Assessment and accreditation of programs leading to Endorsement of Registration of Medical Practitioners for Acupuncture
Under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, the Medical Board of Australia can ‘endorse’ the registration of suitably qualified practitioners. An endorsement of registration recognises that a person has additional qualifications and expertise in an approved area of practice.
From 1 July 2012, medical practitioners who wish to use the title “acupuncturist” must either have their registration endorsed for acupuncture by the Medical Board of Australia or be registered by the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.
In November 2012, Health Ministers approved a registration standard relevant to the endorsement of registration for acupuncture for medical practitioners. The standard provides for endorsement of registration of those medical practitioners who have an approved qualification for endorsement for acupuncture. In developing the standard, the Medical Board of Australia indicated that the AMC, as the accreditation authority for the medical profession, would be responsible for accrediting programs of study for endorsement for acupuncture. In line with the requirements of the National Law, accreditation decisions on particular programs of study are based on an assessment of the program against approved accreditation standards.
Standards for the assessment and accreditation of programs of study leading to endorsement of registration of medical practitioners for acupuncture
The AMC, on behalf of the Medical Board of Australia, has developed Standards for the assessment and accreditation of programs of study leading to endorsement of registration of medical practitioners for acupuncture.
The standards for the assessment and accreditation of programs of study leading to endorsement of registration of medical practitioners for acupuncture can be found here.
Procedures for the assessment and accreditation of programs of study leading to endorsement of registration of medical practitioners for acupuncture
The AMC has standard policies on the conduct of its accreditation processes. These describe how the AMC manages confidentiality, conflicts of interest, complaints and appeals, and the key steps in any accreditation process, such as appointment of a team to complete the assessment, the activities by the team, and the interactions between the team and the organisation being reviewed.
The procedures for the assessment and accreditation of programs of study leading to endorsement of registration of medical practitioners for acupuncture can be found here.