Nursing CPD hours: key questions answered (plus interesting ways to earn them)

If you’re a nurse, you’ve heard of continuing professional development (CPD). Since 1 July 2010, CPD has been a mandatory part of nursing registration in Australia, designed to help nurses maintain and expand their knowledge, skills and confidence in their practice.

Think of CPD as a way to keep your professional toolkit sharp. It’s about building on what you already know and learning new skills while staying prepared for the evolving demands of the profession.

While it can feel like one more thing you have to deal with, CPD doesn’t have to be a chore. In this article, we’ll walk you through how CPD works, what counts as CPD, interesting ways to earn your hours and more.

Nursing CPD: your questions answered

Each year, nurses are expected to complete CPD as part of their registration. Even though it’s a standard requirement, some nurses may have some confusion around what actually counts as CPD, how many hours are needed, what happens if you don’t complete your hours and more. Here, we’ve got answers to these commonly asked questions and more.

CPD requirements and eligibility

How many CPD hours do nurses need to complete?

The number of CPD hours required depends on your type of registration. Most registered and enrolled nurses are required to complete 20 hours of CPD each year, however, if you’re registered as both a nurse and a midwife, you’ll need to complete 20 hours for each registration.

If you’re a nurse practitioner or hold a scheduled medicines endorsement, you must also complete an additional 10 hours specifically related to areas such as prescribing and administration of medicines and diagnostic investigations. Here’s a breakdown:

What counts as CPD?

There’s plenty that counts as CPD; the most important thing is that it must relate to your practice and contribute to your professional development. For example, if you’re working as a mental health nurse, completing a Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Nursing at Victoria University would count as CPD as it enhances your knowledge and skills within your current scope of practice and contributes to your ongoing development.

What wouldn’t count as CPD includes doing a course that doesn’t relate to your specific role or shadowing a colleague during a task that you already do regularly and are confident in.

Some examples of what counts as CPD include:

• Completing an online course
• Attending workshops and seminars
• Reading journal articles
• Acting as a preceptor or mentor

Can mandatory training such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or fire training count toward CPD?

No, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) stipulates that routine mandatory annual training, such as CPR or fire training education cannot count toward CPD if it doesn’t include any new learnings. Mandatory training can only be included if a new training area has been added and is relevant to your context of practice.

For example, if your annual CPR training includes updated resuscitation guidelines or new equipment demonstrations that weren’t part of previous sessions, that portion could be counted towards your CPD.

What is the difference between CPD points and CPD hours?

In Australia, CPD is measured in hours, not points. Some education providers, however, may assign points to their activities instead. It’s important to remember that one point does not always equate to one hour, so it’s best to check with the provider what their definition of a point is.

If you’re completing a CPD activity that awards points, it’s recommended to ask the provider for a certificate that clearly states the number of CPD hours you’ve earned. This will make it easier to track your progress and ensure you have accurate records in case of an audit, where the NMBA would review your records to ensure that you’re meeting your mandatory CPD requirements.

I am currently not working in the profession but am still registered. Do I need to do CPD?

If you’re taking time away from work – whether it be maternity leave, overseas travel or taking an extended career break – but want to keep your registration, you’ll still need to complete CPD.

On the other hand, if you don’t plan on returning to work for some time but still wish to retain a protected nursing title, you can apply for non-practising registration. As a non-practising registrant, you won’t need to meet the CPD registration standard, however, you also won’t be able to work as a nurse or provide any form of nursing care.

Are there circumstances where I can be exempted from CPD?

Yes, but only in exceptional circumstances. Exemptions may be considered in cases of serious illness or where you are providing care or support to a member of your immediate family or household due to significant illness or injury. To apply, you must submit a request in writing, along with any evidence to the Ahpra office in your state or territory.

The NMBA states that factors such as living in a remote location or experiencing financial hardship are not considered valid reasons for an exemption.

Can I carry over extra CPD hours to the next registration period?

No, CPD hours generally cannot be carried over from one registration year to the next. Each registration period is assessed separately, so it’s important to plan and complete your CPD within the current cycle.

Do I still have to do CPD if I’ve only held registration for part of the year?

Yes, you are still required to complete CPD even if you’ve only held registration for part of the year. The only difference is that you will only need to complete pro rata CPD hours, which is based on how long you have held registration in a calendar year.

For example, if you were only registered for six months of the year, you would only need to complete half of the annual CPD requirements.

Do I still have to do CPD if I work part-time or casually?

Yes, you are still required to complete the full CPD hours even if you work part-time or casually. The NMBA does not grant exemptions for CPD based on employment status.

Logging and recording CPD

How does the CPD process work? Do I need to submit my nursing CPD?

To meet CPD requirements, you will need to complete the required number of hours based on your registration type and keep records of all your CPD activities. When it’s time to renew your registration, you’ll then need to declare that you’ve met your CPD obligations.

While you won’t need to submit any documents at the time of registration renewal, you’ll still need to keep your CPD records organised and up-to-date in case you’re selected for an audit by Ahpra.

Do I need to log my CPD hours and how do I do that?

