Recommended Study Sequence

Advanced Herbal Medicine and Nutrition has two primary foci. The first focus is on improving skills and knowledge to effectively administer both herbal and nutritional treatment for people with specific needs, such as found in pregnancy, infancy, puberty, menopause and mature age. The second focus is upon the skills required to produce various herbal preparations and evaluate the suitability and quality of individually and commercially manufactured herbal preparations. In addition you will be able to describe and debate the impact of regulatory issues relating to the practice of naturopathy, extemporaneous production and dispensing, and commercial manufacture and supply of complementary medicines.

Naturopathic diagnosis is a defining area for the naturopathic practitioner. On completion of this unit the student will have examined the diagnostic categories and processes utilized by Naturopaths and compared and contrasted these with current western medical diagnostic methods. A range of diagnostic possibilities are studied from physical observations to laboratory and computerised technologies. Diverse diagnostic methodologies are critiqued. Options for diagnosis within health models are examined with emphasis on traditional knowledge, clinical findings and research. Half day field trips are incorporated to ob serve laboratory facilities.

The unit is designed to enable helping professionals who are not specialist counsellors to understand the difference between assessment, problem-solving and counselling within a single interview, or short sequence of interviews. Skills that encourage clients/patients to talk freely are presented, but the aim is not to train students in counselling as such. The unit focuses on identifying choice points at which counselling may, or may not, be appropriate. Considerable attention will be paid to correct 'reading' of different varieties of client behaviour, including cultural differences.

The aim of Advanced Naturopathic Practice 1 is to produce competent naturopathic clinicians capable of independent clinical decision making in the context of patient care. Students will be able to integrate and apply knowledge and skills in a supervised clinical setting involving both interacting with patients and discussing your observations and decision s in clinical tutorials. Students having completed these units will be able to effectively manage a wide range of clinical problems through applying a patient-centred approach to diagnosis and naturopathic treatment. Self and group appraisal of decision making and performance will be an integral part of developing this outcome.

This unit is aimed to introduce the student to the management issues in establishing and working in a clinical practice. While the unit will cover issues related to health professionals and public sector management, the focus of the unit will be on issues in private practice. The aim of the unit is to introduce the student to a wide range of topics, including an over view of health care funding in Australia, private and public health system, developing a business plan, different business structures, financial management, managing staff and occupational health and safety issues.

This unit will provide the student with the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to search, understand and critically appraise scientific literature related to naturopathy. Basic bio-statistics and research methodology will be reinforced. This unit will develop the concept and principles of evidence-based medicine and the application of this to the practice of naturopathy. This unit will cover research developments in naturopathy and emerging diagnostic techniques used in research and practice of naturopathy.

The focus of this unit is to integrate the individual modalities already studied using a systematic approach to diseases and conditions, integrating herbal medicine, nutrition, massage, homoeopathy, counselling and diagnostic techniques (naturopathic and western medical). There is an emphasis in treating the whole person. Each case studied is taken by examining the signs and symptoms, observations, assessment, formulating a treatment plan and educating the patient. The student is expected to demonstrate higher order thinking for assessment, problem solving, treatment planning, instigating interventions, appraising interventions and planning ongoing management as an independent health practitioner within the Australian Health Care System.

The aim of Advanced Naturopathic Practice 2 is to produce competent naturopathic clinicians capable of independent clinical decision making in the context of ongoing patient care. Students will be able to integrate and apply knowledge and skills in a supervised clinical setting involving both interacting with patients and discussing observations and decisions in clinical tutorials. Emphasis is on higher order clinical reasoning and developing and employing outcome measures in the context of ongoing patient management.