Every registered nurse, enrolled nurse and midwife in Australia declares at renewal that the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's continuing professional development standard has been met. The standard is counted in hours over the registration period, with more for dual registration and for an endorsement — and the declaration is one the NMBA can audit after the event. This guide sets out what the standard asks for in 2026, how an ethics and professionalism course counts toward it, what to keep as evidence, and what happens if the records are asked for.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia CPD Requirements at a Glance
The NMBA's registration standard asks for a minimum of 20 hours of CPD in each registration period, which runs from 1 June to 31 May; registration is renewed by 31 May. Hours do not carry over. The minimum rises with registration and endorsement:
| Registration | Minimum each period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse or enrolled nurse | 20 hours | Relevant to your context of practice |
| Midwife | 20 hours | Relevant to your context of practice |
| Nurse and midwife (dual registration) | 40 hours | 20 in each profession; an activity relevant to both counts for both |
| Nurse practitioner or midwife practitioner | 30 hours | 20 plus 10 on prescribing and administering medicines, diagnostic investigations, consultation and referral |
| Scheduled medicines endorsement | 30 hours | 20 plus 10 on the endorsement |
Every activity must relate to your context of practice, which is not limited to direct clinical care. Accredited courses (including online learning), conferences, short courses and workshops, structured self-directed learning and mandatory workplace learning all count — but mandatory workplace learning only where it is relevant and includes new learning: the NMBA says routine annual CPR and fire training cannot be counted.
An assessed two-hour ethics course is 2 hours toward the 20, and counts for both registrations where its content is relevant to nursing and to midwifery. Australian Nurses and Midwives can see the ethics and professionalism courses written for nurses and midwives that count under the standard.
Planning CPD Around Your Context of Practice
The NMBA does not list topics. It asks you to identify a learning need from your own practice, plan how to meet it, complete the activity and reflect on what it changed — and its audit checklist asks for exactly that chain. For each activity the Board's own template records the learning need you identified, the action you planned, the activity type, the topics covered and the outcome, a reflection on how it applies to your practice, and the evidence and hours. Self-directed learning is accepted, with references to what you read.
Ethics and professionalism belong in every nurse's and midwife's plan. The NMBA's Code of conduct for nurses and Code of conduct for midwives, in effect since March 2018, are what a notification about a medication error, a boundary, a privacy breach, a failure to escalate or a record is measured against, and CPD that covers them is relevant by definition.
Ethics and Professionalism as CPD: How They Count
An online ethics course with an assessment you must pass to receive the certificate is an accredited course for the purpose of the standard, logged in hours: a two-hour course is 2 hours toward your 20. Where you hold both nursing and midwifery registration, a course on ethics and professionalism written for nurses and midwives is relevant to both and counts toward both 20-hour minimums. The certificate records the course title, the provider, the date of completion and the hours; the Board's template asks you to add the learning need it met and a line of reflection.
For a nurse or midwife responding to an Ahpra notification, under conditions, or preparing for a Performance and Professional Standards Panel, ethics CPD does a second job. A completed, assessed course on the standard you are said to have breached — consent, confidentiality, record-keeping, professional boundaries, medication safety, escalation — is evidence of insight and remediation that the NMBA weighs alongside the written response. It shows engagement with the standard rather than a statement that you have read it. A dated certificate attached to the response, with a paragraph on what you took from the course and what you have changed, is the form that evidence takes.
For a nurse or midwife renewing with no concern raised, the same course is a planned activity that answers the audit question before it is asked.
Recording and Keeping Your CPD Evidence
Nothing is submitted to Ahpra at renewal; you declare that the standard has been met. The record behind that declaration is yours to keep, and it is what an audit asks for. For each activity, record:
- The learning need you identified and the action you planned.
- The date, title, provider and hours, and the activity type.
- The evidence: the certificate, the attendance record, the assessment result, or the references for self-directed reading.
- A line of reflection on what the activity changed in your practice — the step the audit checklist looks for.
The NMBA recommends keeping the evidence for five years. If audited you will be asked for your CPD plan for the previous registration period (1 June to 31 May) and the audit checklist, so keep the plan with the records.
Ahpra CPD Audits and What Happens If You Fall Short
After each renewal Ahpra audits a sample of practitioners against the registration standards, CPD among them. Selection is largely random; being audited is not a sign of concern. You are asked to supply evidence for the declaration you made: your CPD plan for the previous registration period, the audit checklist, and the certificates or records behind the hours. There is a set period to respond, and a response that is late or thin is itself a finding.
