Requirements for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 

Throughout a healthcare practitioner’s career, medical technologies, treatments, and the medico-legal environment evolve continuously.  Keeping up with these changes demands a lifelong commitment to continuing professional development (CPD). 

CPD allows practitioners to continually upskill and identify areas of learning that will ensure their quality of care and expertise remains relevant and compliant with the requirements set out by regulatory bodies. 

Did you know? 

  • CPD declarations are subject to random audits by the boards.  
  • All healthcare practitioners must meet their CPD requirements as part of their annual Ahpra registration.

 

How do I meet my CPD activity requirements? 

The table below shows your CPD requirements as of 2026 according to your stage of training and type of registration with the Medical Board of Australia. 

Training stage or registration type  CPD requirement
General registration 

Medical practitioners who hold general registration must meet the full CPD Registration Standard of the Medical Board of Australia (unless exempt). They must: 

  • Join an AMC-accredited CPD home before they start doing their CPD each calendar year. 
    Choose a home that is suitable for their scope of practice, which can be a college or non-college home. 
  • Log CPD activities with their CPD home 
Declare which is their CPD home each year when they renew their registration with Ahpra. 

In addition, they must: 

  • Complete 50 hours of CPD activities annually, allocated across the following nationally mandated categories: 
  • 12.5 hours: Educational Activities (EA) (e.g., reading, webinars, lectures, conferences).   
  • 25 hours: Reviewing Performance (RP) and Measuring Outcomes (MO) (minimum of 5 hours in each category).   
  • 12.5 hours: Flexible activities from any category. 
  • Develop an annual Professional Development Plan to guide their CPD. 
  • Complete any Program Level Requirements as directed your CPD Home   
PGY2 doctors working independently 
  • Must meet the full CPD Registration Standard of the Medical Board of Australia, as outlined for doctors who hold general registration. 

Interns in accredited intern training programs 

PGY2 doctors who participate in a PGY2 training program accredited by a State or Territory postgraduate medical council (or equivalent) 

PGY3+ Medical Officers undertaking Specialist College Training 
  • No need to join a CPD Home 
  • Not required to complete additional CPD outside their training program.  
  • This cohort is considered to have fulfilled CPD requirements through participation in their associated education. 

PGY3+ Medical Officers not enrolled in Specialist Training Programs 
  • Must meet the full CPD Registration Standard of the Medical Board of Australia, as outlined for doctors who hold general registration. 
Specialists 
  • Join an AMC-accredited CPD home before they start doing their CPD each calendar year. 
  • Choose a home that is suitable for their scope of practice, which can be a college or non-college home. 
  • Log CPD activities with their CPD home 
  • Declare which is their CPD home each year when they renew their registration with Ahpra. 

In addition, they must:  

  • Complete 50 hours of CPD activities annually, allocated across the following nationally mandated categories: 
  • 12.5 hours: Educational Activities (EA) (e.g., reading, webinars, lectures, conferences).   
  • 25 hours: Reviewing Performance (RP) and Measuring Outcomes (MO) (minimum of 5 hours in each category).   
  • 12.5 hours: Flexible activities from any category. 
  • Develop an annual Professional Development Plan to guide their CPD. 
  • Complete any Program Level Requirements as directed your CPD Home 
  • Complete Specialist High‑Level Requirements (HLRs)m andated by the Medical Board, specific to each recognised specialty. 
  • These requirements vary by specialty and are in addition to the 50‑hour annual CPD requirement.
  • Additional activities: 
    • All specialists must complete at least two CPD activities related to cultural safety and addressing health inequities annually (minimum 2 per year) 
    • Ethics and professional behaviour activities (minimum 2 per year) 
Specialist International Medical Graduate (SIMG) 
  • Enrol in and meet the CPD program of an AMC‑accredited CPD home, just like any other specialist. 
International Medical Graduates with Limited or Provisional Registration (Specialist Pathway) 
  • Must meet the CPD requirements of their assigned specialist medical college (the college is considered their CPD home) 
International Medical Graduates with Limited Registration (Not in Specialist Pathway) 
  • All doctors with limited or provisional registration for more than four weeks must complete CPD under the national standard. 
  • If not enrolled in an accredited program, the full CPD national standard must be completed. 


Dental members  

Dental practitioners are required to meet the Dental Board of Australia’s CPD registration standard of a minimum 60 hours of CPD activities over a three-year CPD cycle. The current CPD cycle runs between 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2028. 

The CPD standard applies to all registered dental practitioners, that is, dentists, therapists, hygienists, specialists, oral health therapists and prosthetists (unless eligible for an exemption) 

There are no specified CPD activities, but you should engage in a range of CPD activities in line with the objectives of CPD and your own learning needs. However, minimum of 48 hours of CPD must be clinically or scientifically based. See  Guidelines for CPD.  

Which doctors are exempt from meeting CPD requirements?  

Medical members

The following cohorts of members are exempt from completing CPD: 

  • Medical students 
  • Doctors with non-practising registration  
  • Doctors with short-term limited registration (less than four weeks) 
  • Doctors granted CPD exemptions by CPD homes (e.g due to illness, parental leave etc) 
  • Interns and PGY2 doctors who are participating in a structured program that leads to a certificate of completion.

