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FAQ About ANTA

 

Natural Therapists

Membership

Association

Studying Natural Therapies

Website and Password-Related

Continuing Education

Professional Support

Natural Therapists

What is the role of a Natural Therapist?

A: The role of a Natural Therapists:

  • As a primary contact Practitioner
  • Referral from another Natural/Traditional Therapists
  • Referral from a Medical Practitioner
  • Working in conjunction with another Natural/Traditional Therapist or other Healtcare providers

FOR

  • The prevention and treatment of Disease
  • The maintenance of your Optimal Health

Q: How do the public select a Natural/Traditional Therapist?

A: A Natural Therapists is usually selected from a Phone directory, Advertisement, Word of Mouth, Referral or by contacting a professional association. Find Health Online with ANTA.

Q: How do you know if a Natural Therapist is 'qualified'?

A: Currently government regulation only exists for Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and TCM, all other non registered natural therapies can be practiced by Natural/Traditional Therapist without qualifications. Self regulation is controlled within and outside the profession. Therefore, to ensure you are seeing a 'qualified practitioner' contact a professional association for a referral onto a qualified professional.

For more information read our Guidance on Choosing a Therapist.

Q: I have had a bad experience with a Practitioner of an Association and the practitioner cannot present any relevant qualifications. Please advise how to deal with this situation?

A: ANTA is a membership association and therefore has no jurisdiction over therapists who are not our members. We suggest contacting the relevant Association and make a complaint to their ethics committee. Failing that, we suggest making a complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).

Q: Does ANTA strive to be heard in the way our Nation's health is Governed?

A: ANTA has been representing the interests of natural therapists for more than 50 years. We are in constant contact and liaise with the Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing, State Health Depts, WorkCover Authorities, Health Funds, Therapeutic Goods Administration, Dept Veterans Affairs etc on all matters relating to the profession.

Q: What's are the differences between "Western medicine" and "conventional medicine", "Alternative" and "Complementary medicine"?

A: Here, you'll find some honest answers.

Membership

Q: How do I update my member details?

A: You can change your residential/postal address, clinic details and other information in the Member Centre on the ANTA website. If you have changed your name, please send ANTA certified documentation of change of name, marriage or divorce.

Q: What's my membership number?

A: You can find your membership number on your membership certificate, or by calling ANTA on 1800 817 577. (Members only)

Q: How do I change from Student to Practicing Member?

A: To upgrade your student membership to full membership download a membership application form and mail in your completed application with your fees payment. (Note: Be sure to take advantage of the check list to ensure you don’t overlook any part of the application).

Q: How can I tell when my membership expires?

A: Each year, you'll receive a membership renewal form, the expiration date is included on the form. ANTA will remind you when it's time to renew and because it's so important to renew promptly, ANTA offers you a valuable incentive (discounted membership fees) when you respond quickly.

Q: Will you send me a notice when it's time to renew my membership?

A: You will receive a renewal notice before your membership expires, but if you renew before the response date shown in your renewal letter and invoice, you will receive a discounted rate.

Q: I have completed my training as a Natural Therapist overseas, and attained a Diploma and/or Degree qualification. Am I eligible to become a member of the Australian Natural Therapist Association?

A: To be eligible for membership with ANTA you are required to have completed a course that is recognised by ANTA. ANTA does not assess overseas qualifications.

However, please refer to the information available on the Joining ANTA page 'How to Join ANTA with Overseas Qualifications' section.

Q: Why doesn’t ANTA recognise distance education?

A: There are many reasons why ANTA does not recognise distance education, here are just a few main points:

  • A large number of the public use Natural Therapists as their primary healthcare practitioner and we believe that primary health care practitioners should be educated in on-campus facilities.
  • If the Natural Therapists industry wants to be recognised with the same status as the Medical Profession then we have to have the same standard of training - all medical practitioners are trained in on-campus facilities.
  • Registration of practitioners is being considered more and more by government. We do not believe that government registration bodies will register Natural Therapists educated by distance education.
  • We are not aware of any health funds that recognise Natural Therapists as providers who have completed distance education courses.
  • ANTA acknowledges courses can contain components of self directed learning (i.e. a certain amount of home study is required by the student) and have flexible learning options (i.e. online face to face lectures) and these courses are assessed by ANTA for recognition purposes.
  • Courses that are delivered by distance education are not assessed by ANTA for recognition purposes.

Q: I am a Beauty Therapists with qualifications in Massage and Aromatherapy and I would like to become a member of ANTA?

A: To be eligible for ANTA membership you need to have completed a course that is recognised by ANTA.

Q: I am a Student and would like to become a member of ANTA, however some of my subjects will be delivered by a combination of on campus, online and distance education options?

A: Colleges offer various options and combinations of study for on campus, online and distance education options. All on campus courses have elements of flexible learning which includes self directed learning and online learning (i.e. virtual classrooms and other online learning facilities). Most courses delivered by colleges have modules that are completed on campus and also by flexible learning. If you were to complete modality specific units on campus, completed supervised clinical training and completed the generic course units (i.e. anatomy, physiology) by flexible learning options you would be eligible to apply for ANTA membership and be eligible for health fund recognition.

