How Many CPD Hours Does AHPRA Require? Complete Breakdown by Profession

How Many CPD Hours Does AHPRA Require?

AHPRA CPD hours vary by profession. Doctors need 50 hours per year. Nurses and midwives need 20 hours. Dentists need 60 hours across a three-year cycle. Pharmacists need 40 credits annually. The exact requirement depends on your National Board, your registration type, and sometimes your scope of practice.

There is no single "AHPRA CPD requirement" that applies to everyone. Each of the 15 National Boards sets its own CPD standards, and those standards differ in hours, cycle length, activity types, and documentation expectations. Some boards count in hours, others in credits. Some run annual cycles, others triennial. Getting this wrong can put your registration at risk.

This page breaks down the AHPRA CPD requirements for every registered health profession in Australia, with the specific numbers you need.

Complete AHPRA CPD Hours by Profession

Here is the full breakdown of CPD requirements across all AHPRA-regulated professions:

| Profession | National Board | Annual Hours/Credits | Cycle Length | Key Requirements | |---|---|---|---|---| | Medical practitioners | Medical Board of Australia (MBA) | 50 hours | 1 year | Three categories: educational activities, reviewing performance, measuring outcomes | | Nurses and midwives | Nursing and Midwifery Board (NMBA) | 20 hours | 1 year | Minimum practice hours also required for renewal | | Dentists | Dental Board of Australia (DBA) | 60 hours | 3 years (triennium) | Must include scientific content, minimum per year applies | | Pharmacists | Pharmacy Board of Australia (PBA) | 40 credits | 1 year | Credits via accredited activities, Group 1 and Group 2 categories | | Physiotherapists | Physiotherapy Board (PBA) | 30 hours | 1 year | Must relate to scope of practice, includes peer review | | Psychologists | Psychology Board (PsyBA) | 30 hours | 1 year | Peer consultation required, active learning focus | | Chiropractors | Chiropractic Board (CBA) | 25 hours | 1 year | Must include formal learning and peer review activities | | Optometrists | Optometry Board (OCBA) | 40 therapeutic credits | 1 year | Specific therapeutic prescribing CPD for endorsed optometrists | | Podiatrists | Podiatry Board (PodBA) | 20 hours | 1 year | Must align with practice context and scope | | Occupational therapists | Occupational Therapy Board (OTBA) | 30 hours | 1 year | Reflective practice emphasis, outcome-focused | | Chinese medicine practitioners | Chinese Medicine Board (CMBA) | 20 hours | 1 year | Must include formal and informal learning | | Medical radiation practitioners | Medical Radiation Practice Board (MRPBA) | 20 hours | 1 year | Must maintain competence in specific modality | | Osteopaths | Osteopathy Board (OBA) | 25 hours | 1 year | Includes first aid CPD component | | Paramedics | Paramedicine Board (PaBA) | 30 hours | 1 year | Recency of practice also assessed | | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners | ATSIHPBA | 20 hours | 1 year | Culturally appropriate CPD activities accepted |

A few things worth noting. "Hours" and "credits" are not always interchangeable. The Pharmacy Board uses a credit system where different activity types earn different credit values. One hour of learning does not always equal one credit. Check your specific Board's guidelines for how activities are counted.

AHPRA CPD Requirements for Doctors

The Medical Board of Australia requires 50 hours of CPD per year, making it one of the highest requirements of any regulated profession. But it is not just about hitting the number. Since the 2023 framework changes, the MBA requires doctors to spread their CPD across three mandatory categories.

The three CPD categories

1. Educational activities (minimum 12.5 hours): Conferences, workshops, online courses, journal clubs, grand rounds, and structured learning programs. This is the category most practitioners are already comfortable with.

2. Reviewing performance (minimum 12.5 hours): Clinical audits, peer review, multi-source feedback, case discussions with colleagues, and practice visits. This is where many doctors fall short, because it requires active engagement with peers rather than passive learning.

