With the 30 November Ahpra registration deadline approaching, now’s the time to check where you’re up to with your CPD and make a plan for the months ahead.

OTs need to complete at least 20 hours of CPD each year, with a minimum of 5 hours in an interactive setting with other practitioners. The requirement applies to all practitioners except those with student or non-practising registration, including OTs working in non-clinical roles. You can check the Ahpra CPD requirements here.

But meeting the requirement is only part of the picture. CPD isn’t simply about accumulating 20 hours. It’s an opportunity to build on your existing knowledge, keep your practice up to date, strengthen your competence and explore where you want to go next.

So, rather than starting with How many hours do I have left?, try asking: What do I want my remaining CPD to do for me?

Perhaps there’s a challenge that keeps coming up in your practice. A clinical area you want to understand more deeply. A skill you’ve been meaning to strengthen. Or maybe you’re starting to think about where you’d like your career to take you next.

Before filling the remaining spaces in your CPD calendar, take a few moments to think about what would be genuinely useful and worthwhile.

1. Look back

Start with the CPD you’ve already completed this year.

What have you learnt? What has stayed with you? Has anything changed the way you approach your work, given you more confidence or prompted you to think differently?

You might also have discovered an area you want to explore in greater depth. One useful learning experience can often reveal the next question worth pursuing.

Not every CPD activity will transform the way you work. But noticing what has been useful can tell you something about the kind of learning you need next.

2. Look at where you are now

Some of the best clues about what to learn next are already sitting in your working week.

Think about the cases you find yourself discussing with colleagues. The questions you keep looking up. The situations where you feel less certain than you would like. The changes in policy, evidence or service delivery that are affecting your work.

A recurring question or point of uncertainty isn’t necessarily a weakness. It can be a useful signal about where targeted learning could have the greatest value.

The CPD you do next could help you solve a problem you’re encountering now, deepen your knowledge in an important area or build skills you can put into practice straight away.

3. Look ahead

CPD doesn’t only have to support the work you’re doing today.

Is there an area of practice you’d like to explore in 2027? A new responsibility you’re preparing for? A skill that could open up different opportunities? Or maybe you’re simply following a professional curiosity you haven’t had time to explore.

You don’t need to have your next career move mapped out. But choosing even one learning activity with your future in mind can help you start moving towards it.

Your remaining CPD hours give you a chance to start that development now, rather than waiting until 2027 to decide what comes next.

Turn your check into a plan

Once you know what you want from your remaining CPD, check where you’re up to with your 20 hours and identify what you still need to complete before 30 November.

Then book it in.

Getting organised now gives you more choice about what you learn, rather than leaving those decisions until the registration deadline is getting uncomfortably close.

In your portfolio, remember to record your learning goals and the CPD activities you plan to undertake. OTA’s CPD Tracker in OTA Connect can help you stay on top of this by automatically recording certificates for CPD completed with OTA, while also allowing you to add external CPD, track your hours and record reflections. Reflection is an essential part of CPD too, helping you consider what you learnt and how it influenced your practice.

For two weeks only (14–28 September) OTA members can save 20% across the On-demand Learning Hub, making now a good time to explore learning that matches the gaps or goals you’ve identified.

Prefer live learning? Upcoming opportunities include the OT Mental Health Forum in Canberra on 29–30 October and CPD Empower Adelaide on 12 November, with Early Bird rates available until 14 September and 17 September respectively.

Every registration for an eligible live workshop or webinar also gives you an entry into the draw to win a $250 OTA CPD & Events voucher for 2027.

Take five minutes today. Check your progress, choose what you want to get out of your remaining CPD and make a plan for the months ahead.

OTA offers CPD options to suit all OTs: Search all CPD & Events