Registered and enrolled nurses in Australia must complete Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year to maintain registration with AHPRA.
For many nurses, understanding how many hours are required, what counts as CPD, and how to track it properly can be confusing — especially when renewal deadlines are approaching.
This guide explains everything nurses need to know about CPD requirements in Australia and how to stay compliant without last-minute stress.
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) refers to the learning activities nurses undertake to maintain and improve their knowledge, skills and professional practice.
CPD helps nurses:
CPD is an annual requirement for maintaining nursing registration in Australia.
Most nurses must complete a minimum of 20 hours of CPD each year.
This applies to:
Nurse practitioners require an additional 10 hours per annum (30 hours in total)
The CPD period aligns with the AHPRA registration renewal cycle, which occurs annually and finishes 31 May.
Even nurses working part-time or casually are generally required to complete CPD to maintain registration.
Many learning activities can count towards CPD, provided they are relevant to your practice.
Examples include:
The key requirement is that CPD must be relevant to your scope of practice.
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Not all activities qualify as CPD. Activities that generally do not count include:
Understanding what qualifies helps ensure your CPD meets registration requirements.
Nurses are responsible for keeping evidence of CPD activities.
You should maintain a CPD record that includes:
Keeping an organised CPD record or log book makes registration renewal much easier and helps prepare for possible audits.
When renewing registration, nurses must declare they have met CPD requirements.
Failing to meet requirements may lead to:
Completing CPD regularly throughout the year helps avoid last-minute stress.
Online CPD has become the most popular way for nurses to meet their requirements.
Benefits include:
Many nurses prefer online learning because it fits around shift work and busy schedules.
A simple CPD tracker can help nurses stay organised throughout the year.
A tracker typically helps you:
Nurses should keep evidence such as certificates, notes and reflections.
CPD must be completed before annual registration renewal on 31 May.
Yes. CPD requirements gapply regardless of working hours.
Flexible online learning makes it easy to complete CPD and stay up to date.
Browse available CPD courses to start building your hours today.