3. Measuring outcomes (minimum 12.5 hours): Patient outcome tracking, quality improvement projects, clinical indicator monitoring, and benchmarking against standards. The MBA wants evidence that your learning actually changes your practice.

The remaining 12.5 hours can come from any category. Most doctors fill these with educational activities, but some use them to deepen their quality improvement work.

CPD homes for doctors

All medical practitioners must be registered with a CPD home, typically their specialist college (RACGP, RACS, RACP, RANZCOG, and so on). Your CPD home provides a framework for planning, recording, and verifying your CPD. If you are a non-specialist or international medical graduate without college affiliation, the MBA has approved alternative CPD homes.

Your CPD home will have its own specific requirements that sit on top of the MBA minimums. Some colleges require additional hours or specific activity types. Always check both your Board requirements and your college requirements.

Documentation standards

The MBA expects you to maintain a CPD portfolio that includes certificates of completion, reflective notes on how learning changed your practice, and evidence of outcomes where applicable. If you are audited, you will need to produce this documentation. "I attended a conference" is not enough. You need to show what you learned and what you did differently as a result.

If you are looking for CPD courses that meet MBA standards across all three categories, make sure the provider specifies which category their activities fall into.

AHPRA CPD Requirements for Nurses

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia requires 20 hours of CPD per year for registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and midwives. This is one of the more straightforward requirements, but there are details that catch people out.

What the NMBA expects

Your 20 hours must include a mix of learning activities. The NMBA does not mandate specific categories the way the MBA does for doctors, but it does expect your CPD to be relevant to your context of practice. A perioperative nurse completing 20 hours of aged care CPD, for example, would struggle to justify that in an audit.

The NMBA also requires that your CPD includes at least some activities that involve interaction with other practitioners. Purely self-directed online learning for all 20 hours is unlikely to satisfy the Board's expectations if you are audited.

Practice hours and CPD

Here is where it gets important. CPD hours and practice hours are separate requirements. To renew your registration, you need both:

• 20 hours of CPD per year
• 450 hours of practice in the previous five years (for RNs and midwives) or 225 hours (for ENs in some circumstances)

Failing to meet either requirement can trigger conditions on your registration or, in serious cases, refusal to renew. If you have been on extended leave, contact the NMBA early to discuss your situation before your renewal date.

Types of CPD that count

The NMBA accepts a broad range of activities: formal courses, seminars, in-service training, online modules, journal reading with reflection, mentoring (both giving and receiving), quality improvement activities, and relevant postgraduate study. The key is documentation. You need to record what you did, when, how long it took, and what you learned.

Workplace in-service training counts, which is good news for nurses employed in hospitals and clinics where regular training sessions are part of the routine. If your employer tracks staff training centrally, make sure you keep your own copies of records as well.

AHPRA CPD Requirements for Dentists

The Dental Board of Australia takes a different approach. Instead of an annual requirement, dentists operate on a three-year (triennial) cycle of 60 hours. That works out to an average of 20 hours per year, but the triennium structure gives you flexibility in how you spread the hours.

How the triennium works

You do not need to complete exactly 20 hours each year. You could do 10 hours in year one, 15 in year two, and 35 in year three, and still meet the requirement. However, the DBA does expect you to engage in CPD every year. Doing nothing for two years and cramming 60 hours in the final year before renewal is not the intent, and an auditor would likely question that pattern.

Scientific content requirement

A significant portion of your CPD must include scientific content relevant to your area of practice. The DBA distinguishes between scientific and non-scientific CPD. Practice management seminars, business courses, and leadership training can count toward your total, but they cannot make up the majority. Clinical skills, new techniques, evidence-based practice updates, and scientific literature review should form the core of your CPD plan.

Specialist dentists

If you hold specialist registration (orthodontics, periodontics, oral surgery, and so on), your CPD must be relevant to your specialty. General dentistry CPD may not be sufficient. Your specialist college likely has additional requirements or recommendations that align with the DBA framework.

