As 2023 continues at a fast pace, keeping an eye on continuing professional development (CPD) should be at the back of every nurse’s mind. As part of the requirements set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, all nurses are required to complete 20 CPD hours every year to remain registered.
CPD hours are only considered if they are relevant to the person’s context of practice. Despite being mandatory, CPD is a great way for nurses to upskill, maintain best practice skills and learn something new in the vast profession of nursing.
Never fear – it does not mean you have to spend 20 hours travelling across the country or sitting through a webinar you don’t enjoy. There are many, many ways that you can engage with and mix and match CPD to ensure you are getting the best out of your 20 hours of CPD a year.
Check out our six favourite ways to get your CPD below.
Explore CPD online from your own home
For busy nurses who are managing shift work, social lives and professional development, especially those living in regional, rural, and remote areas, having CPD available at the tips of your fingers in your own home can be a game-changer in ensuring your hours are completed.
Online hubs such as the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) CPD Centre provide nurses the opportunity to search through over 180 CPD courses in over 30 disciplines, that are developed by nurses, for nurses.
E-learning modules work in a self-paced manner, allowing you to get up to six CPD hours at a time in the comfort of your own home.
Join your colleagues for face-to-face CPD workshops
If you are wishing to get hands-on with CPD, face-to-face sessions are the best way to connect your hours with practice, learn new methods, and meet like-minded professionals in your field.
These face-to-face courses allow nurses to get practical experience under the supervision of expert health professionals. The chance to work directly with your colleagues and other health professionals enhances your teamwork and collaboration skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Organisations such as ACN provide the chance to develop nursing skills face-to-face in your hometown, with courses such as Wound Management, Venepuncture and Cannulation, and Mental Health Assessment for Non-Mental Health Nurses offered around the country throughout the year.
Join the conversation in webinars
For nurses who are interested in using their CPD to develop their understanding of lived experiences of the health care systems and issues in a more nuanced manner, webinars are an easy way to get your hours and stay up-to-date on issues affecting the nursing profession.
Webinars are a great opportunity to add to accrue your final CPD hours, with each session providing 0.5-1 CPD hour. Some of ACN’s upcoming webinars offer insights into nursing history, how-to guides for registration, how nurses can create social impact, and developing the nursing community. Organisations such as ACN provide official CPD certificates after you have attended a webinar.
Meet up at events to learn from and connect with others
Getting the chance to meet and learn with others has become more valuable since returning to in-person events. Whether it be networking, community development or contributing to nursing reform, events offer the potential for you to contribute to furthering the nursing profession.
Events are occurring all over Australia throughout the year. Just make sure that the event is relevant to your context of practice to be counted towards your CPD hours!
Not sure where to start? Register your interest for upcoming ACN events.
Level up your nursing career by attending a conference
For those who want a chance to collect a number of CPD hours in one go, attending a conference can help develop your skills, meet like-minded health colleagues, and gain new perspectives on the nursing profession. Outcomes from conferences include new strategic priorities, contributing to policy to change the profession, and better-quality care for all Australians.
There are several one-, two-, and three-day events that occur in Australia and across the world that showcase the breadth of skills for the nursing profession. Conferences can be general health or nursing focused or specialised within the profession tailored to your context of practice.
Learn more about ACN’s flagship conference the National Nursing Forum.
Catch up on the latest best practice through reading nursing research
Nursing research and journals are not just for nurse researchers or nursing students! For every hour of relevant nursing research read, you can claim one CPD hour– just make sure to record your work and your reflections on the research to present to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
In nursing journals, you can access the latest information on nursing practice, specialist developments, and find out more about how the nursing profession is affecting the world on a wider scale.
ACN Fellows and Members can get full access to our refereed academic nursing journal Collegian: The Australian Journal of Nursing Practice, Scholarship and Research as part of their membership. For all others, check out the Collegian Featured This Month series for the latest open access articles.
The Australian College of Nursing is excited to work with nurses to develop CPD that is refreshing, welcoming, and thought-provoking to enhance their understanding and passions for nursing. ACN’s new and improved CPD Centre is now available with over 180 online courses, face-to-face courses in several locations across Australia, and webinars. ACN members receive 90+ free online CPD hours, and a significant discount on face-to-face courses and signature events. Not a member? Join today.