If however, you completed the whole course off campus, you would not be eligible to apply for ANTA membership. All persons joining ANTA are required to sign a Statutory Declaration stating the course they completed was not completed wholly by distance education. In addition health funds will not recognise courses wholly completed by distance education (i.e. off campus).

Q: I am considering changing to a much cheaper Association. Is there anything you can offer me as an incentive to stay with ANTA?

A: ANTA encourages all practitioners to evaluate their association membership to ensure that it meets their needs. The saying "You get what you pay for" certainly applies to association membership in Australia and we believe you should take that into consideration. The ANTA website provides a detailed list of the benefits that we offer however, some of these benefits are as follows:

  • ANTA membership provides the most extensive health fund and workcover coverage.
  • As an ANTA member you have free access 24/7 to the online IMGateway (normally would cost you $150 each year) and also the world's most Comprehensive full-text Alternative Medicine Research Database free of charge 24 hours a day 7 days a week as part of their membership package..
  • Attend ANTA seminars free of charge (normally between $80 -$150).
  • Your own free webpage on the practitioner referral section of the ANTA website.
  • Practitioner referrals on the ANTA practitioner free call referal number 1800 817 577.
  • Your ANTA membership includes approx $250 of value (as outlined above) that you will not be required to pay on top of your membership.
  • We offer all members a reduction on their annual fee when paying the fee promptly.

Q: I practice in a Pharmacy focusing mostly on retail, but I have started consulting occasionally. Am I able to gain health fund recognition being covered by the Pharmacy’s insurance policy?

A: To gain health fund recognition you must have insurance. ANTA will accept a letter from your employer (on their letterhead) that you are currently covered under their professional indemnity insurance policy. The Letter should name the underwriter of the policy, the amount of the cover and the date the policy expires.

Q: I'm no longer practising and wondering what my options are as to my membership with ANTA?

A: There is an option to take a "Leave of Absence" at a cost of $55/year that effectively puts your membership on hold until you wish to return to practice. If you wish to take this option, please contact the National Administration Office. Normally there is a limit of 2 years for a leave of absence, however, in special circumstances this can be extended.

Q: I am a student and have recently moved interstate. I am hoping to complete my clinical hours off campus with a therapist, however am having trouble finding anyone who can provide this. Can ANTA provide some therapists that I could contact who may be of assistance in this matter?

A: Students should be looking to complete clinical training with a Registered Training Organisation or a qualified therapist that has a minimum Certificate 4 in Workplace Training and Assessment qualification. If a therapist is not suitably qualified in these areas your clinical training my not count. Clinical training should be done under the supervision of a suitably qualified clinical trainer. ANTA recommends contacting a college/course provider to arrange properly supervised clinical training.

Q: Which Health Funds recognise and consider ANTA a professional association?

A: ANTA is recognised as a professional association by over 45 Health Funds and WorkCover organisations. View Health Funds that recognise ANTA including links to their web site on ANTA's Web links resource.

Association

Q: How do I contact the ANTA Board of Directors?

A: Simply write to them in care of ANTA Executive Officer at PO BOX 657, Maroochydore QLD 4558 or via the contact ANTA form.

Q: How can I nominate someone for an ANTA Board of Directors position?

A: Each few years, ANTA solicits nominations for the Board of Directors. Voting forms are provided to all Members via mail and email.

Q: How do I obtain copyright permission for ANTA publications and material posted on the Web site?

A: Contact ANTA via the Contact us feature on the web site, or e-mail info(AT)anta.com.au.

Q: How do I contact ANTA?

A: Toll-free: 1800 817 577 E-mail: info(AT)anta.com.au; The Australian Natural Therapies Association, PO BOX 657, Maroochydore QLD 4558.

Q: I would like to find out information about the legislation of natural medicine and therapies in Australia?

A: In Australia there is limited government control over the natural therapy industry. There are a number of natural therapy associations which self-regulate their members, although it is not compulsory to belong to an association. However, to gain recognition from private health funds and to be able to take out professional indemnity insurance you would need to belong to an association such as ours.

Q: Is an Australian Natural Therapies qualification recognised Overseas?

A: ANTA does not have any affiliations with overseas associations, so we do not know whether Australian qualifications are recognised overseas. You would need to contact an associations in the relevant Country to determine this.

Q: I was wondering what the legalities are with home visits. Are practitioners able to do them? Does our insurance cover them or does insurance only cover practitioners who visit clinics?

A: You are able to do home visits/consultations anywhere as long as you have an address listed with ANTA as your mobile clinic base address. A few things you need to organise prior to operating as a mobile clinic are:

  • List a mobile clinic base with ANTA (normally this is your residential address);
  • Inform your insurer that you will be operating as a mobile clinic conducting home consults/visits;
  • Inform Health Funds you have individual provider numbers with of your mobile base address (enabling health fund recognition).

Q: I am a Student who is hoping to do some massage work in the school holidays. What public liability insurance will I be needing when I am practicing massage?