Yes, you will need to keep a record of your CPD hours in case you’re audited by Ahpra. There are several easy ways to do this:

• Use Ahpra’s sample CPD template to document your hours, activities and reflections
• Professional associations like the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) or nursing unions often provide secure CPD portals for members to record and manage their CPD
• Apps like Ausmed, Florence or CPD Portfolio make it simple to log your hours on the go while also giving you access to CPD resources

Why is it important to record my CPD?

Recording your CPD is not only a great way to track what you’ve learned and the training you’ve completed, but it also makes things much easier if you’re ever audited by Ahpra. Having clear, up-to-date records means you can quickly provide evidence when needed.

You should keep CPD evidence for at least five years. The easiest way to do this is by storing everything in a CPD portfolio, whether that’s a digital app, an online portal or a document that you manage yourself.

Audits and compliance

What happens if you don’t complete your CPD?

If you don’t complete your CPD, you fail to meet the NMBA’s registration requirements which could result in serious consequences. If you’re audited by Ahpra and cannot provide evidence of your CPD, you may face penalties, have conditions placed on your registration or in some cases, be refused renewal.

What happens during a CPD audit?

Audits are conducted randomly by Ahpra to ensure that nurses are complying with their CPD requirements. If you are audited, you’ll be asked to provide evidence of the CPD activities you’ve completed over the past year. To make the process as seamless as possible, it’s imperative that you keep detailed and up-to-date records of all your CPD activities.

6 interesting ways to earn your nursing CPD hours

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From social events to workplace workshops, there are plenty of creative (and enjoyable) ways to tick off your hours. Here are a few options worth exploring:

1. Level up your career with postgraduate study

A postgraduate nursing course might take more time than other CPD options, but the skills you’ll gain are well worth the effort. In just six months, you could complete a graduate certificate that meets your CPD requirements and grows your clinical knowledge.

One of the best parts of postgraduate study is being able to choose a specialisation that interests you and immerse yourself in it. From palliative care to mental health nursing, critical care nursing or cancer nursing, there’s a postgraduate course out there to match just about any area in nursing.

It’s not just about ticking a CPD box, it’s about building knowledge in an area you’re passionate about. For example, if you’re a mental health nurse who’s looking to further develop your skill set, the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Nursing at Southern Cross University can help you build practical, specialised skills you can apply in real-world settings. The course covers how mental health affects children, adolescents, older people and families and teaches you how to engage with people in crisis or acute distress.

Many graduate certificates are also available online, making them easy to fit around shift work, family or other commitments. Plus, Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) are available for many courses, making the cost more manageable.

If you’ve got a bit more time, you can also consider stepping things up with a graduate diploma or master’s degree.

Estimated CPD hours: Well over 20 hours, you’ll be able to hit your CPD requirements with ease.

Best for: The nurse who’s ready to take their career to the next level.

2. Share your learnings and knowledge

You can also earn CPD hours by sharing your learnings and reflections. For example, if you’ve attended the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) conference, you could share key takeaways and reflections from the conference during your next team meeting.

You could also go one step further and design a 30-minute workshop for your ward based on what you’ve learned at the conference. Not only will you get CPD hours for attending the conference, but also for the time you spend planning and preparing for the workshop. Have a colleague who’s attending the conference with you? You could also consider designing the workshop and doing the presentation together.

Estimated CPD hours: Six to 10 hours

Best for: The nurse who enjoys sharing what they’ve learned and bringing new knowledge back to the team.

3. Tackle a quality improvement project

Noticed something in your ward that could be improved? Getting involved in a quality improvement project is a great way to not only drive positive change but also earn CPD hours. It’s also an opportunity to grow professionally, build your problem-solving skills and collaborate with others.

Examples of quality improvement projects you could be a part of include improving patient safety, enhancing patient experience or reducing discharge delays. As part of the process, you’ll help identify the issue, work closely with a team to trial solutions and share your findings.

Estimated CPD hours: 10 to 30 hours

Best for: The nurse who loves problem-solving and wants to see measurable change in their unit.

4. Combine CPD with a getaway

If you’re keen to combine professional development with a mini escape, destination conferences might be just the thing. The Nurses for Nurses Network runs a variety of events in locations across Australia so you can learn something new while enjoying a change of scenery. You can also turn this conference into a mini bonding trip by inviting your nursing friends or colleagues to join you.

Need to brush up on your knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and ECG interpretation? You can do that at a two-day conference in Hervey Bay. Want to learn more about trauma-informed care? There’s a Sydney workshop that centres around the basis of trauma-informed healthcare.

Estimated CPD hours: 12 to 15 hours

Best for: The nurse who wants to combine travel and professional learning.

5. Learn on the go with podcasts and audiobooks

Podcasts are a great way to keep learning without adding anything extra to your schedule. Whether you’re on your daily commute or heading out for a walk, pop on the Nursing Australia podcast by the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) to stay updated on the latest news for nurses or Rapid Response RN if you want tips on handling emergency crises.

Not a podcast fan? Audiobooks are another great option; there are audiobooks covering everything from building your nursing expertise to managing compassion fatigue and burnout.

