Ahpra CPD (continuing professional development) requirements for doctors are set by the Medical Board of Australia. Unless exempt, doctors with practising registration need an accredited CPD home, an annual plan and 50 CPD hours each calendar year: at least 12.5 hours of education and 25 hours reviewing performance and measuring outcomes, with at least five hours of each.
Key takeaways
- The CPD standard applies to doctors with practising registration, including limited or provisional registration, unless an exemption or a specific program arrangement covers them. Non-practising registration is exempt. Working in a supervised or PGY2-level post does not, by itself, exempt an IMG (international medical graduate).
- Each year, make a professional development plan (PDP), complete 50 hours of CPD and finish with a self-evaluation of your PDP that feeds into next year's plan. The 50 hours include at least 12.5 hours of educational activities and at least 25 hours of reviewing performance and measuring outcomes combined, with at least five hours of each. The remaining 12.5 hours can be any type.
- Across the year, your activities need to address four aspects known as CAPE: culturally safe practice, addressing health inequities, professionalism and ethical practice.
- Unless an exemption or program arrangement covers you, you need to enrol with a CPD home accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC). A provider's completion certificate does not show that the provider is an accredited home or that you are enrolled with one.
- The CPD year runs from 1 January to 31 December. It is separate from registration renewal.
- Keep your CPD records for three years after the end of each CPD year.
Source check: requirements in this guide were checked against Medical Board of Australia, AMC, AMA CPD Home and RACGP sources on 7 October 2026. The current CPD registration standard took effect on 1 January 2023. This is not a new 2025 framework.
Do Ahpra CPD requirements apply to me as an IMG?
Unregistered candidate versus practising registration
The CPD standard is a registration standard. It applies to medical practitioners with practising registration unless an exemption or a specific program arrangement applies, and non-practising registration is exempt. If you are still preparing for AMC examinations overseas and are not yet registered in Australia, it does not apply to you yet. Your next step is choosing a registration pathway, and our guide to choosing your registration pathway covers that. Once you hold practising registration, CPD becomes part of your yearly obligations, subject to the exemptions and arrangements below. If you would like a plain-language overview of the organisations involved, see our explainer on what Ahpra and the Medical Board do.
Formal-program and limited or provisional distinctions
This is where many IMGs get caught out. What matters is your registration type and whether you are in a specific accredited program, not your job title or level of supervision. Doctors in an accredited formal PGY2 program that leads to a certificate of completion are deemed to meet the standard. If you hold limited or provisional registration while working towards general registration, a supervised post or a "PGY2-level" job title does not exempt you on its own.
| Your situation | General position | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Not yet registered in Australia | The standard does not apply before you hold practising registration | Your registration pathway |
| Non-practising registration | Exempt from the standard | Your registration type. Holding limited or provisional registration before you start work is not the same as non-practising registration |
| Limited or provisional registration, working towards general registration | It applies unless one of the program arrangements below covers you. A supervised or PGY2-level post is not an exemption by itself | Enrol with a CPD home when your registration starts |
| Intern in an accredited intern position | The Board has a separate arrangement for accredited intern training. A supervised post outside an accredited intern program does not qualify for it | The Board's CPD homes page and your intern program's guidance |
| Doctor in an accredited formal PGY2 program that leads to a certificate of completion | Deemed to meet the standard. A PGY2-level job outside such a program is not covered | That your program is an accredited formal PGY2 program leading to a certificate of completion |
| Doctor in an accredited specialist (college) training program | Specific arrangements apply through your college training program | Your college's requirements and the Board's CPD homes page |
| Overseas-trained specialist on the specialist pathway | The Board sets out specific arrangements involving the relevant specialist college | The Board's CPD homes page and your college |
| Short-term limited registration | The standard contains specific exemptions for some short-term registration | The exact wording in the current standard. Do not rely on a "four weeks for everyone" rule from forums |
The Board's CPD homes page and its CPD requirements page set out the exemptions and the program and specialist-pathway arrangements. If your situation is unusual, ask your CPD home, college or Ahpra in writing and keep the reply.
How do the 50 hours and CAPE requirements work?
