Pictured Above From Left to Right:
October 2006 Phoenix, Arizona. The Federation Board Members: Pete Gonzalez, Vice President (AZ),
David Paton, President (MD), Anna Hansen, Public Board Member (NM), Frank Ervolino, Professional
Board Member (FL), Ronda L. Bryon, Secretary, Administrative Board Member (FL) and Martin
Herbkersman, member of The Federation, (FAOMRA) SC.
Welcome to the FAOMRA website. Since it's
inception in 1999, FAOMRA has strived to meet its purpose as a forum for state regulatory agencies
to come together in a collegial environment to discuss regulatory issues and common regulatory
problems. On a biannual basis, FAOMRA addresses issues unique to individual states that may have an
impact on a national level.
We have come a long way, addressing the need for reciprocity/licensure by endorsement, developing a
list of common national regulatory standards and maintaining an open environment where states can
come together to discuss the impact of common issues.
The Federation meeting in New Orleans,
May 2007. Federations Board Members and attendees.
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS:
Federation of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Regulatory Agencies
Welcome,
Everything has a season. Our profession as a whole has recently made a
transition, a transition towards unity and maturity. To borrow a metaphor
we have moved from spring to summer. Our birth pains, growth, development,
vision’s and possibilities have come to a place of maturity. With the birth
of a possibility there came the need for education, the right to exist,
legitimacy and community acceptance, all to validate the existence of the
dream. As with all great dreams and visions there were multiple versions
of the dreams and they developed in various ways influenced by many factors.
The Federation was a dream, vision of a few who saw the future need for an
organization where an open, collegiate dialogue could occur about national
community standards for the profession. We are in transition from spring to
summer. We have experienced growth pains and are poised to move into our
maturity. At one time it served for the Federation to be host to the possibility
of neutral dialogue. A place where everyone could come, everyone was welcome
and opposing dialogues could be listened to and heard. That simple function
was necessary in order for us to come to this place where we can discuss the
need for unification of our field. As we evolved more has been asked of us
both internally and externally and we are responding.
With this newly created unity in our profession the Federation is being called
into its own maturity. The organization must stand and contribute to the growth
and development of the AOM community. There so many issues in which our
contribution is vital to the continued success and growth of our profession.
For instance;
- Developing and implementing entry level doctorate standards through participation with the Doctoral task Force
- Emerging actions regarding the movement to regulate the practice of herbal medicine among licensed AOM professionals.
- The development of an interdisciplinary data bank.
- The development of education standards for licensing requirements for the regulation of Chinese herbal medicine.
- The development of scopes of practice
- The development of certification standards for the practice of herbal medicine
- Emerging trends towards federal regulation of scopes of practice or actions which may impede the states statutory authority.
- Reciprocity for practitioners and Licensure by endorsement for our elders
- Increased tracking of disciplinary actions and communication regarding them.
- Increased interstate regulatory agency communications regarding common issues or trends.
In order for the Federation to mature into the role we can serve we need to
develop our resources. We need more participation from those regulatory agencies
who have the ability to participate, greater participation from those individuals
already serving and those who have yet to volunteer. While we have come miles
in these areas we still have not stepped fully into our potential. The time is
now, the season of change is upon us and we are being asked to fully contribute.
Action more than words. Respect, acknowledgment of contributions, constructive
input with solutions, is all part of the future of the Federation in order
for us to continue to evolve and contribute to our profession.
David Paton
President
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