Please be aware that this entry is taken from the Australiah Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
This is intended for registered nurse only, however, if you are interested to find out some other information with regards to the CPD in other profession, you can simply visit their website.
Scope of application
This standard applies to registered and enrolled nurses,
registered nurses endorsed as nurse practitioners,
registered midwives, and registered midwives endorsed
as midwife practitioners. It does not apply to students or
nurses and midwives who have non-practising registration.
Requirements
1. Nurses on the nurses’ register will participate in at
least 20 hours of continuing nursing professional
development per year.
2. Midwives on the midwives’ register will participate in
at least 20 hours of continuing midwifery professional
development per year.
3. Registered nurses and midwives who hold scheduled
medicines endorsements or endorsements as nurse
or midwife practitioners under the National Law must
complete at least 10 hours per year in education
related to their endorsement.
4. One hour of active learning will equal one hour of
CPD. It is the nurse or midwife’s responsibility to
calculate how many hours of active learning have
taken place. If CPD activities are relevant to both
nursing and midwifery professions, those activities
may be counted in each portfolio of professional
development.
5. The CPD must be relevant to the nurse or midwife’s
context of practice.
6. Nurses and midwives must keep written
documentation of CPD that demonstrates evidence of
completion of a minimum of 20 hours of CPD per year.
7. Documentation of self-directed CPD must include
dates, a brief description of the outcomes, and the
number of hours spent in each activity. All evidence
should be verified. It must demonstrate that the nurse
or midwife has:
a) identified and prioritised their learning needs,
based on an evaluation of their practice against
the relevant competency or professional practice
standards
b) developed a learning plan based on identified
learning needs
c) participated in effective learning activities relevant
to their learning needs
d) reflected on the value of the learning activities
or the effect that participation will have on their
practice.
8. Participation in mandatory skills acquisition may be
counted as CPD.
9. The Board’s role includes monitoring the competence
of nurses and midwives; the Board will therefore
conduct an annual audit of a number of nurses and
midwives registered in Australia.
Definitions
Context of practice refers to the conditions that define an
individual’s nursing or midwifery practice. These include
the type of practice setting (e.g. healthcare agency,
educational organisation, private practice); the location
of the practice setting (e.g. urban, rural, remote); the
characteristics of patients or clients (e.g. health status,
age, learning needs); the focus of nursing and midwifery
activities (e.g. health promotion, research, management);
the complexity of practice; the degree to which practice
is autonomous; and the resources that are available,
including access to other healthcare professionals (ANMC
2009).
Continuing professional development is the means by
which members of the profession maintain, improve and
broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence, and
develop the personal and professional qualities required
throughout their professional lives. The CPD cycle
involves reviewing practice, identifying learning needs,
planning and participating in relevant learning activities,
and reflecting on the value of those activities (ANMC 2009).
