Join the CMA
The Complementary Medicine Association (CMA) supports, advocates for, and represents Naturopaths, Nutritionists, Homeopaths, Western Herbal Medicine practitioners, Chinese Herbal Medicine practitioners, and Ayurvedic practitioners. Our members are individuals, not numbers, as such every Member from students to long term full members, always receive the utmost level of help and support. Where appropriate, the CMA will mediate in instances of patient complaint or dispute.
Benefits of CMA membership for practitioners
- Competitive membership fees
- Being part of a community of like-minded practitioners
- Continued annual accreditation with all major Australian private health insurance funds
- Ability of members to source their own insurance cover without limitation of provider
- Recognition by the Australian Taxation Office for GST exemption on patient consultations (where applicable)
- Free access to nPOD – the naturopathic Product Online Database (https://www.npod.com.au/)
- We allow members to chose their own insurance policy, from their preferred insurer. We don’t receive incentives or commissions for compelling members to join a specific company
Simple Application Process
We have a simple application process with clearly defined categories of membership:
- Full – for those who have graduated at the appropriate level, whether practising or not
- Provisional – for those holding (older) qualifications that do not meet the minimum education entry criteria, but who are undertaking current studies
- Associate – for those that don’t hold a natural therapies qualifications but have a direct link or interest in the industry and support the views of the CMA
- Student – Free whilst undertaking studies
Find out more about our membership levels and prices here.
Professional Advocacy
Historically, as complementary medicine practitioners we have needed to safeguard our interests politically for both ourselves and our patients. Government actions have shown the need for political lobbying as a united group of professionals and the CMA has been and will continue to be, very active in this area. The CMA maintains active membership with the WNF (World Naturopathic Federation) and the ANF (Australian Naturopathic Federation). Additionally, the CMA works collaboratively alongside other industry groups to form the Australian Naturopathic Council (ANC), a coordinating body representing the naturopathic profession, and as part of OneCAM to create a unified voice for the complementary medicine industry.
Continuing Professional Education
Maintaining currency of knowledge is essential for all complementary medicine practitioners and the CMA makes this easy for you by providing access to multiple avenues to easily accumulate the required twenty (20) annual continuing professional education (CPE) points. For example, we provide regular FREE member webinars each worht one (1) CPE point. Additionally, CMA Members receive discounts on many industry seminars, conferences, workshops, and webinars.
Our Board of Directors
Additionally, you will be joining an association where all Board Members are practitioners themselves and where all revenues are reinvested into the association. Working in and being a part of the industry at large themselves, our Board works to operate the association is such a way that is in the best interest of fellow practitioners (and students). Our board of Directors are voluntary and unpaid. The CMA is a registered not-for-profit association. No profit is made or paid to Directors from its members or outside sources. ALL income is utilised for the betterment of its membership benefits and on representation of its’ members at large.
Membership in a Democratic Association
The CMA is a democratic association where all members can provide feedback on how the association is run and to provide input and suggest ideas to benefit all association members. All members can participate in voting via the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Additionally, all members have the opportunity to sit on State Auxiliaries and/or the Board of Directors.
To provide feedback on find out more about how we operate as an association contact us here.