ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (OPD)
All Full members of the IFA are required to provide evidence of ongoing professional development. OPD is part of our constitution, listed in the Code of Ethics under clause 6..... “Develop and maintain my professional knowledge and skills.”
The objectives of OPD are for IFA members to meet the increasing demands of our industry, the expectations of our consumers and to self regulate our industry. OPD achieves these by continuing to refresh and improve our technical and communicative skills.
OPD is accrued by hours of attendance to courses, workshops, lectures relevant to Aromatherapy. Annually, full members will have to accrue a minimum of 10 hours. Over three years a maximum of thirty hours. Hours cannot be accrued retrospectively.
 | Only hours of duration will be considered. Lunch breaks are not included in the hours awarded. |
| Year for accruing OPD is the same as membership, from January 1st to 31st December inclusive. |
Members will have to submit evidence of OPD at the time of renewal of membership in January. Members can supply OPD documentation in the form of photocopies of certificates of attainment or statements of attendance.
Documentation has to provide members name, course or lecture details, hours of duration and be signed by a recognized member of the IFA; IFA state coordinator, council member, IFA Accredited teacher or the course facilitator. The responsibility is on the individual member to provide this. If no documentation is forwarded with renewal, membership requirements are not meet and therefore ineligible.
OPD can be achieved by attending events and activities that improve the individual practice, professionalism, communication and expertise as an Aromatherapist. Topics on aromatherapy will be recognized if they fit the following categories. Other modalities, personal development and business management will be recognized if it relates to you as a practitioner. Only 10 hours of these areas (in total) can be accrued over a three year period. The majority of your OPD must be Aromatherapy topics.
AROMATHERAPY
| Aromatherapy conferences (national and international) |
| Post graduate Aromatherapy lectures and workshops (not those targeting the general public, must be for practitioners) |
| IFA lectures and workshops |
| Refresher modules of IFA accredited courses |
| IFA external exam |
| First Aid Certification courses and refreshers |
| Presenting lectures on new post graduate topics (not current IFA Accredited courses, will accrue double the hours of duration) |
| Presentation of papers relevant to Aromatherapy, to other Aromatherapists |
| Original articles on aromatherapy for Simply Essential (must be first publication, maximum of 2 hours per article) |
| Original written documents such as books, courses, articles for journals, research papers, presentations for peers (2 hours per article) |
| Aromatherapy Journal subscriptions other than Simply Essential |
| Attendance to the IFA Teachers conference, AGM and NGM conference components |
| Attendance to IFA state lectures and workshops |
COMPLIMENTARY MODALITIES/ PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT/ BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Complimentary modalities that enhance your aromatherapy practice will be recognized.
| • Conferences (national and international) for practitioners not the general public |
| • Lectures and workshops (for practitioners, not general public) |
| • Presenting lectures to peers |
| • Original articles for Simply Essential |
If you attend other courses not listed above please submit them to the IFA Council for approval. The course or lecture details must include the presenter, topic, hours of duration and relevance to Aromatherapy.
The IFA actively support the provision of OPD opportunities in the form of local lectures, workshops and encourage the IFA Accredited courses to run post graduate activities. Your state coordinator will be a resource for events and lectures of relevance and interest to Aromatherapists. If you know of any upcoming education events let your state coordinator know.
OPD RECORD
NAME:
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER: M YEAR:
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Total Hours OPD |
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Please attach evidence of OPD for recognition. Without documentation, OPD will not be recognized.
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