Revised CPD guidelines published today

24 Oct 2019

The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia (the Board), along with four other National Boards, has today published an advance copy of their revised continuing professional development guidelines (the CPD guidelines).

The revised CPD guidelines provide additional information for occupational therapists about how to meet the revised CPD registration standard (the CPD standard). The Board published an advance copy of the CPD standard on 31 July 2019.

The revised CPD standard and the CPD guidelines will apply to all registered occupational therapists in Australia, except those with student or non-practising registration, from 1 December 2019.

Occupational therapists will need to declare that they have met the revised CPD standard when they renew their registration in 2020. Practitioners will need to declare they meet the current CPD standard when they renew their registration this year.

The Board encourages occupational therapists to read the revised CPD registration standard and the CPD guidelines to make sure that they are familiar with the updated requirements.

The number of hours of CPD activities that occupational therapists are required to undertake each year has changed from a minimum of 30 hours to 20 hours in each registration year.

The CPD goal-directed hours will need to:

• seek to improve patient outcomes and experiences
• draw on best available evidence and accepted knowledge that is supported by research where possible
• contribute to improving competence (performance, communication and behaviour) and up to date practice in the selected scope and setting
• build on existing knowledge, and
• include five hours of interactive CPD activities.

The revised CPD guidelines aim to help occupational therapists with:

• understanding the importance of CPD in staying up to date, maintaining safe practice and improving patient/client outcomes
• choosing effective CPD activities that meet the CPD standard, and
• keeping CPD portfolios recording learning goals, CPD activities and reflections.

The Board is currently developing additional guidance material to help practitioners to understand and meet the revised CPD standard. Additional material including an updated FAQ about CPD and a template CPD portfolio will be published on the Board’s website in the coming weeks.

National Boards published a consultation report providing a summary of the consultation on the revised CPD registration standards on 31 July 2019. The report and additional information are published on the AHPRA website.

For further information

• Visit the Board’s website.
• Lodge an online enquiry form.
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers).
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200.