The educational, performance-review, outcome and flexible mix
Each year you need to:
- prepare an annual professional development plan (PDP)
- complete at least 50 hours of CPD, made up of:
- at least 12.5 hours of educational activities, such as courses, lectures and reading
- at least 25 hours of reviewing performance and measuring outcomes combined, with a minimum of five hours of each
- the remaining 12.5 hours across any of these types, according to your needs
- keep records and evidence of your activities
- at the end of the year, complete a self-evaluation of your PDP, reflecting on your progress, and use it to inform next year's plan
The plan, hours and records requirements are set out on the Medical Board's current CPD requirements page. The year-end self-evaluation is part of the AMC's criteria for accrediting CPD homes (section 2.1.1), so your CPD home will ask you to complete it. Reviewing your PDP mid-year is useful extra practice, but it does not replace the year-end self-evaluation.
Reviewing performance means activities in which you get feedback on your practice, such as case reviews or feedback from colleagues or patients. Measuring outcomes means looking at the results of your care, for example through an audit of your own practice. The Board's Types of CPD page gives examples of each.
| Type | Minimum | Example year | Example activities (fictional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational activities | 12.5 hours | 20 hours | Online modules, a cultural safety workshop, guideline reading |
| Reviewing performance | 5 hours (within the 25 combined) | 18 hours | Case discussions with a supervisor, morbidity and mortality (M&M) meetings with reflection, feedback on consultations |
| Measuring outcomes | 5 hours (within the 25 combined) | 12 hours | An audit of your own discharge documentation, then a re-audit after changes |
| Total | 50 hours | 50 hours | 20 + 18 + 12 = 50. Reviewing performance and measuring outcomes total 30 (at least 25 needed). The flexible 12.5 hours went 7.5 to education and 5 to review and outcomes |
This example shows only how the hours could add up. It does not show that the whole year meets the standard, which also depends on your PDP and its year-end self-evaluation, CAPE coverage and any high-level requirements for your specialty.
Five-hour minimums, CAPE and no double counting
Three rules catch people out:
- Each five-hour minimum is separate. Twenty-five hours of performance review with no outcome measurement does not meet the requirement.
- No double counting. The same hour cannot be claimed twice. A single activity that genuinely has distinct parts, such as an education session followed by a separate audit task, may have those parts allocated to different types under your home's rules. Education alone cannot fulfil every type.
- CAPE is covered within your 50 hours, not added on top. Across the year, your activities need to address culturally safe practice, addressing health inequities, professionalism and ethical practice. ACRRM, for example, describes this as at least one activity addressing each aspect within the 50 hours. Your home will show how it records CAPE.
If you hold specialist registration, also check the high-level requirements for your specialty, which are set out on the Board's Types of CPD page and in your college's program.
Do I need a CPD home or a learning provider?
Accredited home versus certified learning provider
A CPD home is an organisation accredited by the AMC to run a CPD program. It supports your planning and keeps a record of your CPD activities. The Board's list of accredited CPD homes is the place to check, and the AMC's CPD homes page explains the accreditation role. Since 2024, doctors with practising registration have needed a CPD home unless an exemption or program arrangement applies.
A learning provider creates courses or activities. You can record a provider's activities in your home if they are relevant to your scope of practice, properly evidenced and categorised under your home's program. The AMA CPD Home FAQs explain how this works for that home.
The two roles can overlap. The AMC's CPD homes page notes that a CPD home can also be an education provider. So check two things separately: whether the organisation is on the Board's list of accredited homes, and whether you have actually enrolled in its CPD program. A certificate of completion shows that you finished an activity. On its own, it does not show that the organisation is an accredited home or that you are enrolled with one. Completing a provider's activities never replaces enrolling with a home.
When you compare homes, look past the headline price:
- Are you eligible for it, given your scope and registration type? Some homes are for a particular college's members or specialty.
- What is the full cost for the first year and for renewal? Check current fees on each home's own website, because forum figures conflict and change.
- How easy is it to log activities, build your PDP and upload evidence?
- What help does it give with reviewing performance and measuring outcomes, which many doctors find hardest?
- How does it handle certificates from external providers?
