followed by 27.3 % with an Advanced Diploma , 13.6 % with a Bachelor degree , 9.1 % with a Masters degree and 9.1 % with a PhD . One respondent ( 4.6 %) stated other qualifications .
Full Time or Part Time Study A total of 783 out of 1733 ( 43.2 %) of respondents studied full-time and 861 out of 1733 ( 49.7 %) studied part time for their primary qualification .
How Well Did Qualifications Prepare Practitioners ? Respondents were asked how well their qualification in natural therapies prepared them for working with health practitioners other than natural therapists . Most practitioners said they either felt quite well prepared ( 566 out of 1677 , 33.8 %) or adequately prepared ( 522 out of 1677 , 31.1 %). Some ( 340 out of 1677 , 20.3 %) felt their qualification prepared them extremely well , while 199 out of 1677 ( 11.9 %) felt poorly prepared and 50 out of 1677 ( 3.0 %) stated their qualification did not prepare them at all ( see Table 2.3 ).
Table 2.3 How Prepared Practitioners Felt to Work with Health Professionals who were not Natural Therapists
Felt Prepared ? n (%) Not at all 50 ( 3.0 ) Poorly 199 ( 11.9 ) Adequately 522 ( 31.1 ) Quite well 566 ( 33.8 ) Extremely well 340 ( 20.3 ) Total 1,677 ( 100 )
Discussion
The results of this survey suggest that the natural therapies workforce is predominantly female , an ageing population and well qualified . Female dominance in natural therapies is consistent with other health disciplines in Australia . In 2021 , 76.3 % of health practitioners across 15 health professions were female ( Anderson et al ., 2023 ). This represented an increase of 0.5 % since 2016 .
Ageing populations are reported across the entire natural therapies health workforce . The median age of health practitioners across all health professions in 2021 was 42 years ( Anderson et al ., 2023 ). Between 2016 and 2021 the median age of Chinese medicine practitioners increased from 48 years to 51 years , pharmacists from 35 years to 37 years , and podiatrists ’ median age was unchanged at 36 years . The proportion of Australian general practitioners 45 years and older increased from 39 % to 64 % between 1985 and 2009 ( Schofield et al ., 2009 ). By 2022 , the median age for an Australian general practitioner was 51.6 years ( Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care , 2023 ). Nursing was the only health profession to show a decrease ( from 45 years to 43 years ) ( Anderson et al ., 2023 ).
Education of natural therapists in Australia has undergone significant changes in recent years , including changes to the Health Training Package ( HLT ). For example , new HLT skill sets have been recently introduced for remedial massage . Students of the Diploma of Remedial Massage are now required to learn the principles of pain neuroscience and how to incorporate those principles into management plans for their clients ( Training . gov . au , 2022 ). There is also a trend for naturopathy and acupuncture courses to move out of the university sector back to the private sector . For example , the University of Technology , Sydney , closed their acupuncture degree in 2021 after 25 years ( Sparke , 2019 ). At such a time it is particularly important to gather feedback from graduates to understand their experiences and to better prepare them for their future clinical practices . In particular , a focus on interprofessional practice and education articulation pathways , both to and from other health professions , is called for . Just over half of survey respondents rated how prepared they felt for working with other health practitioners as ‘ quite well ’ and ‘ excellent ’. However , there are opportunities here for natural therapies education providers to ensure that all graduates are ready to join multidisciplinary teams , including through co-located clinical practices and multidisciplinary community events .
( In Part 2 , we will present a summary of the business practices of respondents ( including number of consultations , income , referral networks and adverse reactions ) and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic .)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our grateful thanks to our statistician , Dr Alison Bowling .
REFERENCES Anderson , S ., Saar , E ., Evans , J ., Rasmussen , M ., Bayyavarapu , S . B ., Main , P . A . E ., & Townley , H . ( 2023 ). Demographic changes in Australia ' s regulated health professions : 6-year trends . Australian Health Review , 47 ( 2 ), 246-253 . https :// doi . org / 10.107 / AH23004
Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care . ( 2023 ). Summary statistics , medical profession . Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care ,. Retrieved February 9 from https :// hwd . health . gov . au
Schofield , D . J ., Fletcher , S ., & Callander , E . J . ( 2009 ). Ageing medical workforce in Australia - where will the medical educators come from ? Human Resources for Health , 7 ( 82 ). https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / 1478-4491-7-82
Sparke , C . ( 2019 ). UTS axes its Chinese medicine course . Australian Doctor . Retrieved February 10 from https :// www . ausdoc . com . au / news / uts-axes-its-chinese-medicinecourse /#:~: text = After % 20more % 20than % 20 25 % 20years , to % 20provide % 20enough % 20 research % 20output .
Training . gov . au . ( 2022 ). Unit of competency details HLTMSG016 Apply principles of pain neuroscience . Retrieved February 10 from https :// training . gov . au / Training / Details / HLTMSG016
14 | vol30 | no1 | JATMS