1 July 2020

Interest Groups now Part of AICE

The Australasian Institute of Chiropractic Education (AICE) was established in 2019 by the ACA to promote advanced clinical competence and knowledge transfer through the establishment of credentialed advanced learning pathways. We support our members and the profession by improving skills and knowledge, facilitating research and developing policy and guidance.

The ACA has identified the need for a structure that will provide the chiropractic profession with a consistent framework within which practitioners can be recognised for their advanced skills and knowledge in clinical interest areas such as: Sports & Exercise, Neuroscience, Paediatrics, Pain Management, and Wellbeing & Lifestyle Medicine. These advanced credentialed groups will now be known as Clinical Practice Groups (CPGs). For some time, the ACA has had Clinical Interest Groups (CIGs) to represent these interest areas and they will continue.

The CPGs will be complemented by the CIGs in each faculty of AICE. A CIG will be the lowest level of participation within the AICE CPG. For example, if you are currently a Neuroscience Clinical Interest Group member, and do not wish to take up any of the AICE CPG levels such as Fellow or Member, then you are welcome to remain as a CIG Neuroscience member and experience the same benefits of membership and access to resources you are accustomed to.

The key difference between the two groups is that the CPG will pursue titling whereas the CIG will not. With titling will come a right to advertise the special interest credentialing possessed by the chiropractor. This framework will provide credentials that will be recognised within the chiropractic profession as well as by other health professions and the public.

AICE will utilise a recognition of prior learning for special populations pathway. This credentialing pathway will be based on both academic and clinical pathways to ensure that the entity remains firmly grounded in clinical outcomes and available to all that choose to attain the standards.

The mission of AICE is to:

  • enhance the competence of chiropractors implementing evidence informed best practice and research to improve outcomes for patients/consumers;
  • improve the trust and confidence of the public in chiropractors;
  • contribute to the evidence base in chiropractic care;
  • foster the creation of high-quality evidence-based university educational programs for chiropractors to upskill their knowledge and practice;
  • foster the creation of tailored, quality mentoring programs to promote best practice in the delivery of chiropractic care for the public;
  • advocate for the recognition of appropriately qualified clinical practice groups in chiropractic by other healthcare groups and the public;
  • be the authority in post registration advanced learning in chiropractic care; and
  • to develop and maintain intra and inter professional content focusing on health, disease and therapy relevant to special interest chiropractors.

Competency development is a key to expand the confidence, scope and role of chiropractic in the Australian community. The profession has advanced to the degree that its diversity can now support an entity with advanced learning streams that is championed by the ACA in order to become more relevant to the Australian public.

It is envisaged that this expansion of our professional reach will improve access to chiropractors by the public, resulting in an improvement in the utilisation of chiropractic services and a recognition of a broad scope of practice.

Please join us in this important journey to establish special interest chiropractic in mainstream healthcare in Australia. For more information on AICE, including joining, visit aice.org.au.