Record keeping for dentists

The DBA requires you to maintain a CPD portfolio for the full triennium. This means keeping records for three years, not just the current year. If you are audited, you need to produce documentation for the entire cycle. Certificates, reflective statements, and evidence of how learning influenced your clinical practice are all expected.

AHPRA CPD Requirements for Pharmacists

The Pharmacy Board of Australia uses a credit-based system rather than hours. Pharmacists need 40 CPD credits per year, and different activity types earn different credit values.

How credits work

The PBA divides CPD activities into two groups:

• Group 1 activities are self-directed learning: reading journals, watching webinars, completing online modules, attending presentations. These earn 1 credit per hour.
• Group 2 activities involve higher-level engagement: quality improvement projects, practice research, peer review, developing educational materials, and completing accredited programs. These earn 2 credits per hour.

You must earn a minimum number of credits from Group 2 activities. This prevents pharmacists from relying entirely on passive learning. The PBA wants evidence of active engagement with practice improvement.

Accredited vs non-accredited activities

The PBA recognises both accredited and non-accredited CPD. Accredited activities come from approved providers and are pre-assessed as meeting Board standards. Non-accredited activities (like self-directed reading) still count, but you need to document them more thoroughly and justify their relevance to your practice.

If you are looking for accredited CPD courses that generate Group 2 credits, check that the provider specifies PBA accreditation and the credit allocation before enrolling.

Pharmacist prescribers

Pharmacists with prescribing endorsements have additional CPD requirements on top of the standard 40 credits. These typically include specific prescribing-related activities, clinical governance training, and collaborative practice documentation. Check the PBA's endorsement-specific standards for the exact requirements.

CPD Requirements for Allied Health Professionals

Allied health covers a broad range of professions, each with its own Board and CPD standards. Here is what you need to know for the major allied health disciplines.

Physiotherapists: 30 hours per year

The Physiotherapy Board requires 30 hours annually. Your CPD must relate to your scope of practice, and the Board encourages a mix of activity types including peer review, clinical education, and formal learning. Physiotherapists working in specialised areas (sports, paediatrics, musculoskeletal) should ensure their CPD reflects their actual clinical work.

The Board also requires a CPD plan at the start of each year and a summary at the end. This plan-do-review cycle is a key feature of the physiotherapy CPD framework.

Psychologists: 30 hours per year

The Psychology Board requires 30 hours of CPD annually, with a strong emphasis on active learning. At least 10 hours must be peer consultation, which means structured discussions with other psychologists about clinical work, ethical issues, or professional development.

For psychologists with area of practice endorsements (clinical, forensic, neuropsychology, and so on), additional CPD in your endorsed area is expected. The Board may audit your CPD records, and insufficient peer consultation hours are one of the most common deficiencies identified.

Occupational therapists: 30 hours per year

The Occupational Therapy Board requires 30 hours of CPD per year. The framework emphasises reflective practice and outcome-focused learning. OTs need to demonstrate not just what they learned but how it improved their service delivery.

The OTBA accepts a wide range of activities: formal courses, workplace learning, supervision (giving or receiving), research activities, and professional reading with documented reflection.

Chiropractors: 25 hours per year

The Chiropractic Board requires 25 hours annually. CPD must include a mix of formal learning activities (such as seminars and courses) and informal activities (such as peer review and clinical mentoring). The Board specifically requires some first aid training within your CPD.

Chiropractors must also participate in practice-based reflective activities, which means reviewing your own clinical outcomes and identifying areas for improvement. This aligns with the broader AHPRA push toward outcome-focused CPD across all professions.

What Counts as CPD for AHPRA?

