CPD Homes

The CPD home has appropriate governance structures, expertise and resources to be a CPD home providing a CPD program(s) that support meaningful professional development.  The home provides clear information about the CPD program(s), requirements and costs.

A CPD home provides a CPD program(s) that enables practitioners to meet the requirements of the Registration standard: CPD and has effective systems, policies and processes to provide the CPD program(s).

The CPD home provides guidance to help practitioners identify high quality CPD activities that support development across the breadth of their scope(s) of practice.

A CPD home complies with the Medical Board of Australia’s auditing and compliance reporting requirements, and the AMC’s accreditation requirements for its CPD program(s).

Requirements for a CPD program:

All CPD homes are expected to provide a CPD program that ensures doctors are able to meet the requirements of the CPD registration standard.

As such, a CPD home programs will have a minimum of two sets of requirements in line with the requirements of the registration standard. These are:

1. Minimum requirements to meet the registration standard.

These requirements are:

• Write a professional development plan annually.
• Complete 50 hours of CPD activities annually in the following categories: 25 hours reviewing performance and measuring outcomes, 12.5 hours educational activities and 12.5 hours flexible CPD allocated by individually.

2. Program-level requirements.

These are additional requirements of the program that are set by the CPD home. However, the Medical Board of Australia has set four requirements that must be included as program-level requirements by all CPD homes. These requirements are:

• Activities relating to: culturally safe practice, ethics, professionalism, and addressing health inequities.
• Any additional program-level requirements set by the CPD home.

Specialist high-level requirements

In addition to the two sets of requirements mentioned above, a CPD home with members who hold specialist registration may have an additional set of requirements for their program, in line with the requirements of the registration standards.

Practitioners who hold specialist registration are required to meet any additional CPD requirements as set by their relevant accredited specialist medical college, to maintain registration as a specialist. These are called specialist high-level requirements, and are in addition to the registration requirements.

Each accredited specialist medical college is able to set specialist high-level requirements for their specialty annually.

To ensure practitioners with specialist registration are able to meet the requirements of the registration standard, CPD homes who offer their program to specialist will have a third requirement:

3. Specialist high-level requirements.

These requirements are only applicable to members who hold specialist registration in a specialty which has set specialist high-level requirements. They are not a requirement of other members of the program.

For further detailed information regarding the requirements for CPD home accreditation, please see the Criteria for AMC Accreditation of CPD Homes.

For further detailed information regarding the accreditation process, please see the Procedures for AMC Accreditation of CPD Homes

I am an organisation currently offering educational activities:

Organisations may continue to offer activities that count towards a practitioner’s CPD without becoming accredited as a CPD home.

The AMC is not able to accredit individual CPD activities. To discuss the CPD accreditation of your organisation’s educational activities, please contact the individual CPD homes whose members scope of practice aligns with your educational content.

I am a non-AMC accredited specialty college or association:

You are able to apply for accreditation as a CPD home to offer a CPD program to your members and other practitioners.

However, you are still able to support your members to continue development in your scope without CPD accreditation. You may wish to offer educational content or activities that practitioners can partake in and log towards their CPD hours with another CPD home.

No, the criteria for accreditation as a CPD do not require the organisation to produce CPD content.

However, a CPD home must provide guidance and learning resources for practitioners on CPD activities that support them to develop and improve their practice in line with requirements of the CPD program.

If you wish to apply for accreditation as a CPD home, please email the AMC via cpdhomes@amc.org.au to receive a copy of the submission template.

Currently the AMC is conducting annual intake rounds for new CPD home applicants. To submit an application, you must provide the AMC with the completed template and all supporting documentation by the due date.

Please see the AMC website for information on the next application intake round.

The AMC will not accept any applications that are not submitted on the AMC template. 

The below details the key content and information to include in an application to the AMC:

Criterion 1 – CPD home context and governance

The CPD home has appropriate governance structures, expertise and resources to be a CPD home providing a CPD program(s) that support meaningful professional development. 

