Core Curriculum

The agreed minimum entry requirements for an individual to gain membership of the AFPA are as follows:

1200 Learning contact hours are the minimum professional standard of training to permit professional practice from 2009. (Previously this was 1000 learning contact hours).
These must be verifiable contact hours, which can be lecture or supervised clinical hours, with an allocation of 800 hours lecture / demonstration / practical and 400 hours verifiable supervised clinical.
The course should run over 3 calendar years with an assessment to be completed by the student before he/she is eligible to progress and commence in the next year.

To cover 14 meridians, 361 classical points and 48 extraordinary points
Location and anatomical description of points selected for the core curriculum
Alphanumeric codes and/or pinyin name classification of points
Direction, depth of insertion of needles actions and indications of the points
Needling – single use disposable needles sterile conditions, clean hands sterilisation and environment safe needling technique
Selection of needles, proper insertion, depth, duration manipulation / contraindications / needling with / without guide tubes
Safety in needle practice
Moxibustion direct/ indirect methods, and contraindications
Cupping methods

Lectures /study in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry
Basic mechanisms of diseases
Identify signs and symptoms which may suggest serious underlying pathology
Western pharmacology / analysis of lab reports / patient medication
Clinical features of diseases as understood by biomedicine
Knowledge of musclo skeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine and genitourinary, digestive, ent and gynaecological systems
Nutrition
CPR and first aid emergencies

Lectures, study time for practitioner self development – effective communication skills – (listening, counselling and empathetic) to ensure therapeutic practice and professional liaisons with g.p.’s and other healthcare service professionals
To support the development of reflective practice: the practitioner as a life long learner, understanding of personal and psychological foundations of good practice, and applying these principles appropriately.
Practitioner must have cpr / first aid training
Ability to decide whether to treat a patient or to refer to health professional or facility
Ethics, reflection and professional development
Research methodology and evidence based practice

Training and experience in case history taking and physical examination.
Training in a broad range of clinical conditions reflecting what has been taught on the educational programme.
Training to enable students to develop an understanding of the limits of their own medical capabilities and thereby enhance the skills of appropriate referral.
Continuous practical and clinical training to achieve the required competencies necessary to meet professional standards.
To provide students with a foundation from which to compare and contrast their knowledge already acquired with their own approach to medicine and to communicate effectively with practitioners of conventional medicine.
An attendance of 100% is expected for the clinical training and must be strictly adhered to for the student patient contact hours.

This supervision must take place in a proper clinical environment as per the code of ethics and practice.

The monitoring practitioner must have practised for a minimum of 3000 hours – full time or part time.

The monitoring practitioner must treat a wide range of conditions including musculo-skeletal and internal medicine.

The monitoring practitioner must have 6 patients per day in his/her clinic.

Elective modules that may be included as extra hours to the core: