Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - Understanding continuing professional development for nurses and midwives

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) requires all nurses and midwives to complete Continuing professional development (CPD) each year.

The standard applies equally to enrolled nurses, registered nurses and midwives who work either full-time or part-time in paid or unpaid practice. CPD enables nurses and midwives to maintain, improve, and broaden their professional knowledge, expertise and competence, and is critical to practitioner's meeting their obligation to provide ethical, effective, safe and competent practice.

Annual CPD hours

The NMBA’s Registration standard: Continuing professional development requires nurses and midwives to complete a minimum number of continuing professional development CPD hours directly relevant to a nurse or midwife’s context of practice.

Type of registration	Minimum hours	Total hours
Registered nurse or Enrolled nurse	20 hours	20 hours
Midwife	20 hours	20 hours
Registered nurse and midwife	Registered nurse - 20 hours Midwife - 20 hours	40 hours
Enrolled nurse and midwife	Enrolled nurse - 20 hours Midwife - 20 hours	40 hours
Nurse practitioner	Registered nurse - 20 hours Nurse practitioner endorsement - 10 additional hours relating to prescribing and administration of medicines, diagnostics investigations, consultation and referral	30 hours
Midwife with scheduled medicines endorsement	Midwife - 20 hours Scheduled medicines endorsement - 10 additional hours relating to context of practice, prescribing and administration of medicines, diagnostics investigations, and consultation and referral	30 hours
Nurse and midwife with scheduled medicines endorsement	Registered nurse - 20 hours/Enrolled nurse - 20 hours Midwife - 20 hours Scheduled medicines endorsement - 10 additional hours relating to context of practice, prescribing and administration of medicines, diagnostics investigations, consultation and referral.	50 hours

Pro-rata adjustments

When a nurse or midwife registers part-way through a registration period, pro rata CPD requirements will apply as outlined below (see Table 1) and in the Registration standard: Continuing professional development. Practitioners holding dual registration must complete CPD hours for both professions.

Table 1

Months registration has been held	CPD hours
0-3 months	≥ 5 hours
3-6 months	≥ 10 hours
6-9 months	≥ 15 hours
9-12 months	≥ 20 hours

When a nurse and/or midwife is endorsed or notated part-way through a registration period, pro rata CPD requirements will apply as outlined below (see Table 2) and in the Registration standard: Continuing professional development.

Table 2

Months endorsement/notation has been held	Additional pro rata CPD hours that must be completed
0-3 months	≥ 2.5 hours
3-6 months	≥ 5 hours
6-9 months	≥ 7.5 hours
9-12 months	≥ 10 hours

Documentation and compliance

Practitioners must keep records of your CPD activities for at least five (5) years from the date they completed the CPD. All CPD records must be available for audit or if needed by the NMBA as part of an investigation arising from a notification (complaint).

To help with CPD recordkeeping, the NMBA has developed a self-directed CPD evidence record that can be used for planning and recording CPD. It is not mandatory to use this template, but CPD records must include all the information listed in the template.

All evidence should be verified, and it must demonstrate that the nurse or midwife has:

identified and prioritised their learning needs, based on their self-reflection and evaluation of their practice against the relevant competency or professional practice standards
developed a learning plan based on identified learning needs
participated in effective learning activities appropriate to their learning needs, and
reflected on the value of the learning activities or the effect that participation will have on their practice.

Supporting CPD in the workplace

Employers play a crucial role in facilitating and supporting CPD. There are many things that you can do to support professional development in the workplace:

Align CPD with NMBA Standards and Professional Practice

Encourage practitioners to use NMBA standards and guidelines as a basis for setting CPD goals, including the Standards for Practice and Code of Conduct. This ensures CPD activities directly address essential competencies, safety standards, and ethical considerations.

Encourage planning and reflective practice

Collaborate with practitioners to create CPD goals aligned with their context of practice, role requirements and areas for growth. This may include updating knowledge in specialised care areas or enhancing leadership and mentoring skills.
Research shows that CPD is more effective when it involves planning and reflection. Incorporate structured reflection on how completed CPD activities apply to day-to-day practice and meet NMBA standards. This reflective approach encourages continuous improvement and accountability.

Provide access to CPD opportunities

Consider in-house activities, online learning modules or conferences and workshops
Support a range of activities, from formal courses to self-directed learning, like research or reflective writing.

Exemptions for CPD requirements

In exceptional circumstances (e.g. serious illness), the NMBA may grant exemptions. Practitioners must apply directly to Ahpra for an exemption and provide supporting evidence.

Nurses and/or midwives seeking a CPD exemption due to exceptional circumstances must submit a request in writing to the Ahpra office in their state or territory. Evidence to support the request for an exemption may include a letter from a treating health practitioner.

More information

More information regarding CPD is available in the following practitioner directed resources: