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MALAYSIAN SOCIETY FOR
COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES
GUIDELINES
FOR TRAINING OF COMPLEMENTARY
MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS
1. PURPOSE
1.1
The objectives are as follows:
a.
To promote and maintain excellence in Complementary
Medical/Therapies;
b.
To encourage and establish a network of support, training and
communication between Complementary Healthcare Training Institutions,
Organizations and individuals regionally and between nations;
c.
Encourage the highest levels of ethics and integrity in all areas
in the training and practice of Complementary Medicine/Therapies;
d.
Integrate Complementary Medicine/Theraphies into Community
Healthcare;
e.
Promote and facilitate cooperation and collaboration between
Complementary Healthcare providers,
without prejudice and or bias encompassing traditional wisdom and
knowledge with the latest and current medical models;
f.
To ensure a healthy evolution of standards of education for the
practice of Complementary Medicine/Therapies;
g.
Promote research, education and study of Complementary
Medicine/Therapies generally and in Malaysia in particular;
h.
Promote the holistic approach to healthcare and to increase
awareness of the importance of establishing and sustaining an ecologically
healthy environment.
2.
BACKGROUND
2.1
Two Key Issues
2.1.1 Two issues stand out and must be addressed by all
educational establishments for Complementary Medicine/Therapies. They
are:
a.
ě How Do I Train To Be An Complementary Medical
Practitioner?î
b.
ěHow Do Recognise A Well-Trained and competent Complimentary
Medical Practitioner?î
In
fact this two questions apply to all educational establishments
that seeks to
produce professionals in any discipline.
2.1.2
The Governing Council seeks to work with all healthcare stakeholders
both in the public and private s
ectors in creating Educational
guidelines for achieving excellence in the training and
practice of Complementary Medicine /Therapies.
2.1.3
The Guidelines are meant to benefit those who aspire to serve as
Complementary Medical
Practitioners and the interested public. These
guidelines are meant to stress and foster the importance of establishing
a firm
foundation in
various models
of Complementary
Medicine/Therapies. These
guidelines are intended
to encourage and promote all relevant models
of training and is not meant to curtail, restrict
or prejudice any particular
model.
2.1.4 The Governing Council
will honour, preserve and encourage the many
diverse traditions and models
of Complementary Medicine/Therapies.
The priority being the COMPETENCY of practitioners to
enjoy safe, high quality and efficient Complementary
Healthcare.
3.
CURRENT STATUS AND DIRECTIONS
3.1
Complementary Healthcare is Multi-Discipline
3.1.1
Every one
should acknowledge that Complementary Medicine
/Therapies is multi-disciplinary and
the mode
training is diverse.
3.1.2
The Governing Council therefore acknowledge and concede that
it is not able at this stage of its jurisdiction to lay down detail guidelines
and or models for training establishment for specific disciplines.
Suffice to say that the Guidelines from the Ministry of
Health entitled
ě Accreditation of
T / CM (Traditional/
Complementary Medicine)
Training Programme"
where
appropriate shall be applied as the minimum benchmark.
3.1.3
The Governing Council will therefore establish an ě Accreditation
Committee ě
to oversee
evaluate and
guide education establishments
which seek to offer training
in Complementary Medicine/
Therapies so that the abovementioned objectives under Sub-paragraph
1 and 2 will be achieve.
3.1.4
The Governing Council further acknowledges and concedes that there
are many varied models for study and training , namely :
a.
Well-documented self-study
and training, under
establishment ě
Masterî;
b.
Apprenticeship under a specific Master or Masters, Teacher
or Teachers in
accordance with a recognized lineage or tradition.
c.
Formal Academic and Clinical Program;
d.
That all training courses (within the formal models) confer
different types of
certifications from Diplomas
to Degrees. Each
shall be given recognition
in accordance with
such recognition as their
respective professional
bodies or institutions
shall confer without
prejudice to the right of the Governing Council to withhold such recognition if circumstances
justify such a course of action.
3.1.5
The Guidelines
are at
best the
synthesis of the range of
guidelines governing
the training
and practice of Complementary Medical
Practitioners
and is not
meant to
be exclusive.
The guidelines represent
the synthesis of traditional system with that of modern formal
training models.
3.1.6
The Governing
Council seeks
to ensure a correct balance so that the
Complementary Medical
practitioners will
have the
best of the
system and
to be able to
practice in
a modern healthcare environment
- utilising all the
information and technology available
in modern
science and
not falling
into the trap of reductionist
or mechanistic models which rejects and or disregard the
HOLISTIC approach that the
whole is greater than the sum of
its parts
ń the
foundation of Complementary Medicine/Therapies.
3.1.7
The Governing
Council is
only too
aware of the need that the
Complementary Medical
Practitioners must work in collaboration with
all Healthcare Practitioners, so
that there is established
in Malaysia
a genuine
partnership amongst all healthcare practitioners
in the
service of
humanity.
4. TRAINING GUIDELINES
4.1
Ministry of Health Guidelines
4.1.1
Where applicable the
Ministry of Healthís ěAccreditation
of T / MC
(Traditional/Complementary Medicine)
Training Programě
shall be
the minimum
benchmark.
4.1.2
Any person who
seeks to
establish a training institution for Complementary
Medicine /
Therapies must
first satisfy
the Societyís
Accreditation Committee that :
a.
The courses
offered for
the relevant disciplines are
in accordance
with the
requirements of
such professional bodies,
associations and or
institutions associated with the particular
discipline, whether local
or international,
provided
such bodies, associations and or institutions exist for
such purpose;
b.
Where applicable,
complies with
the Ministry of Healthís Guidelines
;
4.1.3 The Accreditation
Committee shall
submit a
report to
the Governing
Council who shall then make
such recommendations
as
may be appropriate to the Ministry of
Health and or such other relevant
authorities charged
with granting
approvals for
educational
establishments.
4.1.4 The role of
the Society in
these circumstances is purely advisory and
the Society shall not
arrogate to itself the powers of licensure or
regulation in the
establishment of training
institutions for Complementary
Medicine/Therapies.
4.2
Key Features of
a Complementary
Healthcare Training Institution
4.2.1
Without prejudice
to paragraph
4.1 above,
the following are the key features:-
a.
Clearly articulated policy on health which puts patient / client at
the
centre;
b.
Effective communications throughout;
c. Staff development and performance review;
d. Practitioners at all levels involved in
development;
e. Academic staff must be all duly qualified;
f. Clinical supervisor of all
Practitioners;
g. Commitment of Reflective Practice
h.
Ability to produce Practitioners with the Core Competencies and
Core
Skills which
will enable
them to
be registered as
practitioners
in accordance with the Guidelines of the Society for the
registration of
Complementary Medical
Practitioners;
i. Modern and appropriate
amenities.
5.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
5.1
The Objective
5.1.1 As apart of
the efforts
of the
Society to
maintain and raise standards
of education
and practice,
the Governing
Council requires
all Practitioners to engage
in continuing
education.
5.1.2
The Society
recognises that the
study of
Complementary Medicine / Therapies is
a lifelong process and does
not end on passing
out from an
education establishment or institution.
5.1.3
Engaging in continuing education will support the practitioners in the
ongoing study of
Complementary Medicine/Therapies and ensuring
the public and the Government that the practitioners are striving
to keep their knowledge
current and to further enhance their skill as healthcare providers.
5.2
The Guidelines
5.2.1
The Continuing Education is built on the acquisition of ěContinuing
Education Credit Hours or Units- CEUî.
5.2.2
CEUs may be earned in any sequence and with any distribution over
a period of two years. A CEU is defined as a minimum of one hour of
training. CEUs may be gained from a variety of sources but must be gained
from recognized categories. They are as follows:
a.
Category 1 (20 CEUs )
Courses
sanctioned by the Society, such as classes taught by the Society, approved
distance learning programs, symposia,
conferences and such other courses
as the
Society
may approve from time to time.
b.
Category 2
(10 CEUs)
CEUs
may be achieved by course work with an accredited
institution.
c.
Category 3(10 CEUs)
Documented
research in any discipline in Complementary Medicine/Therapies
which has been peer reviewed by at
least two members of the Society. Each project or research
will be give 5 CEUs.
d.
Category 4 (10 CEUs)
Well
documented self study or life experience. Each study is
equivalent of 5 CEUs.
e.
Category 5 (5 CEUs)
Peer
Review of Practice and or Case Studies.
5.3
CEU Documentation
5.3.1
CEU documentation will be required
when a practitioner renews his
membership in
the Society.
This requirement shall
be enforced
after the practitioner has been
a member of the Society for
three years.
5.2.2 It follows
that at
the commencement of the
6th year of
membership
the practitioner
shall have
complied with
this requirement of
continuing education.
The member
shall
therefore
have two years to comply
with the requirement i.e. from the
fourth to the fifth year of membership.
6.
CONCLUSION
6.1
It is
the hope
that the
abovementioned guidelines
will see the establishment of
credible institutions
of learning in Complementary Medicine
/ Therapies
and that
a highly
respected Profession
of Complementary
Medical Practitioners will emerge in Malaysia in the not
too distant future.
6.2
That standard of
Complementary Healthcare in Malaysia will be second to
none and Malaysia can proudly
claim to be the Centre of Excellence For
Complementary Healthcare.
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