Scope of LearnMedicine claims and evidence
To be clear about LearnMedicine's role: LearnMedicine's homepage describes it as an AMA CPD Home Certified Learning Provider for 2026. That is LearnMedicine's own description of a learning-provider role. It does not, by itself, show that any particular LearnMedicine activity is approved, and it does not set the category or hours you can claim. LearnMedicine is not on the Medical Board's list of accredited CPD homes, so a LearnMedicine certificate does not enrol you with a CPD home, and studying with LearnMedicine does not replace enrolling with an accredited home. An earlier version of this guide described LearnMedicine as an accredited CPD home. That was incorrect and has been corrected.
Does my CPD year finish at renewal or 31 December?
Calendar-year activities
Your CPD year runs from 1 January to 31 December. Activities you complete in October, November or December count towards that calendar year. Plan your measuring-outcomes and performance-review activities early, because they take longer to organise than a lecture. Leave time before 31 December for your year-end PDP self-evaluation, and use it to set next year's goals.
Renewal declaration and the legacy FAQ conflict
Registration renewal is a separate annual process. When you renew, you make a declaration about meeting the CPD standard, so read the declaration wording on the form carefully and answer accurately. Be aware that an older Medical Board FAQ page, still visible in search results, describes an October-to-September cycle using historical examples. The current requirements pages describe calendar-year CPD, and they take precedence.
What evidence can I keep for workplace learning?
M&M, audit, feedback and observership
Not every useful activity comes with a certificate. The examples below show the kind of evidence you might keep for a completed activity. Whether your home accepts each item, and in which category, depends on its program, so confirm with your home before you rely on it.
- M&M meetings and journal clubs: a dated record showing that you attended, such as an attendance list or written confirmation from the unit, plus a short note of what you learnt and what you will change. A meeting invitation shows only that you were invited. You can keep it as optional supporting context, but not as proof of attendance.
- Audit: the audit question, a de-identified summary of your data and findings, the change you made, and any re-audit.
- Feedback: a feedback report or a dated summary of a supervisor discussion, with your reflection.
- Online modules: the completion record or certificate from the platform.
- Observerships: if you hold practising registration and your home recognises the activity, ask your home before you start what evidence it accepts and in which category, for example whether written confirmation of your dates and hours from the supervising doctor would be enough.
Home-specific acceptance and retention
Your home's rules decide what counts as acceptable evidence for its program. Record activities as you go, not at the end of the year. Keep your records and evidence for three years after the end of each CPD year: the AMA CPD Home FAQs and the RACGP CPD Provider Handbook 2026–28 both describe this retention period. Retention rules for other health professions do not apply to doctors.
| Date | Activity | Type | Hours | Relevance to my scope | Reflection | Evidence kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb | ED M&M meeting | Reviewing performance | 1 | Emergency department case discussion | I will document re-presentation advice more specifically | Attendance list showing I was present (the calendar invitation is supporting context only) |
| 3 Mar | Cultural safety online module | Educational (CAPE: culturally safe practice) | 2 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients present to my department | I will discuss with my supervisor how to apply the module's guidance in my consultations | Completion certificate |
| Apr–Jun | Audit of my discharge notes, then re-audit | Measuring outcomes | 6 | Discharge safety is a goal in my PDP | Safety-netting advice was recorded in fewer notes than I expected | De-identified audit summary and re-audit results |
How do I build a practical professional development plan?
Scope-specific goals
A PDP is a short plan, made at the start of the year, that links your learning to the work you actually do. Start with your current role and registration type, feedback you have received, your previous year's PDP self-evaluation if you have one, and the situations where you feel least confident. If you are new to Australian practice, our overview of key AMC Clinical topic areas can be an optional topic-review aid while you look for gaps that matter in your current role. Treat it as a review aid only: it does not approve any activity for CPD or replace your home's rules on what counts. Then write two to four specific goals.
Fictional example: an IMG on provisional registration in an emergency department sets the goal "Improve how I document safety-netting advice for patients I discharge, by the end of June."
Activity selection, reflection and log
For each goal, choose activities across the types. For the fictional goal above, that might mean reading the department's discharge guideline (education), discussing three discharges with a supervisor (reviewing performance), and auditing your own discharge notes before and after (measuring outcomes). Make sure that somewhere in your year you cover each CAPE aspect, and log each activity as you finish it. A mid-year check on your PDP is useful extra advice, but it is not a substitute for the year-end step. At the end of the year, complete your PDP self-evaluation: reflect on your progress against each goal, what changed in your practice and what still needs work, then carry that into next year's plan. Collecting certificates is not the same as meeting your plan. The reflection and the change in your practice are the point.
