On the 26th of July, the ETCMA held its annual 14th European School Leaders Day event via Zoom. We all gathered to have an open forum discussion on the topic of: Can/Should We Build a European Wide Accreditation System and What Would Be its Benefits”. The three areas of presentation and discussion were: History of the ETCMA and How We Got Here with Jasmine Uddin – Education Committee; The Benefits of Professionalisation and Accreditation with Prof. Michael Saks (BAAB); and How to Build an Accreditation System with Harriet Lansdown (BAAB).
The event was a huge success! Everyone was in full agreement amongst the European School Leaders, ETCMA Members, and Colleagues from the National Council Commission of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) as well as the American Acupuncture Council (AAC) that a European “accreditation” and “certification” system is necessary to move the profession forward to protect both the practitioners and the public.
While the process may also present with some challenges and be very time consuming, it was decided that the best way to move forward is to work together by creating small task forces of collaboration. Our profession has a lot to look forward to especially with the introduction of Chapter 26 (Traditional Chinese Medicine) of the ICD-11 Codes (official release: January 2022) as it has the potential to spearhead our medicine into modern health care systems. Qualified acupuncturists and other health care providers will be well sought out to deliver this traditional medicine. Hence, guaranteeing a qualified and professionally trained workforce is key to the success!
If I can quote Gandhi: “The future depends on what we do in the present.” Let’s keep the momentum going! We look forward to hearing from you, your ideas, and what you may want to contribute to the task.
By Dr. Georgette Young, DAOM
