For the first time, 14 health professions and therapies are being regulated by national legislation – the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law – through the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. The agency responsible for the scheme is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
What does AHPRA do?
In its work, AHPRA regulates almost 60,000 practitioners throughout Australia. This includes Occupational Therapy, Chinese Medicine, Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Psychology and Physiotherapy.
It also publishes a register of practitioners, so the general public can check details of health professionals. And it manages the process of registering and renewing applications.
How to Register with AHPRA
Practitioners can apply for registration with AHPRA. The National Boards assess applications based on a set of registration standards. You can check the relevant standards for your profession.
There are four stages to the application process:
1 Application
You can submit an online or hard copy application form for consideration.
2 Assessment
Your application is then reviewed in line with registration standards. You may be asked to submit more information or take a test to demonstrate your competency or any health issues.
The assessors will make a recommendation – to register, register with conditions or refuse your application. Simple applications may be registered without being referred to the National Board (step 3 below).
3 National Board Decision
The National Board may accept the recommendation or make a different decision.
4 Registration
If your application is approved, you’ll receive a letter and certificate.
5 Submission
If your application was rejected or accepted with conditions, you’ll be notified. You can then choose to make a submission to the National Board.
6 Submission Assessment
If you sent a submission (step 5), this will be reviewed by the Board.
7 Tribunal
Didn’t get the outcome you wanted? You can take your case to tribunal for a decision.
8 Withdrawn Incomplete
Your application will be closed and withdrawn if you do not respond to the application in a reasonable amount of time.