• Ongoing capacity and resourcing to be a CPD home is demonstrated. E.g., how will the organisation ensure sustainability if participation targets aren’t reached? How will the organisation achieve stated participation numbers?
• Budget details regarding the start-up costs required, in particular, the development/upgrading of the IT platform needed for a CPD home.
• Documentary evidence to include financial accounts, contingency plans, an organisational chart identifying key staff, their responsibilities, qualifications and experience, and the full-time equivalent percentage of their time allocated to CPD home-related work.
• Evidence of appropriately qualified medical education expertise within the CPD home or evidence provided of how this expertise could be accessed. E.g., through external consultants.
• The Governance model is clearly articulated and free from conflicts of interest. Governance chart includes names and responsibilities of key committees and terms of reference where appropriate. Please check for inconsistencies/contradictory statements across documentation.
• Clearly described conflict of interest policies or processes, with evidence of managing conflicts or applying policies within current arrangements.
• Alignment of CPD program to new registration standard requirements.
• Program level requirements set at least in the four areas of: culturally safe practice, addressing health inequities, professionalism and ethics aligned to Good medical practice: a code of conduct for doctors in Australia.
• There are clear policies and processes for joining the CPD home with clear reasons/criteria outlined for why membership may be refused.
• There are clear policies and procedures for review and appeal that are fair, timely, free from conflict of interest with independence in decision making, and consistently applied.

Criterion :2 Provision of the CPD program(s)

The CPD home provides a CPD program(s) that enables practitioners to meet the requirements of the Registration standard: CPD and has effective systems, polices and processes to provide the CPD program(s).

• Evidence that an IT platform has been developed or plans provided for development of the platform. Plans should include a detailed description of the capabilities of the online platform, implantation timelines, contingencies should timelines not be achieved, and contracts with IT/ web design providers where appropriate.
• A framework detailing the requirements and process for assessing and recognising CPD activities provided by other organisations, including types of activities that are relevant to each of the registration requirements (educational activities, reviewing performance and measuring outcomes).
• Clearly described exemption and appeals policy noting who/how decisions to award exemptions are made.
• Clearly described policies for complying with relevant privacy laws, and requirements for storing, retrieving, archiving and destroying data, and process for accessing and transferring CPD records.

Criterion 3: Support and guidance

The CPD home provides guidance to help practitioners identify high quality CPD activities that support development across the breadth of their scope(s) of practice.

 Evidence of policies and processes to provide appropriate support and guidance to practitioners including what support will be offered, who will provide this, and evidence to confirm the individual/s hold the appropriate qualifications and/ or relevant experience to provide this guidance. Support and guidance should step beyond only providing advice around participating in structured activities or courses.

• Demonstrate that there is appropriate cultural advice or input into reviewing and/or approving resources related to culturally safe practice and addressing health inequities.
• Evidence of any collaboration with external Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander organisations.
• Support and guidance provided extends to practitioners completing specialist high-level requirements if applicable.
• Clear description of the mechanisms to alert practitioners that they may not be meeting CPD registration requirements, including any specialist high-level requirements, as relevant.
• Appropriate guidance and support policies and/or processes available for members who request additional training as well as those re-entering practice or a changed scope of practice.
• Appropriate guidance and support policies and/or processes to respond to requests for advice on CPD activities to support remediation of practitioners who have been identified as underperforming in a particular area. While the CPD home may not provide remediation directly, it must have mechanisms to support practitioners in identifying remedial activities.

Criterion 4: Auditing and reporting

The CPD home complies with the Medical Board of Australia’s auditing and compliance reporting requirements, and the AMC’s accreditation requirements for its CPD program(s).

• Audit policy and processes aligns with the Medical Board of Australia’s current requirements including that the minimum number of practitioners to be audited is at least 5% of practitioners’ CPD records annually.
• Description of a full audit process that verifies completeness of evidence and the educational quality of the activities undertaken. This is different from a routine IT-led tracking of practitioners’ progress towards meeting the registration requirements as detailed in Criterion 3.

Please review the Criteria for AMC Accreditation of CPD Homes for further information.

