CPD Requirements for Osteopaths in Australia (2026 Guide)

Osteopathy is one of the 16 health professions regulated under AHPRA, and like every other registered health professional in Australia, osteopaths must complete ongoing CPD to maintain their registration.

If you're a registered osteopath — whether you're running a private practice, working in a multidisciplinary clinic, or teaching — this guide covers everything you need to know about meeting the Osteopathy Board of Australia's CPD requirements in 2026.

How Many CPD Hours Do Osteopaths Need?

Registered osteopaths must complete a minimum of 25 hours of CPD per year.

This is an annual requirement tied to your AHPRA registration cycle. At renewal, you'll be asked to confirm that you've met your CPD obligations for the year.

The 25 hours must include four hours covering one or more Osteopathy Board mandatory topics. You must also maintain a current nationally recognised senior first aid certificate or equivalent, updated every three years. First aid is a stand-alone requirement, separate from the 25 CPD hours.

What Types of CPD Activities Count?

The Osteopathy Board of Australia recognises a range of CPD activity types. These broadly fall into:

Structured Learning Activities

Formal, organised activities with clear learning objectives:

• Attending osteopathic conferences, seminars, or workshops
• Completing accredited online courses or distance learning programs
• Postgraduate study or academic courses relevant to practice
• First aid and emergency resuscitation training
• Courses in evidence-based practice, clinical reasoning, or specific clinical skills
• Learning covering Board mandatory topics such as standards, National Law, advertising, evidence-based practice, risk management, record keeping, informed consent, communication, professional boundaries, and confidentiality

Reflective Activities

Activities that involve critical review of your own practice:

• Case review and clinical reflection
• Peer discussion and case consultation
• Personal reading of research literature, clinical guidelines, or textbooks
• Reflective journaling
• Practice audit — reviewing your own patient outcomes and identifying areas for improvement

Teaching, Research, and Other Professional Activities

Activities that extend professional knowledge beyond personal practice:

• Supervising osteopathic students or graduates
• Delivering presentations or lectures
• Conducting or contributing to research
• Writing for professional publications
• Participating in Osteopathy Australia or other professional body activities
• Mentoring colleagues

Most of your 25 hours should come from the first two categories, but teaching and research hours count and can be meaningful contributions to your total.

Is There a Mix Required?

The Osteopathy Board encourages osteopaths to complete CPD across a variety of activity types rather than relying on a single format — for example, only attending conferences.

While the Board does not prescribe strict hour allocations to each activity type, a CPD portfolio that shows balance — some structured learning, some reflective practice, and some peer engagement — is more likely to satisfy audit expectations than one that is heavily skewed to a single activity type.

If you are audited, reviewers will be looking for evidence that your CPD was meaningful and relevant to your practice, not just an accumulation of hours.

What Is the CPD Year for Osteopaths?

For AHPRA-registered osteopaths, the CPD year aligns with your registration period. Most health professions registered under AHPRA have a renewal date of 30 November each year, meaning the CPD year typically runs from 1 December to 30 November.

At renewal, you must declare that you have met the CPD standard for the preceding year.

Check your AHPRA registration details to confirm your specific renewal date, as renewal dates can vary depending on when you first registered.

CPD and Osteopathy Australia

Most Australian osteopaths are members of Osteopathy Australia (the peak professional association), which runs its own CPD program and maintains a CPD register for members.

Osteopathy Australia's CPD program is designed to meet and exceed the Osteopathy Board's minimum requirements. If you're an Osteopathy Australia member and you complete CPD through their program, you'll generally satisfy the Board's requirements.

However, CPD completion through Osteopathy Australia's program is not a substitute for AHPRA compliance — you must still declare CPD compliance to AHPRA at registration renewal. Your Osteopathy Australia CPD record supports that declaration but the declaration itself happens through AHPRA.

If you're not an Osteopathy Australia member, you can still meet the Board's requirements independently by completing and documenting 25 hours of appropriate CPD activity, including the required mandatory-topic hours.

What Happens During a CPD Audit?