This is one of the most common questions practitioners ask, and the answer depends partly on your Board. However, there are broad categories that most Boards recognise.

| Activity Type | Examples | Typically Accepted By | |---|---|---| | Formal education | University courses, accredited workshops, structured online courses | All Boards | | Conferences and seminars | National conferences, state-based seminars, grand rounds | All Boards | | Online learning | Webinars, e-learning modules, virtual workshops | All Boards (with documentation) | | Peer review | Case discussions, peer observation, multi-source feedback | All Boards (some mandate it) | | Clinical audit | Reviewing patient outcomes against standards, benchmarking | All Boards | | Quality improvement | Practice improvement projects, implementing new protocols | All Boards | | Mentoring and supervision | Providing or receiving clinical supervision | Most Boards | | Self-directed learning | Journal reading, literature review, podcast listening | Most Boards (with reflection notes) | | Teaching and presenting | Lecturing, conference presentations, developing training materials | Most Boards | | Research | Conducting or participating in research projects | Most Boards | | First aid training | CPR updates, first aid certification renewal | Some Boards (mandatory for some) | | Practice management | Business skills, leadership training, communication courses | Most Boards (limited proportion) |

The important pattern across all Boards is that passive learning alone is not enough. Every Board now expects some component of active, reflective, or peer-based learning. Sitting in a lecture hall for 50 hours will not cut it.

Also worth knowing: most Boards accept online CPD courses as long as they meet the relevant accreditation standards. The shift to recognising online learning accelerated during COVID and has stuck. However, some Boards cap the proportion of CPD that can come from purely online, self-paced activities.

What Happens If You Don't Complete Your CPD Hours?

The consequences of failing to meet AHPRA CPD requirements range from inconvenient to career-threatening, depending on the severity and your response.

At registration renewal

When you renew your registration, you make a declaration that you have met the CPD requirements for your profession. This is a legal declaration. If you declare compliance when you have not actually completed your CPD, you are making a false declaration, which is a separate and potentially more serious issue than the CPD shortfall itself.

If you are audited

AHPRA conducts random CPD audits across all professions. If you are selected and cannot produce adequate documentation, the consequences escalate:

1. Request for further information: The Board asks you to provide additional evidence or explanation. This is your chance to sort things out.
2. Undertakings: You may be asked to commit to completing specific CPD activities within a set timeframe, with your registration noted accordingly.
3. Conditions on registration: The Board can impose conditions requiring you to complete specified CPD before your next renewal. These conditions are public, meaning anyone searching your name on the AHPRA register can see them.
4. Suspension or cancellation: In extreme cases (repeated non-compliance, false declarations, refusal to engage with the process), the Board can suspend or cancel your registration.

Practical reality

Most practitioners who fall short are given the opportunity to make up the deficit. Boards generally take a proportionate approach, particularly for first-time issues or small shortfalls. A nurse who completed 18 hours instead of 20 is going to have a very different experience than a doctor who completed zero hours and declared full compliance.

The real risk is not engaging with the process. If AHPRA contacts you about a CPD concern and you ignore it, things escalate quickly.

How to Track Your CPD Hours

Good CPD tracking saves you stress at renewal time and protects you during audits. Here are practical approaches that work.

Start with your Board's requirements

Before you track anything, know exactly what you are tracking against. Download your Board's CPD standard document and note the specific requirements: total hours or credits, mandatory categories, activity type minimums, documentation expectations. Print it or save it somewhere accessible. This is your checklist for the year.

Choose a tracking method

You have several options:

• Your CPD home's portal: If you are registered with a CPD home (mandatory for doctors, optional for some other professions), use their online portal. It is designed for your Board's specific requirements and will flag if you are falling short in any category.
• Spreadsheet: Simple and effective. Create columns for date, activity, provider, hours/credits, category, and a notes column for reflection. Review it quarterly.
• Dedicated CPD tracking software: Several platforms exist specifically for tracking AHPRA CPD compliance. If you manage a team's CPD tracking, software becomes almost essential once you have more than a handful of practitioners to monitor.
• Paper log: Acceptable but risky. Paper gets lost, and it is harder to review your progress at a glance.

Record as you go

The single most important habit is recording CPD activities immediately after completing them. Save the certificate, write a two-sentence reflection while the content is fresh, and log the hours. Practitioners who leave this to the end of the year invariably forget activities, lose certificates, and struggle to write meaningful reflections.