The AMC follows a standard process for the assessment of submissions for initial accreditation as a CPD home in accordance with the Procedures for AMC accreditation of CPD homes. The process is outlined below:

1. Organisations submit application and evidence against criteria.
2. The Specialist Education Accreditation Committee (SEAC) reviews applications and makes recommendations on accreditation.
3. AMC Directors make decisions on initial accreditation of CPD homes.
4. The Medical Board of Australia reviews the decisions from the AMC Directors and approves new CPD homes.
5. Applicants are then notified of the outcome.

The fee for the review and consideration of a submission for initial accreditation as a CPD home is $6,500 (excluding GST). Additional charges may apply if further information and additional review is required.

Please refer to the Procedures for AMC Accreditation of CPD Homes for further information,  including the fees associated with ongoing accreditation, once an organisation is granted initial accreditation.

From 2024, all doctors must meet the new CPD registration standard.

To meet the standard, you must join an AMC accredited CPD home to track your CPD requirements and report your compliance to the Medical Board of Australia.

Who is required to join a CPD home:

• PGY3+ practitioners not in a specialist training program
• Those with general registration
• Specialists
• IMGs with provisional registration not in an accredited intern position
• IMGs with limited registration not in the specialist pathway
• PGY2+ practitioners working independently or working outside of supervised practice

Who may be exempt from joining a CPD home:

• Medical students
• Doctors with non-practicing registration
• Doctors with short-term registration less than four weeks
• PGY2+ practitioners working in intern positions, training programs, or supervised clinical practice
• PGY3+ practitioners in a specialist college training program
• IMGs with limited registration in in the specialist pathway

The CPD home you join should align with your scope of practice, and may be a college or non-college CPD home.

All AMC accredited CPD homes will have the requirements and process for joining available on their website.

Please see the list of AMC accredited CPD homes here: https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Professional-Performance-Framework/CPD/About-CPD-homes.aspx

Your CPD home can provide advice on your CPD requirements and how to meet the CPD registration requirements.

For additional information regarding individual CPD requirements, please visit the Ahpra website, or contact via email at performanceframework@ahpra.gov.au

If you hold general registration, you will need to join an AMC accredited CPD home that best aligns with your scope of practice.

Please visit the Medical Board of Australia’s website for CPD homes available to practitioners with general registration: https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Professional-Performance-Framework/CPD/About-CPD-homes.aspx

If you hold specialist registration, you may need to meet an additional CPD requirement to maintain your specialist registration called a specialist high-level requirement.

If this is the case, you will need to join a CPD home that can track your Specialist high-level requirement and report your compliance in satisfying this requirement to the Medical Board of Australia.

CPD homes will outline their program is suitability on their website. Not all CPD homes will offer the ability to track and report on the specialist high level requirements for all specialties.

If you are unsure if your CPD home can track your specialist high-level requirements, please contact the CPD home for confirmation.

Please note: the specialist high-level requirements for each specialty may change annually. Please check the Aphra website for up-to-date requirements for your speciality.

If you hold dual registration, you must ensure that your CPD home can track any relevant specialist high-level requirements of your specialty.

If you have multiple specialties, you must ensure that you meet the requirements of each of the relevant specialties.

If you are doing the CPD programs of each of your relevant colleges’, this will meet your CPD requirements.

If you are not doing CPD with each of your relevant colleges’, you will need to join a CPD home that has the ability to track the requirements of each relevant specialty.

This may be a college or non-college CPD home.

Please note: the specialist high-level requirements for each specialty may change annually. Please check the Aphra website for up-to-date requirements for your speciality.

For additional information regarding individual CPD requirements, please visit the Ahpra website, or contact via email at performanceframework@ahpra.gov.au

The AMC is a national standards body that accredits organisations as CPD homes. The AMC does not accredit individual CPD activities or courses.

Accreditation or approval of CPD activities is granted by each individual CPD home. To discuss the accreditation of your educational activities, we suggest contacting the individual CPD homes who may best align with the scope of your educational content.

Each CPD home should have information available to guide practitioners and content providers on how to assess if an activity meets the homes standards for educational quality. the educational value of CPD content. Each individual CPD home should also be able to advise on the process for accrediting or endorsing CPD content from external providers.

Please see the list of AMC accredited CPD homes here: https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/Professional-Performance-Framework/CPD/About-CPD-homes.aspx