Revised standards for all chiropractors published today

30 Oct 2015

Revised registration standards for continuing professional development (CPD) and recency of practice have today been published by the Chiropractic Board of Australia, which regulates Australia’s 4,998 registered chiropractors.

To help chiropractors prepare for commencement, the revised standards are being published in advance.

The revised standards come into effect on 1 December and will replace the standards that are currently in place. They will apply to all chiropractors who will need to meet the obligations of the revised standards by the next registration renewal period on 30 November 2016.

Revised registration standards

Revised guidelines

The requirements, some of which have slightly changed, are detailed below.

In relation to the continuing professional development registration standard:

• Formal learning activities encourage or enhance evidence-based clinical practice and it is expected that they will develop your clinical competencies and contribute to improving safety and health outcomes for your patients.
• Formal learning activities may be assessed by a Board-approved body or self-assessed.
• You must maintain a personal portfolio of evidence that should include a log of all CPD activities, a reflection on the activities carried out and in relation to formal learning activities evidence of attendance and any individual assessment made.
• In addition to 25 hours of CPD per year you must complete a first aid course that includes CPR, management of anaphylaxis and use of an automatic external defibrillator every three years.
• Practitioners who practice for less than 9 months may apply for a pro rata reduction to the required hours.
• An exemption or variation to the required hours may be granted in exceptional circumstances such as serious illness or bereavement that result in substantial absence from practice. Where possible the exemption should be applied for and decided on before you make your annual declaration

In relation to the recency of practice registration standard:

• Practice is now defined as clinical or non-clinical and you must maintain recency within the scope of your practice area.
• To satisfy the standard, you must have completed at least 450 hours of practice in the previous three years and have had no continuous absences from practice that are greater than two years; or you must have completed at least 150 hours of practice in the previous twelve months.
• Being recent in clinical practice automatically satisfies the requirements for non-clinical practice.
• If you’ve been absent from practice for more than two years or you need to change your practice type you should consult the registration standard for advice on a suitable return to practice pathway.

The revised standards were approved by the Australian Health Workforce Ministerial Council on 27 August 2015 and were part of a scheduled review of standards. A public consultation was held as part of the review. National Boards today published consultation reports providing a summary of the consultation processes, rationale for any changes and proposed way forward, including areas where further work is planned. Submissions from the consultation will be published shortly.

The Board will be publishing a revised professional indemnity insurance (PII) arrangements standard soon, which will be in effect from early 2016.

Additional resources

The following additional resources about the revised standards are available on the AHPRA website. 

• Letters of approval
• consultation reports:
  • Continuing professional development registration standard
  • Recency of practice registration standard
  • Professional indemnity insurance arrangements registration standard
• common FAQs and timetable for commencement