ARTICLE
Respondents ’ ages
Most respondents ( n = 282 , 26.4 %) reported being aged between 41-50 years , followed by the 51-60 years age group ( n = 211 , 19.7 %) .
Respondents ’ practice locations by State / Territory
Most respondents ( n = 646 , 56.9 %) practised in NSW , followed by Queensland ( n = 169 , 14.9 %) and Victoria ( n = 134 , 11.8 %) ( Table 2 ).
Table 2 . Respondents ' practices by State / Territory
State / Territory
Number of respondents
Percentage of respondents
NSW |
646 |
56.9 % |
QLD |
169 |
14.9 % |
VIC |
134 |
11.8 % |
SA |
80 |
7.0 % |
WA |
44 |
3.9 % |
TAS |
29 |
2.6 % |
ACT |
23 |
2.0 % |
NT |
11 |
1.0 % |
Total |
1136 |
100 % |
Figure 3 . Total count for options chosen by members as their top five priority activities for ATMS to focus on ( in mean scores )
Other ( please provide details )
Increase member support ( please tell us how )
Improve the political recognition of natural medicine Review the formal education standards of members
Work towards reinstating the health fund rebates that were removed in April 2019 Advocate professional registration for the ingestive modalities
Provide free webinars to members
Respond quickly and appropriately to all media
Continue evidence-based research to support natural medicine practice Increase the amount of information given to ATMS members on Health Funds , legislation …
Promote natural medicine to the public
Promote the interests of ATMS members to private health insurers
Lobby the Australian government on behalf of natural medicine practitioners and ATMS …
Offer varied CPE options
2.51
2.79
2.85
3.07
3.04
3.1
3.02
3.12
3.13
3.01
3.25
3.56
3.49
3.66
1 2 3 4
Respondents ’ highest level of education in natural medicine
Most respondents ( n = 426 , 39.8 %) had completed an Industry Standard Diploma ( e . g . from a private college ). The next most frequently reported education levels were Advanced Diploma ( n = 267 , 24.9 %) and Bachelor Degree ( n = 216 , 20.2 %) ( Figure 2 ).
Figure 2 . Highest education levels of respondents
Other ( please specify ) Doctorate
Masters Post Graduate Diploma
Post Graduate Certificate Bachelor Degree with Honours
Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma
Industry Standard Diploma Industry Standard Certificate IV n = 23 , 2.2 % n = 12 , 1.1 % n = 47 , 4.4 % n = 24 , 2.2 % n = 10 , 0.9 % n = 15 , 1.4 %
n = 31 , 2.9 %
Respondents ’ years in clinical practice
Respondents were asked to indicate how many years they had been in clinical practice . A total of 1072 respondents answered the question . The largest group had been in practice for 15-20 years ( n = 225 , 21 %) followed by 21-25 years ( n = 201 , 18.8 %) and 11-15 years ( n = 172 , 16 %).
n = 216 , 20.2 % n = 267 , 24.9 % n = 426,39.8 %
0 100 200 300 400 500 Number of respondents
Priority activities for ATMS identified by members
The top five priorities that members would like ATMS to focus on are ( Figure 3 ) in raw numbers :
• Offering varied continuing professional education ( CPE ) options ( total count = 682 )
• Providing free webinars to members ( total count = 632 )
• Lobbying the Australian government on behalf of natural medicine practitioners and ATMS members ( total count = 575 )
• Working towards reinstating the health fund rebates that were removed on 1 April 2019 ( total count = 534 )
• Promoting natural medicine to the public ( total count = 528 )
The priority Continue evidence-based research to support natural medicine practice ( total count = 513 ) just missed out on being in the top five priority areas by count . However , the mean score ( 3.02 ) for this option shows that this is an important issue for ATMS members .
JATMS | Winter 2021 | 69