FAQ: Continuing professional development for International Medical Graduates

The revised standard starts on 1 October 2016. It introduces a minimum number of CPD hours for IMGs - 50 hours per year. In the past there was no minimum hour requirement.

IMGs must complete the CPD in their supervision plan and work performance report. If this amounts to less than 50 hours, IMGs must complete additional CPD to reach a minimum of 50 hours per year.

• From 1 October 2016, to meet the revised CPD registration standard, all IMGs must complete at least 50 hours of CPD each year, including the CPD outlined in their supervision plan and work performance report. 
  
  
• Exactly what you have to do is linked to the type of registration you have:
  
  
  • if you are an IMG with provisional registration working in an accredited intern position you must: 
    
    
    • participate in the supervised training and education programs associated with your position
      
      
  • if you are an IMG with provisional registration not working in an accredited position you must:
    
    
    • complete a minimum of 50 hours of CPD per year, including the CPD activities detailed in your agreed supervision plan and work performance report. This means that if your agreed CPD activities total less than 50 hours, you must ‘top up’ with additional CPD activities to reach a minimum of 50 hours. The ‘top up’ CPD activities must relate to your scope of practice.
      
      
  • if you are an IMG with limited registration (for either postgraduate training or supervised practice, OR area of need, OR teaching or research OR in the public interest) you must: 
    
    
    • complete a minimum of 50 hours of CPD per year, including the CPD activities agreed in your supervision plan and work performance report. This means that if your agreed CPD activities total less than 50 hours, you must ‘top up’ with additional CPD activities to reach a minimum of 50 hours. The ‘top up’ CPD activities must relate to your scope of practice.

If you are an IMG, when you apply to renew your registration, you must make a declaration about whether you have met the CPD requirements in the revised CPD registration standard. When you next renew your registration after 1 October 2016, you must have completed at least 50 hours of CPD, including the CPD in your supervision plan and work performance report.

If you have completed the CPD in your supervision plan and work performance report, but did not document how many hours of CPD you completed, the Board will ask you to provide more details about the CPD you have completed. The Board will then decide if you need to do more CPD hours to meet the revised standard and will let you know what you have to do. This will happen when you apply to renew your registration.

Because you may not have met the requirements for the revised CPD registration standard, the Board will ask you to provide more details about the CPD hours you have done. The Board may also ask you to complete the extra hours you need to reach a minimum of 50 hours.

If AHPRA audits your compliance with the CPD registration standard, you will be asked to provide evidence that you have met the revised standard and completed a minimum of 50 hours CPD, including the CPD in your supervision plan and work performance report.

You will need to submit your evidence for audit, demonstrating what CPD you have done. If you have not completed the 50 hours required by the revised standard, the Board may ask you to complete the extra hours you need to reach a minimum of 50 hours.