Every registered osteopath in Australia declares at renewal that the Osteopathy Board of Australia's continuing professional development standard has been met. The standard is counted in hours over a cycle, with a share that must be spent on the Board's mandatory topics and a first-aid certificate beside it — and the declaration is one the Board audits at random each year. 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.
Osteopathy Board of Australia CPD Requirements at a Glance
The Osteopathy Board's registration standard asks for a minimum of 25 hours of CPD in each 12-month cycle, which runs from 1 December to 30 November; registration is renewed by 30 November. An osteopath registered for part of the cycle completes 6 hours for every three months remaining.
| What the standard asks | Minimum each cycle | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory topics | At least 4 of the 25 hours | The registration standards and codes, advertising, evidence-based practice, risk management, record keeping, informed consent, communication, professional boundaries, confidentiality and privacy |
| Other CPD relevant to your practice | The remaining hours | Clinical courses, conferences, structured reading with reflection, peer discussion |
| First aid | A current certificate, separate from the 25 hours | At least Senior First Aid (level 2) or equivalent, renewed every three years — the course hours do not count toward the 25 |
Each activity is recorded with its type, topic, purpose and hours. The Board publishes optional forms for reviewing learning needs, planning, evaluating activities and an annual summary; your own format is accepted. A revised CPD standard is under consultation in 2026 — check the Board's page for the version in force at your renewal.
An assessed two-hour ethics course covering boundaries, consent, confidentiality, records and communication is 2 hours toward the 25, and toward the 4 hours on the mandatory topics. Australian Osteopaths can see the ethics and professionalism courses written for osteopaths that count under the standard.
The Mandatory Topics and Your CPD Plan
The Osteopathy Board is the one National Board whose standard names topics, and the list is an ethics and professionalism syllabus: the registration standards and codes, advertising, evidence-based practice, risk management, record keeping, informed consent, communication, professional boundaries, confidentiality and privacy. At least 4 of the 25 hours each cycle must be spent on them, and the Board's forms ask you to review your learning needs, plan the cycle, evaluate each activity and summarise the year.
The shared Code of conduct, in effect since 29 June 2022, and the advertising guidelines are what a notification about over-servicing, a claim beyond the evidence, consent in ongoing treatment, a boundary in a hands-on profession or a record is measured against. A course on them is CPD on the mandatory topics 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 a CPD activity under the standard, logged in hours: a two-hour course is 2 hours toward the 25, and — because its content is professional boundaries, consent, confidentiality, records and communication — 2 hours toward the 4 the Board requires on the mandatory topics. The certificate records the course title, the provider, the date of completion and the hours; the record adds the type, topic and purpose the Board asks for and a line of reflection.
For an osteopath 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, over-servicing, advertising — is evidence of insight and remediation that the Osteopathy Board 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 an osteopath 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 sign an annual declaration that the standard has been met. The record behind that declaration is the CPD record folder the Board asks you to keep up to date, and it is what an audit asks for. For each activity, record:
- The type, topic and purpose, and whether it counts toward the mandatory topics.
- The date, title, provider and hours.
- The evidence: the certificate, the attendance record or the assessment result.
- A line of reflection on what the activity changed in your practice, and your annual summary.
The Board asks you to keep the folder for five years, with your current first-aid certificate. A notification can reopen a question about CPD completed years earlier.
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: the record folder for the cycle, the hours on the mandatory topics, the evidence behind each activity and your first-aid certificate. 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 Osteopathy Board 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 osteopaths under the Board's standards. Relevance to your practice is a requirement of the standard, and a course built on the shared Code of conduct, the Board's mandatory CPD topics and the advertising 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 Osteopaths on CPD
- Osteopathy Board of Australia — the CPD registration standard and resources (the mandatory topics, the optional forms), the shared Code of conduct, the advertising guidelines.
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) — renewal by 30 November, the renewal declarations and the audit process.
- Osteopathy Australia — the professional body; CPD programs and support when a notification arrives.
- Guild Insurance — professional indemnity for osteopaths; the first call when a notification arrives.
Related Reading: Australian Osteopaths
How to Respond to an Ahpra Notification: A Practical Guide for Australian Osteopaths →
Ahpra Social Media Notifications: What Australian Osteopaths Need to Know →
All Ethics Courses for Australian Osteopaths →
Ethics CPD that satisfies your renewal and your audit
Online, immediate access, a dated certificate on completion, an assessment you must pass. Written for osteopaths under Ahpra and Osteopathy Board standards: 2 CPD hours a course.
All ethics courses for osteopaths →
Frequently asked questions
How many CPD hours do Australian osteopaths need each year?
The Osteopathy Board of Australia's CPD registration standard asks for a minimum of 25 hours of CPD in each cycle (1 December to 30 November), at least 4 of them on the Board's mandatory topics, with a current first-aid certificate beside them. An osteopath registered for part of the cycle completes 6 hours for every three months remaining.
What are the mandatory topics?
The registration standards and codes, advertising, evidence-based practice, risk management, record keeping, informed consent, communication, professional boundaries, and confidentiality and privacy. At least 4 of the 25 hours each cycle must be spent on them.
Does an ethics course count toward the mandatory topics?
Yes. An assessed course on professional boundaries, consent, confidentiality, records and communication is CPD on the mandatory topics: a two-hour course is 2 hours toward the 4 required, and 2 toward the 25.
Do I need a first-aid certificate?
Yes. The Board requires a current certificate of at least Senior First Aid (level 2) or equivalent, renewed every three years. It is separate from the 25 hours, and the course hours do not count toward them.
When do Australian osteopaths renew their registration?
Osteopaths renew by 30 November each year, with a one-month late period. The CPD cycle runs from 1 December to 30 November, so the hours you declare are the ones completed in the cycle just ended.
What records does the Osteopathy Board expect me to keep?
An up-to-date CPD record folder: each activity with its type, topic, purpose, date, provider and hours, the evidence behind it and a reflection, plus an annual summary and your first-aid certificate. The Board asks you to keep it for five years. Its optional forms cover the plan, the evaluation and the summary.
What happens if the Board audits my CPD?
The Board runs a random audit of CPD compliance each year. You will be asked for the record folder for the cycle, the hours on the mandatory topics, the evidence behind each activity and your first-aid certificate. If the evidence does not support the declaration, the Board can require further CPD, impose conditions or refuse renewal, 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 Osteopathy Board can weigh alongside your written response. It shows engagement with the standard 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.