AHPRA Registration Renewal Guide

Nurses registrations are due by 31st May - this is for both general and non-practicing registration.

If you miss the 31st May registration date, you have until the 30th June to pay your registration, but it may incur a $30 late fee.

• You can still practise while your renewal application is being processed by AHPRA (as long as you are not suspended)
• If you do not register, you will need to cease practice immediately on the 31st May.
• If you have not registered by the 30th June, you will be removed from the (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia) NMBA register.
• If you forget to renew your registration, you will need to cease working and then re-apply for registration and wait for this to be approved (there may be a ‘fast track’ option to re-new)

When completing your registration, you will need to meet and then complete the questions around AHPRA’s registration standards. Please ensure you read these questions carefully, as they can change.

• You are also required to provide your residential address when renewing your registration (this is not shown on the national register).
• Your residential address is also to assist in processing a criminal history check and if they need to contact you for an audit.
• If you applied for registration less than a year ago - you will still be required to renew your registration by 31st May.

Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)

‘Under section 129 of the National Law, a registered health practitioner must not practice in the health profession in which the practitioner is registered unless appropriate professional indemnity insurance arrangements are in force in relation to the practitioner’s practice of the profession’ AHPRA May 2022.

• You will need to accept and confirm that you currently have Professional Indemnity Insurance, as a practicing nurse.
• If you are a NPAQ/NPAA member, you will be up to date and have PII as part of your membership.
  You are able to access and download your Certificate of Currency from the website, if required.
• If you require a Certificate of Currency with your name on it, please contact the NPAQ/NPAA hotline.
• You are not required to hold PII if you are not practising. ‘Practice’ means any role, whether paid or not and where you use your skills and knowledge as a health professional.

Recency of Practice

In order to maintain your registration:

• you will need to have practised a minimum of 450 hrs within the last 5 years
• These hours do not have to be clinical and can include working in  non-clinical roles, education, management, administration and research
• If you have a dual registration, you will need to declare dual recency of practice  in each profession, so they know you have competency and meet the standards of practice in both professions.

Criminal Charges

All nurses and midwives must inform the NMBA if they have had any changes to their criminal history:

If you have had any changes to your criminal history you will have to provide AHPRA with the details. These may include:

• If an infringement carries a possible sentence of 12 months imprisonment or more.
• If you are sure that your infringement does not carry this possible sentence, then you do not need to declare it.
• If you are unsure, it is better to declare.

If you declare an incident with accurate information and it is a low-level offence the NMBA may not need to take any further action.

If it is a high level offence, you may need to attach further information, including a statutory declaration. All instructions around this will be provided when you renew your registration.

You must let AHPRA know if you are:

• In WA and  have been convicted for unpaid parking fines
• In QLD and have pleaded guilty to an offence and the outcome is guilty
• In Tasmania and you have received a speeding or parking fine
• Please seek further advice from AHPRA, if you are unsure if you meet this standard.

Health Issues

Do you have an impairment? Does the impairment affect your ability to practise?
An impairment can be physical, mental, a disability, a disorder or a condition and can include substance abuse and dependency

A health condition that is well managed and does not affect your practice is not an impairment

If you have an impairment, which is likely to detrimentally affect your practice, then you must declare this impairment.

Exposure-Prone Procedures (EEPs)

From 2021 you will be asked whether you perform EEPs and, if you do, whether you comply with the Communicable Disease Network Australia (CDNA) and relevant guidelines (Australian National guidelines for the management of healthcare workers living with blood borne viruses and healthcare workers who perform EEPs at risk of exposure to bloodborne viruses). Further relevant information is provided at the renewal process.

My Right to Practise

When you renew, you will be asked if your right to practise at a healthcare facility that provides health services has been withdrawn or restricted because of your conduct, professional performance or your health poses a risk to public health or safety.

This question usually only applies to a small number of nurses, who are given ‘rights’ to work at hospitals or other facilities, such as Nurse Practitioners and Midwives who have admitting rights. If you have been restricted based on your conduct, professional performance or health, you will need to declare it.

You are not required to declare if your employment has been terminated, suspended or you are being performance managed.

CPD

This standard applies to Enrolled Nurses, Registered Nurses and Midwives who work either full-time or part-time in paid, unpaid practice, or who are on leave from work, such as maternity leave. This standard does not apply to those with non-practising registration or students of nursing or midwifery.

• To renew your registration, you will need to declare that you have completed the required amount of hours of professional development. 
• If you have been practising overseas, this can count towards your recency of practice but does not count towards CPD.
• If you have been registered for less than a year, then your CPD requirements will be pro-rata - please see table below.
• If you have been a member of Red Union and have used Red eLearning (RedU) or Eduvidd (prior to changing to Red U, you will be able to access your CPD hrs from your dashboard, through the Red U learning portal.
• If you have any issues accessing your CPD from your dashboard, please contact RU at - hotline@redunion.com.au or call 1300 263 374.
• CPD can include formal and informal development and includes, but is not limited to the following:-
• Red Union Articles
• Free Red Union events and training as part of your membership
• Webinars
• EN studying to become an RN
• Postgraduate studies
• Journal Clubs and writing journals/articles
• In-service education at work
• Attending conferences, seminars and workshops
• Internal facility courses
• Working with a mentor to improve your practice
• Acting as a preceptor
• Participating in clinical audits
• Developing policy, procedures and guidelines

Pro rata CPD requirements

If you have been registered for a period of less than 12 months prior to the renewal of registration, the following pro rata CPD requirements apply.

APHRA June 2016

Non-practising Registration

Non-practising registration is suitable for an individual who chooses to stop all nursing and/or midwifery practice but wishes – for personal rather than professional reasons – to retain a protected nursing and/or midwifery title.

This includes a nurse/midwife who:

• has retired from nursing or midwifery practice
• is experiencing an illness, or
• is intending to take a long period of absence from practice.

As a non-practising registrant, you are not required under the National Law to meet the registration standard requirements of continuing professional development, professional indemnity insurance or recency of practice.

Registration renewal for Nurses and Midwives: https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and-Endorsement/Registration-Renewal/Renewal-FAQ-for-nurses-and-midwives.aspx

The information presented in this blog article was sourced from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA): https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-Standards.aspx

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