Australia OT CPDs: License Renewal and Online Courses

Full OT CPD Requirements in Australia

Here are the occupational therapy continuing education requirements for coursework in Australia:

These were copied from the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia Registration Standard Guide, published December 2019.

To meet this standard, you must:

1. complete at least 20 hours of CPD each year that:

a. seeks to improve patient/client outcomes and experiences
b. draws on the best available evidence, including well-established and accepted knowledge that is supported by research where possible, to inform good practice and decision-making
c. contributes directly to improving your competence (performance and behaviour) and keeping you up to date in your chosen scope and setting of practice
d. builds on your existing knowledge, and
e. includes a minimum of five hours of CPD in an interactive setting with other practitioners.

2. maintain a portfolio that documents your learning goals, and records all your planned CPD activities and your reflection on how these CPD activities are expected to improve, or have improved your practice.

The Board’s Guidelines: Continuing professional development provide further information about CPD requirements. I recommend you read the rules in full.

Steps for Renewing Your OT License

Step 1: Look up your OT license.

To begin the process, I always double-check that my license is displaying correctly. You can look up your Australia occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant license here.

Step 2: Confirm the Australia OT continuing professional development requirements. 

It’s always good to double check for any updates to your licensing cycle. You can do so with the resources above. And, please reach out to me if you see any discrepancies.

Step 3: Earn your CPD hours.

Ok, now that you know your requirements, it is time to start earning those CEUs! There are of course a lot of options out there, but we hope you consider checking out the courses offered by OT Potential.

Step 4: Renew your license. 🎉

Ok, now it’s time for the big moment.

You can renew your license online.

Do OT Potential Online Courses Count as CEUs?

Yes! But, please keep in mind the requirements above. Education topics must be directly applicable to your setting and scope of practice. They must also focus on improving clinical competence for improved client/patient outcomes and experiences.

The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia’s CPD Guidelines provide flexible options for meeting learning goals. The guidelines state “All CPD which helps you maintain competence, stay up to date and is relevant to your scope of practice will meet the standard.”

You can learn more in our post: How OT Potential Helps Meet Your CEU Requirements.

Do OT Potential courses count toward the requirement for CPD in an interactive setting?

Yes! We offer weekly live webinars to help you meet your requirement for 5 interactive education hours.

The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia CPD Guidelines define interactive as “learning that involves a two-way flow of information and occurs with other practitioners, such as face to face or interactive online education.”

Conclusion

Hopefully, you found this post helpful!

If you have any other questions about continuing education and your OT license renewal, please contact us!