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to the Guidelines for the approval of courses of study as a qualification for registration; available from the information > policies & codes > registration section of the website
Why Chinese medicine courses are approved by the Board
A graduate of a Chinese medicine course approved by the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria is eligible for registration
as an acupuncturist or Chinese herbal medicine practitioner in Victoria, without having to sit for an examination. By assessing the
courses, the Board is able to assure the public that an academic institution's educational program satisfies the Board's Guidelines
for basic Chinese medicine education.
The Board's function of approving courses for general registration provides a mechanism for the external review of courses of study
in Chinese medicine in Australia. Some courses have been subject to formal independent, external review, whereas other courses
have not. Independent, external review of courses of study, and the quality of their graduates, is desirable so as to ensure that
the educational standards of all courses remain at an acceptable level.
The process of review and approval of courses of study enables the Board to perform a number of important functions, to:
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establish standards that must be met by graduates in order to be eligible for registration;
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encourage the continuing development of educational courses to effectively prepare graduates for entry to the profession;
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provide regular feedback to education providers on the contemporary needs of the public and the profession;
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establish a mechanism for educational providers and the profession to respond to the Board's 'approval' criteria and its related recommendations; and
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provide a channel of communication between legislators, regulators, educators and the profession in deciding the best ways of dealing with the ever-changing
issues that arise in professional regulation and education.
The Board's course approval guidelines
The over-riding requirement of course approval is that Chinese medicine academic institutions produce acupuncturists and
Chinese herbal medicine practitioners who are safe and competent to practise independently and who have an adequate basis
to undertake further vocational training.
The Board has a statutory responsibility to ensure that any course of study that it approves as a qualification for
registration under section 118(1)(b) of the Act:
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meets minimum levels of quality to ensure safe and ethical professional practice; and
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consistently produces graduates who have acquired an entry-level standard of competence
that satisfies contemporary standards of practice in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
To receive approval from the Board, a course must provide a level of educational effectiveness, integrity, and quality
that consistently produces graduates who can safely serve the Victorian public as registered acupuncturists and/or
Chinese herbal medicine practitioners.
The Board has set out the following general principles to guide its course approval processes. The Board recognises that:
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courses of study in Chinese medicine may differ in many respects and that educational objectives may be achieved
in a variety of ways;
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innovation in achieving educational objectives should be encouraged;
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criteria used in evaluating courses of study should not intrude upon the diverse and unique character of individual courses/institutions;
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the course approval process may examine a number of input elements of courses, but should not be overly prescriptive concerning
curriculum details;
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approved courses of study should address contemporary professional and clinical issues; and
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the process of course approval should be based on the principles of equity and justice,
Providing that the stated principles and objectives of the Chinese medicine academic institution are broadly consistent
with those of the Board, the assessment of the academic institution by the Board concentrates predominantly on the
ability of the Chinese medicine academic institution to achieve the objectives it has set for itself.
How Chinese medicine courses are approved
Independent Course Approval Panels (CAPs) conduct the approval process assessing against the Board's Guidelines.
A CAP consists of 3-5 persons is appointed and may include:
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one educationalist;
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one or two Chinese medicine practitioners;
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one or two Chinese medicine academics; and
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one graduate (if any) from the course being assessed for approval.
One member of the CAP is appointed Chair, by the Board. At least one member of the CAP has expertise in medical sciences
relevant to Chinese medicine education. Individual CAP members are selected on the basis of the following criteria:
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No conflict of interest
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Good professional standing
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Sufficient availability
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Minimum of degree-level education
The documentation/information collected from potential CAP members is:
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an expression of interest
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a detailed curriculum vitae
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details of their current and past involvement with professional associations or educational institutions
The Board seeks submissions from Chinese medicine academic institutions. The academic institution supplies extensive
documentation on the institution, the course curriculum and the resources that support the curriculum. The CAP reviews
this material and then conducts a site visit to review the academic institution and its facilities.
At the end of the visit, the CAP presents its draft findings. Following the visit, the team prepares a detailed report
on the assessment. The report is considered by the Board to ensure it is balanced and that the conclusions drawn are sound.
The draft report is sent to the academic institution for a formal response. The Board makes the final decision on the
approval of a academic institution, on the basis of the report and recommendation by the CAP and any further submission
from the academic institution.
If the Board is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the contents of
a Draft Course Approval Report, submitted by a CAP, may be manifestly unfair and/or inaccurate as a result
of an error by the CAP in carrying out the prescribed process, because it is:
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a serious error;
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a non-serious error that has resulted in serious consequences; and/or
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any other failure of natural justice (including, but not limited to, bad faith,
conflict of interest, and/or bias on behalf of any CAP member)
the Board may appoint a Course Approval Review Committee (CARC) to independently review the CAP's conduct of the
prescribed process and the resulting contents of the draft report.
The Board has a range of options in granting approval.
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To grant preliminary approval (for up to three years):
Where the course documentation is complete and meets the requirements of the Board, preliminary approval may be granted.
The proposing institution can commence enrolling students following application for preliminary approval of a new course.
During the first year of teaching the institution must then apply for provisional approval.
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To grant provisional approval (for up to three years):
Provisional approval may be granted for a period of up to three years in the following cases where:
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the course meets all the requirements of the Board but there are not yet any graduates of the course; or
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full compliance with the Board's specified standards (as set out in Part B of the Course Approval Guidelines
has not yet been demonstrated. (In such circumstances, the Board will impose conditions that must be met during
this specified period, as well as reporting requirements to be met in order for full course approval to be granted.)
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To grant full course approval (for up to five years):
When a course has produced graduates, and the course meets all the requirements of the Board, full course approval will be granted for a period of up to five years. Full course approval is unconditional. The institution can apply for full course approval during the year when the first cohort of students is due to graduate.
