YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Is it okay if I only study for the Certificate course only and do I get a certificate at the end of this course? Yes, you can just study the Certificate course only and you will be awarded a Certificate in the Foundation of Animal Homeopathy.

When is it the best time to begin studying? You can begin the course at the time which suits you best and it can be completed at your own pace. However, we do expect a student to return at least three tutorials per year. Thus the Certificate and Diploma course is likely to take between 2 - 4 years depending on the time you are able to give it.

I do not have any Health Science education, which should I study first? If you want to graduate at the Diploma level and become a practitioner then you may commence your Homeopathic studies before commencing Health Sciences, or at the same time. However, a Diploma can not be awarded until both are completed.

Are their any legal requirements for non-veterinarian graduate as a animal practitioner? There are no legal requirements. However it is illegal to make statements of diagnosis either verbally, written or in an advertisement.

Would a animal practitioner need to be registered with anyone? Yes, it is advisable to become a member of a Practitioner Health Association once you graduate. In order to qualify as a health practitioner member you would have needed to have study and graduated from a College that has been accredited and is affiliated with a Health Association. This may be a human or animal health association. ie. HATAA (Holistic Animal Therapy Assoc. of Australia) or other Associations in your country.

You need to be a registered practitioner with a Practitioner Health Association in order to continue working as a practitioner. Non-veterinary animal homeopathic practitioners are required to observe the various acts of Parliament relating to the veterinary profession in their country and therefore, do not practice veterinary medicine, nor claim or advertise diagnosis nor treat animal disease. Homeopathy works to stimulate the Vital force to produce optimum health and well being, and is not a practice of veterinary medicines such as diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of disease. The homeopathy approach recognizes that an animal has a disease or many imbalances, but neither diagnoses nor treats it. It only aims to build health based on the status and characteristics of the individual without any diagnosis. SFCAH professional Homeopathy course provides students with training in practitioner ethics and jurisprudence and our diploma course. A working relationship between yourself and the veterinarian is important to maintain and we encourage this for optimum health for animals.

After I submit my enrolment application, when can I expect to receive my workbooks? Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery of your study materials. Some students receive their course the following week, for others it takes up to 4 weeks for delivery, depending on how busy we are with administration. All course materials are sent by Express Post across Australia and by Normal Air shipping to overseas students.

I am concerned that I may find the study too difficult. I do not have a background in animal health care or science. How can I be sure I will be able to grasp the subject matter? Registered STFCAH students are from all walks of life and a range of academic backgrounds. Most will find the lecture material easy to manage and the assignments clear and straightforward. Homeopathic medicine is a comprehensive discipline but the most important prerequisites are a passion to learn about animal care and to honor and respect the animal kingdom, understanding the roles we have as healer, guardian and educator to the public.

I am interested in enrolling in the certificate of animal Homeopathy and perhaps upgrading to a Diploma at a later stage. Can this be done? Yes, because STFCAH offers a flexible learning program, students can commence their studies at certificate level and upgrade to Diploma level later.

General Interest

The Recent Vet practice regulation draft copy for 2006.

You can view these documents on the Department's web site

http://www.vsb.nsw.gov.au/OtherPDF/RegImpactStatement.pdf

Example: On page 10

States Under s.8 of the Act, under claus 4(1)(a) of the draft regulation states treatment of animals by alternative animal health service providers must not be based on their own diagnosis of the physiological or pathological condition of the animal.
A non-veterinary practitioner will be able to provide alternative treatments so long as the dominant purpose of
their attendance on the animal does not involve diagnosis of the animal's physiological or pathological condition.
(Of course, any treatment provided must also not otherwise constitute a restricted act of veterinary science)
A non-veterinary practitioner could, for example, treat the animal according to a diagnosis obtained previously from a veterinary practitioner. Alternatively, they could treat the animal according to the owner's own diagnosis.

Accordingly, an animal owner could seek treatment from an alternative service provider on the basis of a diagnosis by a veterinary practitioner. Alternatively, the owner or an employee could present the animal to the alternative service provider with their own diagnosis and ask for treatment appropriated to that diagnosis to be implemented. Such treatment can be legally provided, so long as the treatment does not otherwise involve a restricted act of veterinary science (ie making a diagnosis etc)

Those who seek elsewhere for an explanation of the cause of animal illness are not constrained by the draft regulation. For example, some alternative providers may recommend their treatments based on a diagnosis grounded on behavioral, emotional or spiritual characteristics of the animal - without consideration of any recognized physiological or pathological condition in a scientific sense