Quarterly reviews

Set a calendar reminder every three months to review your CPD log. Check you are on track for total hours, that you are meeting any category minimums, and that you have adequate documentation for each activity. If you are behind, you have time to catch up. Discovering a shortfall two weeks before renewal is stressful and avoidable.

Keep records for the required period

Most Boards require you to retain CPD records for at least three years (five years in some cases). Store digital copies of all certificates and documentation. If your tracking system is cloud-based, make sure you can export your records.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don't have enough CPD hours at renewal time?

Contact your Board before your renewal date. Most Boards have processes for practitioners who have a genuine shortfall due to illness, parental leave, or other circumstances. Being upfront about a shortfall is always better than making a false declaration. The Board may grant an extension or allow you to make up the deficit in the next registration period.

Can you carry over CPD hours from previous years?

This depends on your Board. Some Boards allow limited carry-over of excess hours into the next cycle. Others do not. The Medical Board, for example, runs an annual cycle with no carry-over. The Dental Board's triennial structure gives you flexibility within the three-year period, but you cannot carry hours into the next triennium. Check your Board's specific CPD standard for carry-over rules.

How many CPD hours do nurses need in Australia?

Registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and midwives need 20 hours of CPD per year under the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. This applies regardless of whether you work full-time or part-time. You also need to meet separate minimum practice hour requirements (450 hours in the previous five years for RNs and midwives) to renew your registration.

What happens if you don't meet AHPRA CPD requirements?

The consequences range from being asked to provide further information, through to conditions placed on your registration, and in serious cases, suspension or cancellation. Making a false declaration about CPD compliance is treated separately and can result in additional regulatory action. The key is to engage with the process, if you are contacted about a shortfall, respond promptly and cooperatively.

Are online CPD courses accepted by AHPRA?

Yes. All National Boards accept online CPD activities, including webinars, e-learning modules, and virtual workshops. The activity needs to be documented properly (date, duration, provider, topic, your reflection on learning). Some Boards may limit the proportion of CPD that can come from purely self-directed online learning, so check your specific Board's position. Browse AHPRA-aligned CPD courses to see what is available.

Do I need to keep CPD records?

Absolutely. Every Board requires you to maintain records of your CPD activities. If you are selected for a random audit, you will need to produce certificates, reflective statements, and evidence of how your CPD has influenced your practice. Most Boards require you to retain records for at least three years, some longer. Digital storage is fine and generally preferable.

What is a CPD home and do I need one?

A CPD home is an accredited organisation that supports your professional development, usually your specialist college or a professional body. Doctors are required to nominate a CPD home under the MBA's framework. For other professions, CPD homes are optional but can be helpful for structuring and validating your learning. Your CPD home may have additional requirements beyond what the Board mandates.

Does workplace training count as CPD?

In most cases, yes. In-service training, mandatory workplace education (fire safety, manual handling, infection control), and on-the-job clinical education generally count toward your CPD hours. The key requirement is that you document these activities the same way you would document external courses: record the date, duration, topic, and your learning outcomes. If your organisation runs regular staff training programs, ensure you are keeping personal records alongside any organisational tracking.

Planning Your CPD Year

Rather than scrambling to accumulate hours before renewal, plan your CPD at the start of each registration year. Identify gaps in your knowledge, upcoming changes in your field, and areas where your practice could improve. Match these against your Board's category requirements and build a realistic plan.

Spread your learning throughout the year. Quarterly blocks of CPD are easier to manage than a last-minute marathon, and you will actually retain more of what you learn.

If you work in a clinic or practice with multiple practitioners, consider coordinating CPD activities. Group bookings for relevant courses, shared journal club sessions, and structured peer review programs can help everyone meet their requirements while building a stronger team. For practices managing CPD across multiple staff members, compliance tracking tools can simplify what quickly becomes a complex administrative task.

For more detail on recent changes to CPD frameworks, read our guides on the AHPRA CPD framework updates and 2025 CPD requirement changes.

The bottom line: know your Board's specific requirements, track consistently, document thoroughly, and plan ahead. CPD compliance is not difficult when you treat it as an ongoing professional habit rather than an annual administrative burden.