1. According to the Australian Natural Therapies Association there are many factors within your control that can determine the success of your new practice. List (in order), the five (5) you consider to be most important.
a) Continuing professional education
b) Join a reputable Bona Fide professional association
c) Deliver high quality professional services
d) Maintain up-to-date complete and accurate client records
e) Maintain up-to-date financial records
2. List the six (6) key sections typically included in a basic business plan.
Executive summary
Company description
Product and services
Market analysis
Strategy and implementation
Organization and management team
3. List five (5) examples of resources you may require operating a practice.
Advanced technology
Tools and equipment
Workforce
Regular training to sharpen skills
Funds/ capital
4. Research Commonwealth and legislation relevant to your State/Territory, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice and industry guidelines. List the name, date of publication and official URL:
a. The peak natural therapies industry body, code of ethics and professional conduct CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS of the AUSTRALIAN NATURAL THERAPISTS ASSOCIATION LIMITED, March 15th
2017, http://www.australiannaturaltherapistsassociation.com.au/downloads/anta_codeofethics.pdf
b. Regulation for unregistered healthcare workers
Work Health and Safety authorisations, registrations and licences, 14th
August 2017, http://www.comcare.gov.au/preventing/prevention/work_health_and_safety_authorisations,_registrations_and_licences
c. Privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
Work Health and Safety authorisations, registrations and licences, 14th August 2017, http://www.comcare.gov.au/preventing/prevention/work_health_and_safety_authorisations,_registrations_and_licences
d. Client medical records management
Record keeping for small business, March 2016, https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Other-languages/In-detail/Information-in-other-languages/Record-keeping-for-small-businesses/
e. Financial records management
Keep the right records, 10th may 2018, https://www.business.gov.au/new-to-business-essentials/series-one/keep-the-right-records
f. Workplace health and safety
Health and safety representatives, 17th October 2017, http://www.comcare.gov.au/preventing/governance/health_and_safety_representatives_hsrs
Section 2 – Financial Management
5. List three (3) reports that can help you monitor and manage your practice’s financial position
Cashflow report
Balance sheet
Income statement report
6. Name two software systems that can be used to manage financial documentation.
Accusystems
Alfreco software
7. List three (3) potential sources of small business funding.
Loans from banks
Retained earnings
Injection of capital by investors
8. What are the four (4) Australian Taxation Office requirements for small business record keeping? A business has to keep all the business records for five years after the record is created or updated
All the transactions have to be completed in English
The records have to be in writing
The records have to explain all the transactions
Section 3 – Practice Management
9. Review your local council website and/or call them to determine what planning permits or other statutory requirements might apply to:
a. Practice from your own home
Ensure that the practice is ethically conducted
Before practising from home, one need to have the necessary academic and professional requirements.
b. Renting and practice from commercial premises
Ensure that a business permit is obtained
File taxes on time
10. Hartman (2014) lists seven (7) tips for running effective meetings in the article for Forbes. list and in one sentence briefly describe the steps.
i. Make objective clear and this entails coming up with the necessary goals and objectives (Hartman, 2014).
ii. Consider the individuals invited for the meeting. The people invited have to contribute immensely during discussions
iii. Stick to the schedule and this entails creating an agenda that covers everything to be discussed in the meeting
iv. Take no hostage. During the meeting every individual has to participate actively
v. Starting and ending on time. Meetings have to start and strictly end on time to avoid inconveniences (Australian Government, 2016).
vi. Ban technology. Prevent the use of phones and other gadgets during meetings
vii. Follow up. After a meeting, it is necessary for the manager or chair to carry out a follow up with the aim of ensuring that everything discussed is in order.
11. The Victorian State Government provides a range of business planning resources. list the five (5) considerations for implementing a stock control policy:
Keep accurate stock records and ensure that they are matched to a regular physical count
Negotiate deals with the suppliers (Berkowitz, 2010).
