Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
ACNEM training courses are designed for medical doctors and allied health practitioners, therefore a background in the study of anatomy and physiology is assumed. We recommend commencing with the Foundations of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine before enrolling in any of the specialised modules, however this is not compulsory.
Note: If you are not a doctor or AHP, but feel that you would still benefit by participating in our training, we encourage you to write to us at mail@acnem.org , providing a brief outline of your professional background and training, and any other information you think is relevant, so we can take into account your individual considerations.
ACNEM have recently heavily discounted all of our modules from April – June 2020 to support our community to continue education in this space while we face COVID-19 together. We don’t normally discount our education so heavily, but these are unprecedented times. We acknowledge that there are some individuals who recently purchased a module/s at full price or at earlier slightly discounted price. If you were one of these people, please reach out to us to see if we can add some additional value to your existing purchase. We do not want anyone to feel disadvantaged, and we want to encourage as much engagement as possible with the topics. Now more than ever this information needs to be shared!
The ACNEM Foundation and other learning modules cover the principles and application of nutritional and environmental medicine, including clear and concise information on nutritional requirements in various disease states, as well as much nutritional physiology invaluable in all therapies.
ACNEM offers postgraduate courses only. We suggest that if you haven't studied nutrition before and you are not a registered health professional already, you enroll in a tertiary course in nutrition or naturopathy and then do the ACNEM postgraduate training to learn more about nutritional medicine.
All of the College's training is soundly based on available evidence from the scientific medical literature, as well as on the clinical experience of the lecturers and the Faculty members.
Almost all diseases and disease states have a nutritional component and are therefore amenable in part at least to this approach.
The College trains medical and health practitioners in the use of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine. However, many of our practitioners are trained in a range of other modalities, taught by other colleges; e.g. acupuncture, herbal medicine, etc.
ACNEM practitioners use a large range of remedies, suited to the patient and the symptoms they are treating.
FELLOWSHIP
The requirement for enrolment in the ACNEM Fellowship is the same as eligibility for ACNEM professional or associate membership. That is, medical doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals registered with the Australian Health Practitioners Registration Agency (AHPRA), the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) and the Dental Council of New Zealand (DCNZ); other health care professionals who hold a relevant Bachelor Degree in their field of expertise.
Doctors, dentists and healthcare professionals registered and practising outside of Australia or New Zealand must provide copies of qualifications, evidence of current medical/dental registration to practice or current full practicing member status with a professional body recognised as ACNEM as applicable, and certified translations, where required.
Each level must be completed within three years, so six years in total. After this time your Fellowship enrolment will lapse.
Yes. ACNEM training that has been completed in the previous 10 years are recognised. These modules must have completed predisposing and reflective activities. If it’s been longer than 5 years since you completed the training, it is worth considering repeating the module for your own benefit. There has been a lot of changes and evolution in the education in this space. We offer a 50% discount on any module you would like to repeat.
No. However training you have completed in other organisations may be applied as Continuing Professional Education (CPE) points but does not replace the required ACNEM Modules. Please contact us to find out if the training you have completed is applicable for CPE.
CPE points make up of equivalent 2 points per hour In-person training or 1 point per online learning. Candidates must record and submit 30 points of CPE as a hurdle requirement. Varying activities can be counted as CPE include attending face-to-face training (equivalent 2 points per hour) or online learning (1 point per hour) [up to a maximum of 10 hours]. This includes elective face to face training and online learning modules.
Other activities that count towards CPE include conferences, webinars, formal study pathways, authoring, mentoring and presenting at seminars/ webinars, including at ACNEM events. ACNEM requires all candidates to submit their completed CPE logbook via the Online Learning portal (not via email) for tracking purposes. Candidates have a maximum of three years to complete this hurdle requirement.
Once Fellowship is gained you can use and advertise the post nominals FACNEM. ACNEM will recognise your Fellowship status by announcing it in our quarterly journal. You are also eligible to be listed on our Find-A-Practitioner Listing on ACNEM’s website.
No, there is only one enrolment fee associated with Fellowship.
The administration fee is $1,760 (member), $1,980 (non-member). The fee covers the development of the material i.e. online quizzes, the management of the learners completing the Fellowship pathway and the management with the education committee. It also covers keeping the online portal up to date with videos and resources by the education team, support from ACNEM team and Community of Practice support via regular webinars.
Once you have paid for the administration fee you will be added into an online portal where you will have access to the templates and are able to submit your assessments.
Enrolment into the ACNEM Fellowship pathway provides you with access to the relevant level’s online learning pages which contain resources featuring training videos and related reading to assist with content revision. Three-year enrolment is provided.
Yes. The written online tests must be successfully completed before attempting the Viva examination.
We are removing all quizzes from the modules and reshaping them as self-knowledge check questions, making them less intimidating and more interactive.
The administration fee for the viva voce is $300. The viva voce exam is conducted by 2 ACNEM Fellows. You can complete the viva voce face to face or online. You will be presented with a written case study and have 10 minutes to review this case. You will then have 25 minutes to discuss the case study with the examiners.
If you make an unsuccessful attempt at the viva, you are entitled to re-enrol in the program for the price of a one-month extension fee ($165) to revise content before attempting the viva exam again. For each attempt at the viva voce examination, a new registration must be made, and the relevant examination fee paid. Candidates will have a maximum of three attempts at each of the two online quizzes and the viva voce. If you are unsuccessful on the third attempt, you may be considered for removal from the FACNEM pathway.
We will also be in contact with you after each attempt at the viva to see what support we can provide you during this time.
You will have exclusive access to a private ACNEM member Facebook group. You will also have support from the ACNEM education team and staff at ACNEM that are available to you if you have any questions during the Fellowship.
ACNEM also offer a free Community of Practice (COP) to support Fellowship pathway candidates. The COP aims to provide general practitioners and allied health practitioners a structured and moderated platform for follow up questions that were not able to be attended to in the ACNEM training and/or that have emerged as they start applying their new knowledge and skills in integrative medicine to their daily practice. Run quarterly, these sessions are co-chaired by Rachel Arthur and are designed to build a community that offers you support and motivation throughout your Fellowship
This depends on the practitioner and the individual case. Doctors who have completed Fellowship are either working in integrative clinics or mainstream general practice and would mostly be still billing Medicare for consultations. Please keep in mind, if you’re completing longer consultations it does get a bit more complicated and we recommend seeking individualised advice in this area. This question is also covered in more detail in the ACNEM webinar ‘Integrative Practice: What you need to know’ with Dr Nadine Perlen.
Yes. Current membership must be maintained to hold Fellowship.