AACMA Newsletter - 20 September 2024
20 September 2024
This Issue:
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SPECIAL REPORT:
AACMA Engages KPMG to Research & Uncover the True Impact of the TCM Industry in Australia
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Vale: Brian Bateman
- Vale: Steve Clavey
- Upcoming AACMA Webinars
- RMIT 2024 TCM Forum in November
- Research Project: Recent Graduate Member Participation Required
- FREE CPD - Replay of AACMA Researchers Webinar 2024
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Reminder
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Moving or Adding a New Clinic?
SPECIAL REPORT: AACMA Engages KPMG to Research & Uncover the True Impact of the TCM Industry in Australia
As part of our commitment to advancing Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia, we’re excited to share that we’ve partnered with KPMG to research the economic and health impact of our industry. The report reveals that acupuncture and herbal medicine are not only improving health outcomes but also making a significant contribution to Australia’s economy.
“This report highlights how valuable our industry is, not only in improving health outcomes but also in contributing to Australia’s broader economy,” said our President, Waveny Holland. “The growing demand for traditional therapies reflects a shift towards more holistic approaches to healthcare.”
We’re eager to present these findings to the Australian Government and the community, as we continue to push for greater recognition of the benefits and importance of TCM.
To learn more, we invite you to check out the latest "5 Fascinating Facts About Traditional Chinese Medicine in Australia" article on Jing-Luo.
Vale: Brian Bateman
Brian Bateman, one of the first 6 Queensland practitioners who set up the Australian Acupuncture Association Ltd in 1973 which later became AACMA, sadly passed away last week.
A funeral for Brian, who was member number 3 and a past president of the association was held on Friday.
Brian was given the honour of life membership of AACMA for his massive contribution to the profession and the formation of the association that today is the lead association representing the majority of registered Chinese medicine practitioners in Australia.
It was their early foresight which gained us private health fund status and established a high standard of education and training which then led to national registration for Chinese medicine in 2012.
On behalf of all AACMA members, the national office staff and AACMA Board, we extend our condolences to Brian’s family friends and colleagues.
Vale: Steve Clavey
Steve Clavey was a registered Chinese herbalist practicing Chinese medicine in Melbourne, Australia since 1986. He studied modern and classical Chinese at the Mandarin Centre of Taiwan Normal University and received his training in Chinese medicine in Taiwan and at the Zhejiang College of TCM in China. He is the author of Fluid Physiology and Pathology in Chinese Medicine, was editor of The Lantern, a journal of traditional Chinese medicine in Australia and collaborated with other international herbalists on 2 of the most valuable Chinse herbal medicine texts - Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica and Formulas & Strategies, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica (Portable 3rd Ed.)
On behalf of all AACMA members, the national office staff and AACMA Board, we extend our condolences to Steve’s family friends and colleagues.
Upcoming AACMA Events
FREE AACMA Webinar with Beyondblue:
Global trends and their local impact on mental health - How practitioners can support themselves and their customers
In this presentation we will explore global trends and their local impact on our mental health. We think this is a great conversation to be having as we hear from the community every day that we are living in some challenging times – so no doubt you're hearing this from your clients too. We will also present on how to deal with these challenges form a collective and individual perspective with tools resources and support services provided.
Date: Wednesday 25th September 2024
Time: 7:30pm-8:30pm (AEST)
Presenter: Irene Verins, Senior Advisor (Beyond Blue Strategy and Advice Team)
CPD: 1 point (professional issues & practitioner interaction if attend live)
Location: Zoom
Registration: FREE exclusive for AACMA membership. Register via the button below!
*This webinar will be recorded and the replay will be available for all members. Please only register if you are able to attend live.
AACMA Webinar with Guild Insurance:
Informed consent and record keeping – are you meeting your requirements?
As nationally regulated health professionals, you’d be aware of the expectation for your patients to give their informed consent to treatment and to also keep detailed records of all aspects of clinical care. However, at Guild Insurance, thanks to many years of protecting health professionals, we know these two vitally important processes are too often not done well enough. Patients being inadequately informed and clinical records lacking detail can contribute to complaints occurring as well as make it challenging to defend these complaints. And they can also attract unwanted attention from your regulator. This session will use case examples to highlight problems experienced due to poor consent and record keeping and provide practical tips to improve compliance.
Date: Wednesday 9 October 2024
Time: 8-9pm (NSW/VIC/TAS), 7:30-8:30pm (SA), 7-8pm (QLD), 6:30-7:30pm (NT), 5-6pm (WA)
Presenter: Christie Boucher, Risk Services Manager (Guild Insurance)
CPD: 1 point (professional issues & practitioner interaction if attend live)
Tickets: AACMA Member $25, Student Member FREE, Non-member $50
RMIT 2024 TCM Forum in November
RMIT Chinese Medicine Discipline has presented an online TCM Forum every year since 2020. Many Chinese Medicine practitioners and students have participated.
The 2024 RMIT TCM Forum will be held Sunday 17 November, 10.00am - 4.00pm.
The forum is free to all participants and comes with 5.25 CPD points. Click to download the event flyer pdf.
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.
FREE CPD - Replay of AACMA Researchers Webinar 2024
The 4-hour AACMA Researchers Webinar 2024 was held successfully last Sunday 15 September. We have received feedback that the event is very informative and many find the information shared can be adopted in their practice for clients. We would like to thank all the presenters speaking at the event - Sean Zhu, Brigitte Linder, Kellie McBride, Jann Mehmet, Millicent Matthew and Simone Ormsby.
If you missed the live event, the webinar recording is now available on the membership portal. To access the replay, 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 AACMA Free CPD Recordings section, the webinar replay link is on the top of the list.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Reminder
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 1st December to 30th November as per your CMBA/AHPRA registration year.
AACMA requires members to email their completed CPD cards by November 30th 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.
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.
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Medibank only update: deadline Sunday 13 October 2024
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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.