Special circumstances

  • If you are taking leave of between six and 12 months for reasons including illness, parental leave etc, you may be eligible for an exemption from completing CPD. The Board does not grant these exemptions, you must apply through your CPD home. 
  • If you’re working overseas: 
  • You will need a CPD home in Australia. 
  • You are still required to complete the CPD requirements and log  your CPD with your CPD home each calendar year.  
  • You can use CPD you have completed overseas if it meets your CPD Home’s requirements. 

 Dental members  

  • Members who hold one of the following types of registration are exempt from meeting the CPD requirement set out by the DBA. 
  • non-practising registration 
  • limited registration in the public interest 
  • limited registration to sit an examination, or 
  • student registration.  

Our CPD benefits  

We’re here to empower you with the knowledge and expertise to manage medico-legal risks in your practice. With access to our accredited risk education training, you can meet your college and Aphra CPD requirements and be better prepared to avoid adverse or unexpected outcomes in clinical practice.   

Our Risk Education offerings are constantly being refined to reflect contemporary education principles, and covers broad medico-legal principles and frameworks, and professional codes of conduct related to the provision of healthcare.    

Our unique educational format 

Most of our CPD education is delivered through online learning in the format of monthly live webinars focused on specific medico-legal topics of relevance for healthcare practitioners in Australia.

Each webinar counts as 1.0 or 1.5 hours of CPD in the Educational Activities category. Supplementing each live webinar, we offer a micro‑credential framework through which MIPS members can complete pre‑ and post‑webinar activities, comprising a mix of Reviewing Performance, Measuring Outcomes, and Educational Activities. 

An example of how this framework operates is as follows: 


Educational Event FAQs 

As a MIPS member, how do I sign-up for an educational event? 

MIPS members will receive an email advising of an upcoming educational event and advise if this event attracts CPD and the corresponding amount. Simply follow the prompts to register and you’ll receive a response conforming your registration.   

Can I invite a colleague who is not a MIPS member to attend a live webinar?  

Non-MIPS members are welcome to register and join our monthly risk education live webinars. 

However, non-MIPs members won’t be able to receive a MIPS certificate or access any of the Reviewing Performance or Measuring Outcomes CPD activities associated with the live webinar. Also, they do not have access to OnDemand webinars. 

How do I access the educational webinar on the day?   

Your registration conformation will contain the webinar link to login. You’ll also receive an email reminder the day before and on the day which will include the webinar access link. Please check your spam and junk emails and ensure that education@mips.com.au is made a safe link. 

Are MIPS webinars accredited?   

In developing our risk-educational webinars we work with college providers including the RACGP, ACRRM, ACEM and RANZCOG to seek accreditation for our events where applicable. All our promotional materials and correspondence will advise you prior of how much CPD is available. 

Will I receive a Certificate of Attendance and/or Completion? 

We provide a Certificate of Attendance in recognition of your participation in the LIVE webinar event if you’ve attended at least 50 mins of a 1.0 hour live webinar or 70 mins of a 1.5 hour live webinar. Certificates of Attendance also represent your Certificate of Completion for live webinars. 

For all other CPD activity types, you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion for each activity successfully completed.  

When will I receive my Certificate of Attendance and/or Completion? 

Your Certificates of Attendance will be made available through the MyMIPS portal within 3 weeks post a live webinar.  

Your Statements of Completion for pre- and post- webinar CPD activities will be emailed to you within 3 weeks of your submission date.

Will Reviewing Performance and Measuring Outcomes CPD activities offered be the same for each webinar event? 

Pre- and post- webinar activities may or may not be offered depending on the content, structure, and format of the live webinar that is on offer in a particular month.

Is the amount of CPD offered the same at each time? 

The amount of CPD per micro-credential will vary based on the type of content to be covered in each live risk education webinar.  

Members will be advised of how much CPD is available each month prior to registering to any accredited educational event. 

How do I meet the requirements for all CPD allocation on offer? 

Members must provide the appropriate requested response to pre- or post- webinar activities. This includes questionnaires, feedback/evaluation, self-reflection or assessment requirements.  

Submissions must be to the accepted professional standard to be awarded full CPD, if answers do not meet this criterion, participants may not receive CPD for that component of learning.

Is there an evaluation for each CPD activity? 

Yes.  Members must complete and submit an evaluation for each activity type completed to receive an attendance/completion certificate. 

Are live webinars recorded and available to review?   

Yes. All live webinars are recorded and made available online shortly after the live event. Members can access the recorded webinars 24/7 via MIPS Support Centre.  

These recordings can only be accessed by MIPS Members through On Demand Education. The OnDemand version provides a 1.0 or 1.5 hr CPD educational activity (depending on the length of the webinar) with a Certificate of attendance.  

Is Face-to-Face education provided? 

From time-to-time MIPS may arrange in face-to-face workshops and conferences. Members will all receive email invitations detailing these events.   

Details of upcoming events can be found here Upcoming Events. 

Do you offer risk education in hospitals and to other stakeholders? 

MIPS takes an active role in helping practitioners build a risk prevention mindset to help them navigate the opportunities and challenges of their careers. 

We work closely with teaching hospitals and education providers to complement their healthcare education programs delivering online educational sessions and in-person workshops, hosted by in-house medico-legal advisors, legal practitioners from MIPS partner law firms and medical indemnity experts. We align our topics with the Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors. 

To submit a request for a risk education session at your hospital, please email: education@mips.com.au 

What online risk education does MIPS offer?  

MIPS offers a comprehensive library of risk education content. This comprises of OnDemand recorded webinars and Practice Notes.  View our risk education content here  

 

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