What you need to know about the APHRA
CPD Registration Standards
As of January 1, 2024, all doctors are required to meet the Medical Board of Australia's standards for continuing professional development (CPD) in order to renew and maintain their registration to practice medicine within Australia. The CPD standards comprise the following activities which must be completed each calendar year:
1. register and comply with the requirements of an agency that is an APHRA certified CPD Home
2. complete a Professional Development Plan (PDP)
3. complete a minimum of 50 hours of CPD activities which are relevant to your practice and split across these categories of activities:
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25 hours - reviewing performance and measuring outcomes (a minimum of 5 hours in each)
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12.5 hours - educational activities focused on acquisition of knowledge and skills
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12.5 hours free choice of activities
4. self evaluate your CPD activities and plan at the end of the year
5. retain records of your annual CPD activity for audit by your CPD home for three years after the end of each one-year cycle.
Note
6. CPD Homes may have additional requirements
What you must do each year to meet your CPD requirements
1. Establish whether you are exempted from the standard based on your role.
If not
2.Enrol with an APHRA certified CPD Home and familiarise yourself with its particular requirements
3. Write your annual Professional Development Plan (PDP)
4. Ensure you complete sufficient hours of CPD activities in each category (50 hours total)
5. Collect acceptable supporting documentation for each activity and upload to your CPD dashboard within your CPD Home
6. Complete a self evaluation at the end of the calendar year
7. Retain all documentation for three years following the end of each year.
Exemptions
This standard applies to all registered medical practitioners except:
• medical students
• interns in accredited intern training programs and doctors in postgraduate year 2 positions who are participating in a structured program that leads to a certificate of completion
• medical practitioners who have limited registration in the public interest or limited registration for teaching or research (to demonstrate a procedure or participate in a workshop) and who have been granted registration for no more than four weeks
• medical practitioners who are granted an exemption or variation from this standard by their CPD home in relation to continuous absence from practice of at least six months and up to and including 12 months for parental or carer leave, serious illness or other approved circumstances
• medical practitioners with non-practising registration.
Information can be found on the APHRA website