Sandi Rogers Blog

Regulation booklet available as a FREE eBook

2011-01-25T23:24:00.000-08:00

As we are debating the regualtion/registration of natural medicine practitioners please visit www.nctm.com.au or www.atms.com.au and download. This information will offer information to help understand this very complex and often confusing subject.
Hope it helps

Happy New Year and issues we face

2011-01-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

Within the world of natural medicine as are faced with many challanges and this is due to our popularity. As we have gained credibility with the consumer we find that many want to take us over or alternatively want to have us under the medical profession. This year there will be a focus on developing a co-regulatory model for the profession where we will work with colleagues to lead our profession.
A model that we can proudly leave as our legacy. A model where we will be able to set standards in education. A model where the consumer can be confident they will be heard and respected if they have a complaint. More importantly we will focus our attention on not splitting up our profession. We will encourage naturopaths and herbalists not to break away and fall under the spell of promises that cannot be met; promises where they will get medicare, work in hospitals or access to scheduled herbs.
Together we can develop a model that is creative and unique.
I will be working tirelessly to help this model be created
have a great year
Dr Sandi Rogers Ed.D

Tory Shepherd fails the integrity test in journalism

2010-09-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

Reading the latest slam on natural medicine by Tory Shepherd from the Adelaide Advertiser again demonstrates she short cuts on research and integrity while focusing on sensationalism and fails to offer any truth in ehr articles.
I recommend she spends time learning about the subjects she writes about and through this education she may see just how rediculous her articles are.
Offering that herbal medicine and homoeopathy are in any way the samne is a classical example of her ignorance

A sense of community is so important for us all

2010-07-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well there has been a little gap between posts mainly due to only having 24 hours in a day and 86.400 seconds a day. With many projects on the go at the same time (and I would not have it any other way) my blog has dropped down the priority list. Better late than never.
A sense of community has been on my mind over the last few months as I have been following the progress of a wonderful group of people who are in a community choir. There are 2 choirs who have joined together; the Sons of Sunbury and the Sunbury Divas. They have worked so hard to fundraise and train to go to China to participate in the Choir Olympics. These are ordinary folk with extraordinary focus and determination. Under the direction of the very talented Adam Preslowki the combined choir are wonderful.
It brings home the importance of working together to achieve the very best that lives within all of us. It does not matter what field of work you are in or what hobbies you have you are part of a community and the more we can work together the better life becomes.
Within my profession as a natural medicine practitioner we are going through major changes yet as we work as a community the easier the change process becomes.
The most important thing to remember is to enjoy the journey and find happiness in every moment
Sandi

Our future

2010-05-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

The 30th May was a great opportunity to share time with some of our members and I look forward to offering information via this blog to keep members abreast of developments within the profession and our organisation.
This week I will be having meetings with our Political and Media advisers,our branding analysts and will join with Bill Pearson, past President and attend the regulatory meeting along with several other associations.
The Executive Management Committee will meet at the end of June to discuss several options as a result of the EOM and members will be kept informed of these discussions.
These posts will be put forward weekly (time permitting)
For any comments please send them to sandi@nctm.com.au
Find happiness in every moment
Sandi Rogers
President

Knowledge + experience = faith

2010-05-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

I am pleased we have the debate that has been occuring about the proposed name change, however, I am staggered by the lies, deceit and inuendo that has resulted from this.
The claim that the Directors of the ATMS are underhanded and actually setting about to change the construct of the organisation is absolutely untruthful and there is no proof for this claim.
Most of the membership are hard working wonderful people who help so many, yet this mindset that has emerged by only a handful is sobering.
Most members acnowledge that the knowledge + experience that forms the Board of Directors offers faith. Faith that we are there to do the very best for them. This will continue.
The suggestion that ATMS should focus on regulation of the profession adds further credibility to my claim that the knockers (although few) do not know what they are talking about as Directors within the ATMS are actively participating in this process and in fact we were the organisation who commenced the process.
I will be reporting further on the many issues we face over the following months.
In closing of today please let me assure you that:
There is no move to change the structure of the ATMS
Best wishes
Sandi

The vocal minorityshould not make the rules

2010-05-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

Over the past week as I travel around talking to our fantstic members it became a point of interest just how many practitioners thought that everything will be OK about the name change and have not voted. When I have offered that only 10% of our membership has actually voted most were shocked although most had not voted.

At least vote and have a say. Irrespective of your vote you have the right to have a say. Once we are past the 30th May 2010 then we c an come back to the membership and provide information pertaining to the direction of our organisation and profession at large. If our recommendation is lost then we will be asking the membership for advise.

Please vote and have your say. In closing today a big thank you to the wonderful practitioners I had the opoprtunity to meet and share time with over the past 2 days. It was a wonderful way to spend time.

Name change for the Australian Traditional Medicine Society

2010-05-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have seen the good, the bad and the ugly emerge within our profession. Of course it is understandable as change is something that we as humans are not very good at. There are times that we must address change and move forward and the time has come as the walrus says to do just that.
Over more than 25 years we have used the term ‘traditional’ in our name yet we have not worked to enter that nomenclature into common use for our profession. Rather we have had the names; complementary, alternative, holistic, wholistic, integrative and many more names thrust upon us, yet at no time have we stood as a profession and chosen our name.

The need to change was driven home when I commenced to develop a political and media profile for us (my ATMS colleagues) and as I went to meeting and spoke about traditional medicine we were confused with indigenous more often than not, yet when I said natural medicine it became very clear who were and what we did.
Further to this discussions with professionals about the name advised to use the more recognisable term ‘natural medicine’.
For over 25 years the membership has allowed the Directors to guide the organisation, drawing on experience that is second to none in the profession.

The deliberation that took place over this matter was professional, focused and non-emotional and the primary focus was on improvement to our organisation.

There is discussion about costings and scare-mongering about huge increases in fees. This is not true. There will be a minimum fee increase however this increase was passed in November 2009, well before this decision and has nothing to do with the proposed name change. And you may ask what is the increase? Well it is $5. That is not a mistake. Let me repeat this $5.

After the 30th May 2010 THE BIG DAY
No matter what happens we are still members of the one profession. It is not the name or the colours, or the logo it is YOU. Wonderful caring practitioners working at the coalface of your clinic, seeing clients day in and day out. You assist members of your community like no other practitioners. You take the time to care, you focus on client needs and above all you are working within principles that have stood the test of time.

If we do not have the vote to change the name, which I hope we do; but if we do not then we will ask for guidance as to how to proceed from this point. No matter what we will work through this and look forward to exciting times ahead.