logging in or setting up a password, please don’t hesitate to contact the membership team 07 3457 1800 we are happy to assist you.