EDUCATION & TRAINING
Continuing Professional Education
Continuing Professional Education ( CPE ) is a structured program of further education for practitioners in their professional occupations .
The ATMS CPE policy is designed to ensure its practitioners regularly update their clinical skills and professional knowledge . One of the main aims of CPE is to keep members abreast of current research and new developments which inform contemporary clinical practice .
The ATMS CPE policy is based on the following principles :
• Easily accessible to all members , regardless of geographic location
• Members should not be given broad latitude in the selection and design of their individual learning programs
• Applicable to not only the disciplines in which a member has ATMS accreditation , but also to other practices that are relevant to clinical practice which ATMS does not accredit ( e . g . Ayurveda , yoga )
• Applicable to not only clinical practice , but also to all activities associated with managing a small business ( e . g . bookkeeping , advertising )
• Seminars , workshops and conferences that qualify for CPE points must be of a high standard and encompass both broad based topics as well as discipline-specific topics
• Financially viable , so that costs will not inhibit participation by members , especially those in remote areas
• Relevant to the learning needs of practitioners , taking into account different learning styles and needs
• Collaborative processes between professional complementary medicine associations , teaching institutions , suppliers of therapeutic goods and devices and government agencies to offer members the widest possible choice in CPE activities
• Emphasis on consultation and co-operation with ATMS members in the development and implementation of the CPE program
ATMS members can gain CPE points through a wide range of professional activities in accordance with the ATMS CPE policy . CPE activities are described in the CPE policy document as well as the CPE Record . These documents can be obtained from the ATMS office ( telephone 1800 456 855 , fax ( 02 ) 9809 7570 , or email info @ atms . com . au ) or downloaded from the ATMS website at www . atms . com . au .
It is a mandatory requirement of ATMS membership that members accumulate 20 CPE points per financial year . CPE points can be gained by selecting any of the following articles , reading them carefully and critically reflecting on how the information in the article may influence your own practice and / or understanding of complementary medicine practice . You can gain one ( 1 ) CPE point per article to a maximum of three ( 3 ) CPE points per journal from this activity :
• Grace S , Baltrotsky K . The National Natural Therapies Workforce Survey Part 1
• Baker J . Plantar heel pain : A soft tissue approach
• MeEwen B . Health impacts of sugar-sweetened beverages
• Medhurst R . Research in homeopathy : An update
• Pagura I . Sexual harassment : Changes to Australian workplace laws 12 December 2023
As part of your critical reflection and analysis , answer in approximately 100 words the following questions for each of the three articles :
1 What new information did I learn from this article ?
2 In what ways will this information affect my clinical prescribing / techniques and / or my understanding of complementary medicine practice ?
3 In what ways has my attitude to this topic changed ?
Record your answers clearly on paper for each article . Date and sign the sheets and attach to your ATMS CPE Record . As a condition of membership , the CPE Record must be kept in a safe place , and be produced on request from ATMS .
JATMS | Autumn 2024 | 35