The AOA CPD program has been developed to assist you in maintaining, enhancing or developing skills and knowledge across the entirety of your career. CPD helps you to maintain the highest possible standard of practice and therefore ensure the highest standard of care for your patients. Our program is designed to promote lifelong learning and reflection in all aspects of surgical practice.
All practitioners with specialist registration must participate in a CPD program that is accredited by the AMC through a CPD Home, and meet the CPD standard set by their college. For orthopaedic surgery in Australia this standard may be met by completion of either the AOA or the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) CPD Program.
The minimum CPD requirements outlined above are the same for all practice types. The point requirements can be met in a variety of ways, across a range of CPD activities that suit your practice.
Retirement
Fully retired members who no longer hold medical registration are not required to participate in CPD. Members who have retired from operative practice and continue to work in any other capacity must fulfil the requirements.
Working part-time
Members in full time or part time practice are required to participate in CPD. There is no reduction in CPD requirements for part-time surgeons as the standard of practice is the same.
Working overseas
Members who are currently working overseas are required to participate in CPD. If you are working overseas, you can choose to either participate in the AOA program or the equivalent CPD program of the country in which you are based. Documentary evidence of compliance in the overseas CPD program is required annually.
Trainees and new members
New Fellows are automatically enrolled in the CPD program. New members must participate in CPD in their first year (greater than six months of the calendar year) of active practice. This includes new members who are completing a fellowship as a consultant. Transition to Practice trainees are required to meet CPD requirements in preparation for consultant practice.
Other registration types
Members holding medical registration other than specialist medical registration should contact the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) to discuss their CPD requirements. For more information, please visit the MBA website at medicalboard.gov.au. Members are asked to notify the AOA CPD team if their circumstances change.
AOA offers a formal process under which third-party organisations can apply to have educational activities accredited by the Association. Accreditation a process by which AOA assesses the educational quality and relevance of courses, meetings, workshops and other educational activities against a set of defined criteria. Accreditation of activities is designed to:
- Recognise and promote the creation and delivery of high-quality educational activities within the orthopaedic scope of practice;
- Simplify the recording of third-party activities for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points under the AOA CPD Program;
- Promote ongoing learning, self-development, and reflective practice on orthopaedic surgery, and;
- Assist AOA members in finding and selecting appropriate activities for ongoing learning and professional development.
Accreditation of activities is encouraged, but not mandatory. For more information and to view the current list of accredited activities, please click here.
For more information on two-factor authentication (2FA) and connecting an authenticator to your CPD, view the guides below.
For assistance with any aspect of AOA’s CPD program or accreditation of activities, please contact the AOA CPD team on 02 8071 8000 or email cpd@aoa.org.au