Revised standards and CPD guidelines take effect today

01 Dec 2015

Revised registration standards and CPD guidelines for pharmacists take effect today.

The Pharmacy Board of Australia (the Board) previously published the contents of the revised standards and CPD guidelines, so that pharmacists could become familiar with their content before implementation.

The revised registration standards¹ and guidelines now in effect are:

• Registration standard: Continuing professional development (CPD) 
• Guidelines on continuing professional development 
• Registration standard: Recency of practice (RoP) 
• Registration standard: Supervised practice arrangements 
• Registration standard: Examinations for eligibility for general registration

Revised FAQ on CPD for pharmacists and pharmacy interns will also be published in mid-December 2015. These will support pharmacists in complying with the requirements of the revised CPD standard and guidelines, including the requirement for every pharmacist to develop a CPD plan.

The revised standards and CPD guidelines replaced the standards and guidelines that were previously in place. Pharmacists holding general registration will need to meet the obligations of the revised CPD and RoP standards by the next registration renewal period on 30 November 2016. They do not apply to the current cycle of renewals.

For more information on the changes made to the standards and CPD guidelines, see the Board’s news item from 30 October 2015, and associated Summary of changes to revised registration standards and CPD guidelines for pharmacists.

The standards were revised after a scheduled review, which included public consultation. The Board has previously 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.

Please refer to AHPRA’s registration standards page for additional information and resources.

For more information

• Lodge an online enquiry form 
• For registration enquiries: 1300 419 495 (within Australia) +61 3 9275 9009 (overseas callers) 
• For media enquiries: (03) 8708 9200

¹Registration standards define the requirements that applicants and registrants in the regulated professions need to meet to be registered.