Identify stocks needed and ensure that there is adequate supply
Discount prices should not drive an individual’s stock purchasing decision
Tighten the process of purchasing stocks
12. Insurance is one treatment option to transfer or minimise risk.
List the legal responsibilities the professional indemnity plus public liability insurance covers
What is the minimum value of professional indemnity covered required by ANTA and BUPA?
Paying of damages and legal responsibilities that arises from personal injury to a third party
Covering damaged on property
Provision of health fund/ health cover
A professional indemnity of $2 million is required for Bupa provider registration while a professional indemnity of $5 million is required by CMBA for Chinese Medicine Registration
13. Provide three (3) practical strategies that you could implement to make your practice more ‘child-friendly’.
Ensure that you speak in a friendly tone y avoiding rudeness or high voice
Change the theme colour of the room where services will take place to a range of friendly colours
Speak regularly to the patients when handling them
14. Provide a brief definition of the following, and an example relating to child protection
Policy – Refers to a principle of course of action adopted by an organization and this may be in the form of treating all children with care.
Procedure – Refers to a surgical operation or an established way of doing things. Healthcare personnel follow specified procedures when handling tasks.
15. Provide three (3) practices examples of environmentally sustainable practices that could be applied in your clinic.
Ensure that waste disposal is done appropriately
Engage in environmental protection initiatives
Carry out campaign awareness programs on environmental protection
Section 4 – Human Resource / Personnel Management
16. Provide three (3) examples of strategies to support staff.
Rolling out training programs for staffs
Each department has to go for team building
Ensure that all employees are involved in the decision making process of the company
17. Research and identify (using bullet points) continuing professional development opportunities in your region or state/territory; and types of employment / roles that you may experience during your natural therapies career.
Professional development opportunities
Provision of therapy services at the local health facilities
Types of employments
Counselling psychology: provision of counselling services
Therapist: provision of occupational, speech and physical therapies
18. Provide three (3) examples for monitoring staff performance in a health care environment that support ethical practice and regulatory compliance.
The manager need to assess the performance of the staff based on their outcomes
Leaders have to provide workers with feedback on their performance and help them where possible
Monitoring can also be done through employee engagement and relations
19. List five (5) details or documents that an employee record should contain.
Superannuation funds and contributions (The National Institute of Complementary Medicine, 2014).
Leave accruals
Start and date of employment contract
Tax file declaration form
Contact information
Super choice form
20. In a paragraph (approximately 150 words) describe how you would show support and respect for cultural differences and manage diversity in your practice.
Workplace diversity is an essential component that all organizations need to embrace. The Human Resource department is tasked with the role of hiring skilled and qualified employees from diverse backgrounds. A workplace environment that has employees from different ethnicities and cultures is very competitive. Managers need to ensure that all the employees are treated equally and without any form of favouritism (Queensland Government, 2015). Promotions within the organization will be done based on merit. Inclusivity as a part of the corporate culture plays a major role in the enhancement of its productivity and competitiveness. When creating compensation packages, the human resource has to focus on job positions and not race and gender. Gender pay gap remains a major issue in various organizations around the world.
References
Australian Government. (2016). business.gov.au. Business topics: Business planning: Writing a business plan: Before writing your business plan. Retrieved May 2, 2016 from: http://www.business.gov.au/business-topics/business-planning/writing-a-business-plan/Pages/before-writing-your-business-plan.aspx
Berkowitz, E.N. (2010). Essentials of Health Care Marketing (3rd Ed.). USA: Jones " Barlett Publishers.
Hartman, N. (2014). Seven Steps to Running the Most Effective Meeting Possible. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2014/02/05/seven-steps-to-running-the-most-effective-meeting-possible/#259623197a61
Queensland Government. (2015). Business and Industry Portal. For business: Starting a business: Before you start: Business start-up guide. Retrieved May 2, 2016 from: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/starting/before-you-start/business-success
The National Institute of Complementary Medicine (2014). NICM 2014 National audit of research activity in complementary medicine. Retrieved from http://www.nicm.edu.au/health_information/information_for_consumers/reports,_surveys,_audits
