Background

CPD Home is committed to supporting its subscribers to meet their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements under the Medical Board of Australia’s (MBA)’s Registration Standard: Continuing professional development (the Standard). However, CPD Home recognises that there may be times when subscribers need to take a leave and be absent from practice due to exceptional circumstances, which could place burden on a subscriber in fully meeting their CPD compliance. CPD Home affords subscribers in this position the opportunity to apply for an exemption from their annual CPD requirements.

Determinations of this nature, in line with the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness, will be made by CPD Home following receipt of a CPD Exemption Application on a case-by-case basis.

Purpose

To outline the exceptional circumstances that may justify an exemption from fulfilling their annual CPD requirements.

Objective

To demonstrate our support for subscribers experiencing exceptional circumstances and to provide guidance to subscribers in applying for a CPD exemption.

Scope

This policy applies to all subscribers of CPD Home.

Definitions

Please refer to the Glossary for definition(s) of terms that apply to this policy.

Policy

General Principles

Subscribers of the AMA CPD Home Program of Learning (CPD Program) are expected to meet the CPD requirements of the Standard within the CPD year.

Where subscribers have met the CPD requirements of the Standard or have been approved partial exemption for the CPD year by CPD Home, a CPD Statement of Completion will be granted.

Subscribers who are experiencing exceptional circumstances as described below, which will prevent them from meeting their annual CPD requirements for the CPD year may apply for an exemption from their annual CPD requirements.

Where a subscriber is approved a full exemption in a CPD year by CPD Home, a CPD Statement of Exemption will be granted. 

Subscribers without an exemption who do not meet the annual CPD requirements of the Standard will not be awarded a CPD Statement of Completion by CPD Home and will be reported to Ahpra as ‘non-compliant’ following the conclusion of the CPD year.

Qualifying exceptional circumstances resulting in the continuous absence from practice, of at least
six months and up to and including 12-months are as follows.

1. Professional, personal or family reasons, being:
   • parental leave
   • prolonged carers leave
   • prolonged serious illness, including serious injury
   • short-term incapacitations from an illness or injury
   • sabbatical
   • extended leave to attend to cultural responsibilities
   • bereavement
2. Severe and debilitating stress resulting from extreme hardship or trauma (e.g. victim of violent crime or coercive control)
3. Sudden and extended disruption due to an unforeseen event or hardship (e.g. devastating natural disaster).

The following circumstances are examples of non-exceptional circumstances:

• demands of employment
• minor illness or medical conditions
• pre-existing illness or medical condition which is not regarded as acute and substantive

taking on optional commitments of a work or personal nature

• difficulties adjusting to the self-discipline needed to plan, undertake, record and track CPD activities
• stress or anxiety normally associated with meeting annual CPD requirements
• lack of knowledge of the:
  • services and supports offered by CPD Home to subscribers
  • minimum annual CPD requirements of the Standard.

Below are examples of supporting documentation that subscriber’s must include with their application. Depending on the exceptional circumstance, multiple documents may be required as part of the application including:

• travel itinerary
• letter from employer related to extended period of leave
• medical certificate/s with the dates clearly marked when the subscriber was unfit to work or to undertake CPD activities
• letter of support from an independent (i.e. not related to the applicant) medical practitioner, psychologist or lawyer attesting to the practitioner’s judgment, based on the subscriber’s circumstances and on information provided, that the subscriber would not have had the capacity to practise or undertake required CPD activities for at least 6 months or more. A letter of support should be provided only when the subscriber was unable to obtain medical advice on the date(s) they were affected by exceptional circumstances
• death notice or certificate
• police report
• insurance reports
• the subscriber’s victim of crime statement
• jurisdictional statutory declaration from the subscriber or other relevant party attesting to impact of the exceptional circumstance on the subscriber’s ability or capacity to undertake required CPD activities.

Exemptions

Exemptions to the annual CPD Program, on the grounds cited in this policy, may be approved by CPD Home upon written application by the subscriber. For example, if you are on extended leave and not practising medicine, an exemption may be granted following submission of an Application for CPD Exemption form available from the subscriber’s CPD Tracker with accepted supporting evidence.

Exemptions will apply for the CPD year(s) for which exemption is sought. An exemption application that falls consecutively across two CPD years must be submitted in the first year. In addition, if the exemption is approved, the applicant must remain as a subscriber with CPD Home for the duration of the second year.

Where subscribers have met CPD requirements of the Standard or have been approved partial
exemption for the CPD year by CPD Home and met the requirements as stated in the letter issued
to the subscriber upon approval of the exemption, a CPD Statement of Completion will be granted. 

Where a subscriber is approved a full exemption in a CPD year by CPD Home, a CPD Statement of
Exemption will be granted.

Where a subscriber will be absent from practice for more than 12-months they should contact the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) to amend their practising status. For absences longer than 12 months, CPD requirements are set by MBA’s recency of practice registration standard, as well as the MBA’s re-entry to practice requirements.

All applications will be reviewed confidentially, without prejudice and on their merits on a case-by-case basis. Where additional advice is sought, the CPD Advisory Panel may be called upon for input before a determination is reached by CPD Home.

Review of applications may take up to six weeks. Applicants will be notified as soon as practicable of the determination and, if applicable, the exemption requirements.

For an application to be considered, the application must be lodged before the end of the CPD year the subscriber is seeking a CPD exemption for.

An Exemptions Register of subscribers who have applied for an exemption, including the review determination will be kept by CPD Home. 

Related Documents / Legislation

The following documents are related to this policy.

1. Medical Board of Australia (MBA) Registration Standard: Continuing Professional Development (the Standard)
2. MBA’s Registration Standard: Recency of practice
3. Application for Exemption
4. CPD Home Reconsideration, Review and Appeals Policy

Appendices

1. Glossary

Version Tracking

Appendix 1

Glossary