In July 2014 the Community Services and Health Industries Skills Council announced the removal of Advanced Diplomas of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine from the health training package. These were formally ceased in December 31st 2018.
As ARONAH mirrors AHPRA in its set up, we also mirror its grand parenting provisions. These state that an applicant has 5 years to apply for registration after the qualification is ceased.
The new deadline to apply for ARONAH membership for those who have an Advanced diploma is 31st December, 2023
ARONAH is currently reviewing its materials to ensure this new time frame is accurately represented in all documentation.
In addition to educational training, admission to the ARONAH register will still be contingent on applicants meeting the entirety of eligibility criteria for ARONAH membership, as outlined in the current application documentation.
ARONAH recognises the important contribution of diploma programs before the degree standard became established. However, the degree standard is now well established and has been in place for nearly two decades. For this reason ARONAH supports the current four-year minimum degree for current naturopathic training and three-year minimum degree for current Western herbalist training.
It should be noted, for those wishing to study naturopathic or Western herbal medicine in Australia, the degree training programs are the only current qualifications recognised by the Australian government. You can read more about that here.