Changes to CPD for 2023

The Medical Board of Australia has announced changes to CPD requirements for Australian doctors. 

These changes apply to all RANZCP Members completing CPD in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand and come into effect from 1 January 2023.

Hours will be allocated differently for peer review and practice improvement activities 

A total of 23 hours will be required across Section 2: Formal Peer Review and Section 3: Practice Improvement activities. 

This includes: 

  • Minimum of 10 hours in Section 2: Formal Peer Review
  • Minimum of 5 hours in Section 3: Practice Improvement 

The remaining 12 hours may be completed in either section. This gives flexibility to choose activities that fit your circumstances. 

For example, if you are in private practice you may have less opportunity to complete formal practice improvement activities. Instead, you may choose to fulfil the remaining hours as peer review.  Peer review includes giving and receiving formal second opinions, and giving and receiving supervision.

Self-guided learning and additional hours will get different allocations 

Section 4: Self-guided learning will reduce from 25 hours to a minimum of 12.5 hours. 

Section 5: Additional hours will increase from 5 to 12.5 hours and may be used to complete any CPD activity from any section. 

Fewer hours to be allocated for professional development planning 

The Professional Development Plan (PDP) will attract 2 hours CPD rather than the current 5. 

Every doctor must have a CPD home 

The Medical Board of Australia has also introduced a requirement for all doctors to have a CPD home. For RANZCP members, this will be the College. 

Medical Board of Australia – Registration Standard 

Summary of changes  

Current requirements remain the same until end 2022 – total 50 hours 

Section 1 

PDP 

Section 2

Formal Peer Review 

Section 3 

Practice Improvement 

Section 4 

Self-Guided Learning 

Section 5 

Additional hours 

5 hours 

10 hours 

5 hours 

25 hours 

5 hours 

 

Changes from 1 January 2023 – total 50 hours 

Section 1 

PDP 

Section 2 

Formal Peer Review 

Section 3 

Practice Improvement 

Section 4 

Self-Guided Learning 

Section 5 

Additional hours 

2 hours 

Minimum 10 hours 

Minimum 5 hours 

12.5 hours 

12.5 hours 

 

23 hours in total across both sections. 

 

 


Contact the RANZCP CPD team on cpdhelp@ranzcp.org or 1800 337 448 (toll free from Australia) or 0800 443 827 (toll-free from Aotearoa New Zealand). 

Look out for regular updates and ideas for meeting CPD requirements in the quarterly CPD Newsletter.  

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