Where the evidence falls short of the standard, the NMBA can require the shortfall to be made up and may impose conditions on registration until it is. Where the declaration was not true — hours claimed for activities not completed — the matter is no longer a CPD question but a conduct one: a false declaration to the regulator is a probity matter, and the Board treats it as such. The practical protection is a contemporaneous record kept through the year, not a reconstruction after the audit letter arrives.
Choosing Ethics Courses That Count Toward Your Renewal
- An assessment you must pass. The assessment is what shows the learning happened; a course that only has to be opened is weaker evidence under the standard.
- A certificate with the detail an audit needs: your name, the course title, the provider, the date of completion and the hours.
- Content written for nurses and midwives under the Board's standards. Relevance to your practice is a requirement of the standard, and a course built on the NMBA's Code of conduct for nurses and Code of conduct for midwives, the standards for practice and the Board's guidelines meets it directly.
- A provider you can name. An audit assesses the evidence, and evidence from an identifiable provider with a dated certificate is evidence that stands on its own.
Key Regulatory Resources for Australian Nurses and Midwives on CPD
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia — the CPD registration standard, the CPD fact sheet and template, the codes of conduct and the standards for practice.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) — renewal by 31 May, the renewal declarations and the audit process.
- Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) — the professional body and union; CPD resources and support when a notification arrives.
Related Reading: Australian Nurses and Midwives
How to Respond to an Ahpra Notification: A Practical Guide for Australian Nurses and Midwives →
Ahpra and Tribunal Disciplinary Process Step-by-Step for Australian Nurses and Midwives →
All Ethics Courses for Australian Nurses and Midwives →
Ethics CPD that satisfies your renewal and your audit
Online, immediate access, a dated certificate on completion, an assessment you must pass. Written for nurses and midwives under Ahpra and NMBA standards: 2 CPD hours a course.
All ethics courses for nurses and midwives →
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do Australian nurses and midwives need each year?
The NMBA's registration standard asks for a minimum of 20 hours of CPD in each registration period (1 June to 31 May) for a registered nurse, enrolled nurse or midwife. Dual registration as a nurse and a midwife needs 40 hours, 20 in each profession. A nurse practitioner, midwife practitioner or scheduled medicines endorsement adds 10 hours on the endorsement.
Does an activity count for both nursing and midwifery registration?
Yes, where it is relevant to both professions. The NMBA says activities relevant to both nursing and midwifery may be counted as evidence for both sets of hours. An ethics and professionalism course written for nurses and midwives is one.
Is ethics CPD mandatory for Australian nurses and midwives?
The standard sets hours, not topics, and asks that every activity relate to your context of practice. Ethics and professionalism are relevant to every context because the NMBA's codes of conduct are what a notification is measured against. A nurse or midwife under conditions, or preparing a response to a notification, is often required or advised to complete structured ethics CPD as part of remediation.
Does mandatory workplace training count?
Only where it is relevant to your practice and includes new learning. The NMBA says routine annual CPR and fire training cannot be counted. An assessed ethics course completed through your employer can be, with the same evidence as any other activity.
When do Australian nurses and midwives renew their registration?
Registration for nurses and midwives is renewed by 31 May each year, with a one-month late period. The registration period, and the CPD period, runs from 1 June to 31 May; the hours you declare are the ones completed in the period just ended.
What records does the NMBA expect me to keep?
For each activity: the learning need you identified, the action you planned, the activity type and topics, the outcome, a reflection on how it applies to your practice, and the evidence and hours. The NMBA recommends keeping the evidence for five years. If audited you provide your CPD plan for the previous period and the audit checklist.
What happens if the NMBA audits my CPD?
The NMBA can select nurses and midwives for audit at random, at any time. You will be asked for your CPD plan for the previous registration period, the audit checklist and the evidence behind the hours. If the evidence does not support the declaration, the Board can require further CPD, impose conditions, and treat a false declaration as a conduct matter in its own right.
Can ethics CPD completed during an Ahpra notification help the outcome?
It can. A completed, assessed ethics course with a dated certificate is evidence of insight and remediation that the NMBA can weigh alongside your written response. It shows engagement with the code you are said to have breached. Attach the certificate to the response and say what you took from the course and what you have changed.
This article is published by Healthcare Ethics Australia for general information. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your indemnity insurer, professional association or a lawyer about your own matter.