The Osteopathy Board, like all AHPRA National Boards, conducts random audits of registered practitioners. If selected for audit, you'll need to produce evidence of your CPD for the year being audited.

Typical evidence requested includes:

• Certificates of attendance from workshops, seminars, or conferences
• Receipts or enrolment confirmations for online courses
• Written records of reflective activities — case notes, reading logs, or reflective journal entries
• Meeting notes or correspondence documenting peer discussions or case consultations
• Supervision logs if claiming teaching or supervision hours

The key is to keep records contemporaneously — meaning you log activities and retain evidence as you go, not at the end of the year. Evidence reconstructed from memory months later is less convincing and harder to produce.

Internal Links Worth Knowing

If you're looking for related content on managing your AHPRA obligations:

• What counts as CPD in Australia? — a general guide to CPD activity types across all professions
• How to prepare for a CPD audit — step-by-step audit preparation for any AHPRA-registered professional
• Free CPD log template — a downloadable template and guide to building your CPD record
• CPD for physiotherapists — for allied health practitioners in related musculoskeletal fields

How to Track CPD as an Osteopath

Twenty-five hours over a year is roughly two hours of CPD activity per month — very manageable if you're logging consistently. The challenge is that osteopaths complete CPD through many different channels: Osteopathy Australia events, independent courses, online platforms, peer meetings, and self-directed reading. Keeping track across all these channels is where practitioners tend to fall down.

The Folder-and-Certificate Method

Many osteopaths keep a folder — physical or digital — for CPD certificates and receipts, and maintain a running spreadsheet or notes document to total up their hours. This works, but it requires discipline to maintain consistently, and the evidence and the log can easily get out of sync.

Using CPDKeep

CPDKeep is a dedicated CPD tracking app for Australian health professionals. It's designed for exactly this scenario: multiple activity types, multiple providers, one annual hour target.

With CPDKeep you can:

• Log activities from any provider in under a minute
• Track progress against your 25-hour annual target with a live dashboard
• Keep mandatory-topic CPD and first aid evidence visible in your record
• Set reminders as your target date approaches
• Generate an audit-ready PDF report at any time

There's a free tier with unlimited activity logging, and a Pro plan ($5/month) that adds the downloadable audit report and email reminders.

If your Osteopathy Australia membership includes a CPD platform, CPDKeep complements it rather than replacing it — use it to capture activities that sit outside your professional association's system.

Try CPDKeep free — no card required

Frequently Asked Questions

How many CPD hours does an osteopath need in Australia?

Registered osteopaths must complete a minimum of 25 hours of CPD per year under the Osteopathy Board of Australia's requirements, including four hours covering one or more mandatory topics.

Does Osteopathy Australia CPD satisfy the AHPRA requirement?

CPD completed through Osteopathy Australia's accredited program meets the Osteopathy Board's standard. You still need to make your CPD declaration to AHPRA at registration renewal — Osteopathy Australia records support that declaration but don't replace it.

What if I'm newly registered as an osteopath — do I need the full 25 hours?

New registrants who join mid-year may have pro-rated CPD requirements for their first registration period. Check with the Osteopathy Board of Australia or your AHPRA registration details for the specific expectation in your first year.

Do osteopaths need first aid as part of CPD?

Yes. Osteopaths must maintain a current senior first aid certificate or equivalent, updated every three years. The first aid requirement sits alongside the annual CPD hours rather than replacing them.

Do CPD hours from overseas conferences or courses count?

Yes, provided the activity is relevant to your scope of osteopathic practice in Australia. You can generally claim hours for overseas or international conferences, online courses, or peer activities — log them as you would any other activity and retain evidence.

Can I use CPDKeep if I'm an Osteopathy Australia member?

Yes. CPDKeep works alongside any professional association CPD system. Use it to capture activities outside your association platform and maintain a complete personal record.

What counts as reflective CPD for osteopaths?

Reflective activities include case review, reading clinical literature, reflective journaling, peer consultation, and practice audit. These don't require formal certificates — document what you did, how long it took, and what you learned.

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Always verify current CPD requirements with the Osteopathy Board of Australia via AHPRA. Requirements may be updated between publication and your renewal date.