CPD hours: 30 minutes to 12 hours each

Best suited for: The nurse who prefers listening over reading and has a commute to fill.

6. Build your nursing practice through shadowing and mentoring

Shadowing is a great way to earn CPD hours, as you’re not just reading theories or concepts, you’re learning through observation. You can do this by spending half a shift with a senior nurse and observing how they assess patients, communicate with the team and document clinical notes. Afterwards, write a reflection on what you learned, what surprised you and how you might apply those insights to your own nursing practice.

If you’re a senior nurse, you can consider mentoring a new graduate or student. You can reflect on what you learned from the teaching process, the challenges you faced and how the experience shaped your own practice.

Estimated CPD hours: One to four hours per session

Best suited for: The nurse who learns best by observing or who finds fulfilment in guiding the next generation of nurses.

The usual avenues of earning CPD

Beyond the creative approaches already mentioned, there are plenty of tried-and-true ways that nurses can meet their CPD requirements:

Conferences and events

Conferences offer in-depth learning opportunities through keynote presentations and interactive breakout sessions. It’s also an opportunity to network and foster authentic connections.

Some examples of conferences to consider include:

• APNA’s Festival of Nursing, which consists of three days of education, connection and inspiration
• Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) National Nursing Forum, which is their annual leadership and educational event
• The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Conference, which includes the opportunity to learn from clinicians, educators and researchers from a breadth of clinical specialties

If you’re looking for something more accessible, nursing associations often run evening events that may include a keynote speaker and networking over food and drinks. These are more casual than full conferences but are still a great way to earn CPD hours.

Hands-on workshops

Practical, immersive and immediately applicable, these workshops are a great way to refresh or build clinical skills. Examples of workshops include:

• Australian College of Nursing’s (ACN) workshops, which cover topics like enteral feeding and management, wound care and venepuncture and cannulation
• ECT4Health runs hands-on workshops in areas such as advanced life support, advanced physiology and plastering and slabbing techniques
• The Australian Resuscitation Council hosts a two-day advanced life support workshop with hands-on practical skill stations and simulations

Bite-sized online learning

If you’re short on time, online learning is a quick and easy way to earn CPD hours. You can do this through online modules, webinars, videos or articles. Some examples of resources include:

• BloodSafe, which offers short courses on topics like critical bleeding, clinical transfusion and iron deficiency anaemia
• The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare provides training on antimicrobial prescribing, medication safety and more
• APNA hosts webinars around 30 to 45 minutes long, covering current topics in primary healthcare nursing
• Associations like the Australian College of Perioperative Nurses and the Australian Rehabilitation Nurses’ Association publish webinars that can be accessed by their members
• Ausmed publishes new resources every week across a range of topics from paediatrics to palliative care
• The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing offers access to peer-reviewed research papers that can contribute to your CPD hours

Learning on the job

Many of the things that you do in your day-to-day role can also contribute to your CPD hours. The key is making sure they relate to your practice and contribute to your professional learning. Examples include:

• In-house workplace training such as clinical updates, refresher sessions or new policy rollouts within your organisation
• Case discussions where you review patient cases, share insights and discuss decision-making approaches
• Simulated scenarios that help you practise responses to real-life clinical situations in a controlled environment
• Clinical supervision sessions where you reflect on challenging cases and ethical dilemmas with a supervisor

Quick practical tips for managing your CPD hours

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Clocking your CPD hours doesn’t have to be a last-minute obligation or a full-day commitment. With a bit of intention and smart planning, you can chip away at your hours without it feeling like extra work. Here are some tips to help make it more manageable:

Document as you go

Try to log your CPD on the day or within the week of completing an activity. Leaving it too long means you’re more likely to forget what you learned or miss important details. Recording as you go also helps avoid the scramble of trying to record everything at the end of the year.

Think in bursts, not blocks

Short and consistent sessions throughout the year are often more effective than cramming everything into the last few months. If possible, create a rough plan of what CPD you’d like to do at the beginning of the year and spread the activities out throughout the year to keep things manageable.

Ask your nurse unit manager for advice

Stuck on what to do? Talk to your associate nurse unit manager or nurse unit manager about what skills are in demand on your ward. This can help guide you towards learning opportunities that are both relevant and valuable to your role.

Make it interesting

CPD doesn’t have to be a tick-the-box exercise. Use it as a chance to delve deeper into areas you’re already interested in. It’s also a good idea to mix up how you learn to keep things engaging and enjoyable.

Stay organised

Keep your certificates, reflections and documentation organised in one place. That way, if you’re ever audited, you won’t have to spend hours digging through emails and old notes.

Use what you’re already paying for

If you’re a member of a nursing association or union, you probably already have access to a range of CPD resources. Make the most of your membership by exploring the website and utilising what’s available.

Make nursing CPD work for you

CPD hours may be a requirement, but it’s also an opportunity to build on your knowledge, stay engaged in your practice and continue growing your nursing career.

Looking to complete your CPD hours through a postgraduate nursing course? GlobalHealth Education offers a wide range of options across different course types, delivery modes and durations. Courses are also available in a range of other disciplines such as social work, midwifery, mental health, health leadership and public health.