Below is the copy from an information letter from AHPRA dated 29th July 2021. 

Dear Stakeholder

Revised Continuing professional development registration standard

I am pleased to advise that Australia’s health ministers have approved the revised Medical Board of Australia Continuing professional development (CPD) registration standard. The standard is attached.

The new standard will take effect on 1 January 2023. We look forward to working with you and your organisation in the months ahead, through the transition to the new arrangements.

The updated standard will strengthen CPD and assure that doctors are engaging in learning that is relevant, effective and evidence-based. Our goal is to make sure that the time doctors spend on CPD is useful and helps keep them practising at their best throughout their working lives.

The three core changes to CPD are the introduction of CPD homes and professional development plans (PDPs) for all doctors, and requiring doctors to do different types of CPD to improve the value of their professional development.

The Board recognises that existing CPD providers (specialist medical colleges) have been moving their CPD programs towards these changes over recent years, because they reflect contemporary best practice and make CPD more valuable to doctors and their patients.

Under the changes, doctors will do 50 hours of CPD each year, made up of:

• 25 hours active CPD – reviewing outcomes and measuring performance (doctors decide the best mix for these activities to suit their practice, with five hours minimum of each type)

• 12.5 hours traditional learning or educational activities – reading, lectures, conferences

• 12.5 hours – doctors choose across the three types of CPD.

You will note that the active CPD component of the standard is flexible and allows doctors to choose what combination is appropriate for their practice. The Board revised this element based on stakeholder feedback.

Introducing accredited CPD homes for all doctors will improve consistency in learning, structure, standards and educational value for doctors with all types of registration.

CPD homes will provide a framework to foster safe practice and support doctors by coordinating programs, ensuring quality activities and keeping track of hours. Any new CPD homes will be accredited by the Australian Medical Council. We are working on the accreditation arrangements and will publish information as it becomes available.

All doctors will need to make a professional development plan each year that targets their professional development to their learning goals and strengthens their practice. The Board is not specifying what a PDP looks like or what should be in it.

Changes to CPD are an important part of the Medical Board of Australia’s Professional Performance Framework.

The revised CPD registration standard will be published on the Board’s website on Friday 30 July 2021. If you or your team have any questions through the transition to the new CPD arrangements, please contact Helen Tierney, Policy Manager, Medical on helen.tierney@ahpra.gov.au.

Yours sincerely

Dr Anne Tonkin

Chair, Medical Board of Australia