American Herbalists Guild

The American Herbalists Guild A Professional Association of Herbal Practitioners PO Box 230741 • Boston, MA 02123 • Phone: 857.350-3128 • email: [email protected] • website: www.americanherbalist.com

Continuing Education Program

June 12, 2012

Dear Professional Member,

It is the mission of the AHG to promote a recognizable high standard of practice by our professional members. Therefore, the American Herbalists Guild requires that all professional members engage in ongoing continuing education. The start-date of this program was August 6, 1999. Satisfaction of the CEU requirement is a requirement for continued status as an AHG professional member in good standing.

The AHG continuing education program runs in two-year cycles. That is, all professional members who were admitted before June 1, 2010 must now report twenty (20) CEUs over this two-year cycle. The form for reporting your continuing education, along with a detailed explanation of how these credits are identified, is attached here. It is not necessary to send copies of certificates or other documentation of your continuing education activities, but only to retain these for your records. You can return this form by email or post.

Please do not hesitate to contact the AHG office if you have any questions.

Warmly,

Tracy Romm AHG Executive Director AHG CEU Requirements

The continuing education process is built upon accruing Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which are based upon Contact Hours. CEUs may be earned in any sequence and with any distribution over the two-year period. A total of twenty (20) CEUs are required over a two- year period.

One Contact Hour is defined as 55 minutes of actual time spent in the activity. The minimum amount of contact time awarded credit is 30 minutes, which grants a .5 (half) Contact Hour. Exceptions to this are activities that are not academically rigorous. These activities will be awarded fewer CEUs per time engaged in the activity. These are specified below. Less than 30 minutes of time will not be awarded Contact Hours.

Continuing Education Categories Category 1 (maximum-20 Contact Hours) • AHG approved sources of continuing education, such as classes taught at AHG symposiums (or other major national herb conferences), approved on-site herbal schools or approved distance- learning programs. • Any class or course work that grants CEUs in a health profession relevant to herbalists, such as courses offered at a nursing, medical, acupuncture, or naturopathic conference.

Category 2 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Classes/courses in herbal medicine or in relevant health fields that have not been pre-approved for contact hours.

Category 3 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Documented research in the field of herbal medicine or related health fields. A. Each project will be allowed a maximum of 5 Contact Hours - Academic manuscripts or written works that require research by the author. - Development of course work modules based on apparent research or experience. B. Each project will be granted a maximum of 5 Contact Hours - Writing as a contributing author in a larger academic work for publication. - Writing technical or experience-based works for publication in professional peer- reviewed publications. C. Teaching classes or facilitating course work in herbal medicine or related health fields. Each actual hour of teaching earns .5 Contact Hours of credit.

Category 4 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Carefully documented self-study or life experience. One hour of study equals .5 Contact Hours of credit.

Category 5 (maximum 5 Contact Hours) • Peer review of clinical cases is a valuable way to develop one’s professional standards and skills, as well as gain the perspective of other practitioners. Peer review can be accomplished through conference phone calls, at conferences, and at peer review sessions with other AHG professional members. At present category 5 is recommended but is not required. (Please retain a copy of this document for your records.)

American Herbalists Guild Continuing Education Documentation Form

Name: ______Address: ______Phone: home: ( )______work ( )______E-mail address: ______Date: ______

Summary of CEUs Total CEUs Brief Description of Activity Category 1 (maximum-20 Contact Hours) • AHG approved sources of continuing education. • Any class or course work that grants CEUs in a health profession relevant to herbalists. Category 2 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Classes/courses in herbal medicine or in relevant health fields that have not been pre-approved for contact hours. Category 3 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Documented research in the field of herbal medicine or related health fields. Each project will be allowed a maximum of 5 Contact Hours 3A. Academic manuscripts or written works Development of course work modules 3B. Writing as a contributing author in a larger academic publication; writing technical or experience- based works for publication in professional peer- reviewed publications. 3C. Teaching classes or facilitating course work in herbal medicine or related health fields. Category 4 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Carefully documented self-study or life experience. One hour of study equals .5 Contact Hours of credit.