A: ANTA would like to confirm that ANTA student members are NOT able to obtain insurance through ANTA to OAMPS scheme. However, direct student insurance is acceptable with the OAMPS scheme, in the following circumstances:

  • The college the students are studying with, take out a College policy, which would automatically cover the students for their course work.
  • Also, if the student is deemed qualified in an area, and now able to practice outside their course.

A policy would be acceptable, however, the College would have to have a policy with OAMPS. If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact OAMPS Insurance Brokers.

Q: How do I notify ANTA of a possible breach in ethics?

A: To report any possible breach of ethics, contact the ANTA Ethics Committee in writing via info(AT)anta.com.au.

Studying Natural Therapies

Q: Is an Advanced Diploma of Natural Therapies a sufficient qualification for future requirements? I have been told that the Degree Qualification will be the minimum, and I don’t wish to waste time or money if the Adv. Diploma won’t be recognised in the future.

A: ANTA does recommend that students seriously consider studying the degree qualification in Natural therapies if that is a possibility, because as has been pointed out this will become the minimum requirement in the future. When this will be we cannot be certain, however, we will always try to recognise the advance diploma qualification for those students who have completed studying, or were studying at the time this inevitable change occurs.

Website and Password-Related

Q: I don't know my Username or Password, how do I find out what it is?

A: Click the "I don't know my Username or Password" link below login section and enter the email address you have registered on your ANTA member account to receive an email with your Username.

Q: Login Problems - I seem to be having a problem logging into the Members Centre using my username, along with my password.

A: Your username/password my no longer be valid, especially if you haven't logged into the Members Centre for some time. For members to to gain access to the Members Centre once more, click on the "I don't know my Username or Password" to retrieve the details we have on the system.

If you are recieving a message your account is unrecognised, or receive an error you may already be registered please contact ANTA for support.

Can't get it to work?

  1. Check your junk mail for any ANTA system generated emails
  2. Clean your browser cache if you get a recurring error page
  3. Contact marketing@anta.com.au with a description of any errors if you are unable to create an account
  4. If you have followed the above steps, but you don't receive an email, your email address may have changed.

Continuing Education

Q: What is CPE?

A: Continuing Professional Education (CPE) is a vital part of any truly Professional Health orientated Association of practitioners like the Australian Natural Therapists Association (ANTA). CPE encourages further structured lectures/demostrations that are based on philosophy, core practitioner training and latest developments from both Australia and beyond.

Q: Where can I find more information about ANTA’s Seminars?

A: Visit the Seminar Page from the Main Menu of each page, here you will find up-to-date information on all your Seminar needs.

Q: How can I earn CPE points from ANTA for continuing education and self-study?

A: There are many ways of upgrading your knowledge in your accredited modalities as well as developing a further awareness of other ideas/modalities that will aid you and ultimately your client towards the ideals of health. Once such way of upgrading knowledge offered to our practitioners and the profession is in the form of an ANTA Seminar or by Other Seminars offered by organisations.

ANTA Members should visit the Members Centre for details on CPE Guidelines and how to achieve the required points (Members Only). Furthermore, Courses, Continuing Education Articles, Seminars and more are available on the ANTA website.

Professional Support

Q: How do I gain a letter of recognition of qualifications for eligibility with Health Funds or WorkCover?

A: ANTA can assess your qualifications and provide a letter of recognition, however, we charge a fee of $250 as we still have to process it as we would a normal application for membership.

If you have overseas qualifications! To be eligible for membership with ANTA you are required to have completed a course that we recognise. ANTA does not assess overseas qualifications.

However, if you have qualifications from China you can contact VETASSESS to have formal qualifications awarded in the People's Republic of China verified.

Furthermore, contact the Overseas Qualifications Unit to assist migrants to obtain recognition of their overseas gained skills and qualifications. They generally provide:

  • Statements of educational comparison for qualifications obtained overseas.
  • Information on where and how to obtain specific occupational assessments and which occupations have licensing and/or regulatory requirements.
  • Information about further training, including: English language training, bridging training and orientation programs.

They may also provide:

  • Employment related information.
  • Advocacy and help to present information to assessors and assessing authorities.

Q: How do I find more information on starting or running my own business?

A: ANTA has provided a Business Assist section aimed at empowering our members and visitors alike with relevant and timely business information. From the Main Menu click on More and from the drop down click on the Business Assist link.

Q: How can I help look after the Environment?

A: For more information about a GreenClinic or GreenHome, visit the business assist section of the ANTA website or view the Greening your business document.

Q: Where can I find accredited ANTA Courses and programs?

A: Visit ANTA’s Courses section from the Main Menu.

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The Natural Therapist

Issue: 32 No.1 | March 2017

Advertise on ANTA's website today or in the Natural Therapist journal and reach out to Australia's growing Natural Therapies community.

OAMPS Insurance FAQ

Downloads

  1. Membership Application Form
  2. Student Membership Application Form
  3. Code of ethics
  4. Professional Indemnity Insurance Proposal Form
  5. Professional Indemnity Insurance FAQs