What can I claim for a LearnMedicine activity?
Only verified certification, category and hours
Claim only what your evidence and your home's rules support. Use the hours you actually spent and the category your home allows. LearnMedicine's certified-learning-provider description does not, on its own, approve a particular activity or set its category or hours. Do not assume that every hour of exam preparation counts, or that study time counts towards reviewing performance or measuring outcomes. Learning that is relevant to your current scope of practice is what counts. For example, if you are preparing for a PESCI (pre-employment structured clinical interview), our PESCI preparation guide can help you plan study around the gaps you identify, but that preparation is not automatically CPD. Record only learning that fits your current scope and PDP, is properly evidenced and is categorised by your home. If you are unsure how a LearnMedicine activity should be recorded, ask your CPD home before you claim it.
Certificate-to-home workflow
- Make sure you are enrolled with an accredited CPD home, unless an exemption or program arrangement covers you. A LearnMedicine certificate does not enrol you with a home.
- Complete the activity and keep any completion record LearnMedicine provides.
- Record the activity in your CPD home's portal with the date, hours, type and a short reflection, using the category your home allows.
- Link it to a goal in your PDP where it fits, and include it in your year-end PDP self-evaluation.
- Keep the evidence for three years after the end of that CPD year.
What else do IMG doctors ask about CPD?
I have just received provisional registration. Does CPD start now, or only at general registration?
If you hold practising registration, including limited or provisional registration, it applies from the start of your registration unless an exemption or a specific program arrangement covers you. For example, doctors in an accredited formal PGY2 program that leads to a certificate of completion are deemed to meet the standard, and accredited intern training has its own arrangement. A supervised or PGY2-level post outside those programs is not an exemption. If none of these applies, enrol with a CPD home when your registration starts rather than waiting for general registration.
Do I need a CPD home if I already study with a course provider?
Yes, unless an exemption or program arrangement covers you. A provider's completion certificate is evidence that you finished an activity, which you can add to your home's record. It does not show that the provider is an accredited CPD home or that you are enrolled with one. Some organisations are both a learning provider and a CPD home, so check the Board's list and your own enrolment.
How many hours do I need, and how many hours is one CPD point?
The Board's requirement is expressed in hours: 50 a year, in the mix described above. If a provider talks in points, ask your home how it records them against hours.
Courses run from October to December. Which year do they count for?
The calendar year in which you complete them. CPD runs from January to December, separately from registration renewal.
How do I provide evidence for M&M meetings, online modules or an observership?
Keep a dated record showing that you attended or completed the activity, plus a brief reflection. A meeting invitation shows only that you were invited, so treat it as optional supporting context rather than proof of attendance. For observerships, ask your home before you start what evidence it accepts and in which category.
How do I meet measuring outcomes if I do not treat patients independently?
Look for outcome-focused work within your supervised role. You could audit your own documentation or prescribing, take part in a unit audit with a defined role, or review the outcomes of patients you managed with your supervisor. Then confirm with your home how it categorises the activity.
Can overseas activities count, and what if I have missed enrolling or fallen short?
Activities completed overseas may be recordable if they are relevant to your scope and properly evidenced under your home's rules. If you have fallen short or did not enrol with a home in time, contact your home and Ahpra promptly and make an accurate declaration. Do not rely on forum predictions about what will happen. Some homes do not offer retrospective enrolment. The AMA CPD Home FAQs, for example, say it does not offer retrospective subscription for a previous CPD year, so enrol as early as you can.
Sources
Official sources checked on 7 October 2026:
- Medical Board of Australia: CPD: What do I need to do? (page reviewed 22 July 2024)
- Medical Board of Australia: Types of CPD
- Medical Board of Australia: About CPD homes (page reviewed 3 June 2026)
- Australian Medical Council: CPD homes
- Australian Medical Council: Criteria for AMC Accreditation of CPD Homes (August 2022, section 2.1.1)
- AMA CPD Home: FAQs
- RACGP: CPD Provider Handbook 2026–28
About LearnMedicine
This guide is published by LearnMedicine. LearnMedicine's founder, Dr Roman Pathak, is an Australian GP and educator. You can read more on LearnMedicine's About page.