Category 5 (maximum 5 Contact Hours) • Peer review (each actual hour equals .5 contact hours) Name ______

Fill out the required information below. If further space is required, feel free to attach another sheet.

Category 1: (maximum-20 Contact Hours) • AHG approved sources of continuing education, such as classes taught at AHG symposiums (or other major national herb conferences), approved on-site herbal schools or approved distance-learning programs. • Any class or course work that grants CEUs in a health profession relevant to herbalists, such as courses offered at a nursing, medical, or naturopathic conference.

Course Title______What organization approved this course? ______Where did you attend this course (location of program or event): ______Date attended:__/___/___ Instructor’s name:______Number of CEUs granted:______

Course Title______What organization approved this course? ______Where did you attend this course (location of program or event): ______Date attended:__/___/___ Instructor’s name:______Number of CEUs granted:______Category 2 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Classes/courses in herbal medicine or in relevant health fields that have not been pre-approved for contact hours.

Course Title______What organization offered this course? ______Location of course:______Date attended:__/___/___ Instructor’s name:______Contact for verification: (name/phone): ______Number of CEUs granted:______

Course Title______What organization offered this course? ______Location of course:______Date attended:__/___/___ Instructor’s name:______Contact for verification: (name/phone): ______Number of CEUs granted:______Category 3 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Documented research in the field of herbal medicine or related health fields. Each project will be allowed 5 Contact Hours: A. Academic manuscripts or written works that require research by the author. Development of course work modules based on apparent research or experience. B. Writing as a contributing author in a larger academic work for publication. Writing technical or experience-based works for publication in professional peer-reviewed publications. C. Teaching classes or facilitating course work in herbal medicine or related health fields. (Each actual hour of teaching earns .5 Contact Hours of credit.)

Category 3A:

Description of academic manuscripts or written works (include any co-authors, for whom the publication or course was developed, nature and length of publication) ______

Number of CEUs granted______

Description of academic manuscripts or written works (include any co-authors, for whom the publication or course was developed, nature and length of publication) ______

Category 3B: Writing as a contributing author in a larger academic work for publication; Writing technical or experience-based works for publication in professional peer-reviewed publications.

Description of publication or written works (include any co-authors, for whom the publication or course was developed, nature and length of publication) ______

Number of CEUs granted______Description of publication or written works (include any co-authors, for whom the publication or course was developed, nature and length of publication) ______

Category 3C: Teaching classes or facilitating course work in herbal medicine or related health fields. (Each actual hour of teaching earns .5 Contact Hours of credit.)

Course title: ______Event at which course was offered: ______Did the course earn CEU approved credit? YES NO If so, from what organization(s)? Did your course earn semester/quarter credits? YES NO If yes, how many? ______Date course was taught:______Length of course: ______hours Number of CEUs granted______

Course title: ______Event at which course was offered: ______Did the course earn CEU approved credit? YES NO If so, from what organization(s)? Did your course earn semester/quarter credits? YES NO If yes, how many? ______Date course was taught:______Length of course: ______hours Number of CEUs granted______Category 4 (maximum-10 Contact Hours) • Carefully documented self-study or life experience. (One hour of study equals .5 Contact Hours of credit) Please submit any relevant documentation.

Title of your self-study/life experience course: ______Content of your course/study______How many hours did you spend on your learning objectives? ______Number of CEUs earned through life experience? ______

Category 5 (maximum 5 Contact Hours) • Peer review of clinical cases (1 hour of peer review equals .5 contact hours)

Date of peer review: __/___/___ Number of herbalists participating in peer review ______Number of these that were AHG Professional Members: ______Number of cases that were presented: ______Contact for verification: ______Number of peer review CEU credits: ______