Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Handbook

Contents

1. Introduction
2. APD program
3. Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
   Learning goals and learning outcomes
   Learning activities
   Learning modules
   
4. Recency of practice
5. Regulation
   APD auditing process
   Complaints process
6. Taking a break
7. Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian Pathways
8. The Advanced Practitioner
   Fellow of Dietitians Australia (FDA)
9. Glossary
10. Appendices

1. Introduction

It’s an important time to be an Accredited Practising Dietitian.

It’s never been a more important time to be a recognised expert in the field of nutrition. With the internet and social media allowing anyone to give nutrition advice, it’s vital dietitians stand out as the most reputable source of dietetic information.

Dietitians Australia is committed to ensuring excellence in practice across the profession. We do this by delivering a rigorous credentialing program, the Accredited Practising Dietitian Program (APD Program).

The APD credential highlights you as a suitably qualified nutrition professional. It assures the public that you are an expert and can provide reliable, evidence-based nutrition advice. The APD credential is also the only dietetics credential recognised by Australian Government organisations, including Medicare, the Department of Health, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. This is an important consideration for provider rebate purposes.

Dietitians Australia, as the nation’s largest and most influential dietetic and nutrition professional organisation, is proud to promote the collective voice of the profession. We are a strong and inspiring community and we look forward to supporting you in your career as an APD.

This handbook provides you with everything you need to know about the APD Program, including:

• joining the program
• maintaining your APD status
• regulation
• taking a break
• working towards being an advanced practitioner

 

As an APD I ...

 

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2. The APD Program

What is the APD Program?

The APD Program is a credentialing program designed to ensure a high standard of practice amongst Australian dietitians.

The APD Program provides an assurance to the public. It indicates there is a system in place to confirm your credentials. Being an APD shows you are current in your practice. It also shows you are qualified and safe to practise in a competent and ethical manner. The Dietitian and Nutritionist Regulatory Council (DNRC) governs the APD Program which aligns with the standards set by the National Alliance of Self-Regulating Health Professionals (NASRHP). Dietitians Australia is a member of NASRHP.

Joining the APD Program

You are eligible for the APD Program if you:

• have completed a Dietitians Australia-accredited Australian university dietetics program
• have completed the Dietetic Skills Recognition (DSR) exams, or
• are from a mutually recognised international dietetic program

You can sign up online when you join Dietitians Australia or renew your membership. To sign up for the program, you’ll need to:

• meet the eligibility criteria
• agree to mandatory declarations, which outline your fitness to practice
• declare you will abide by the Code of Conduct for Dietitians & Nutritionists
• agree you will meet the APD Program requirements for the upcoming year

Program requirements

The APD Program requirements include:

• a commitment to at least 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) annually (pro rata of 2.5 hours per month if not an APD for whole year)
• a declaration of recency of practice. Recency of practice means you have completed a minimum of 450 hours of paid or unpaid work as a dietitian over the past 3 years OR 150 hours over the past year

You can join or re-join the APD Program without the need to meet additional requirements if you:

• have graduated from a Dietitians Australia-accredited Australian university dietetics program or passed the Dietetic Skills Recognition (DSR) process within the last 3 years
• were a Full APD and you have lapsed or deferred, and your last completed APD year is within the last 3 years

What happens if you don’t meet the criteria?

If you don’t meet the criteria, you’ll need to join or re-join the APD Program via an alternate pathway.

There are 3 different pathways available:

1. Restart
2. Reboot
3. Retest

The pathway assigned to you will depend on your qualifications and Recency of Practice. Your application will help us determine the most suitable pathway for you. For more information please see Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian (RoAPD) pathways.

 

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3. Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

The APD Program is all about excellence in practice. As an APD, you commit to ongoing professional development. This includes a minimum of 30 hours of CPD per year (or pro rata 2.5 hours per month enrolled in the APD program including 1 hour per month of professional competence activities), with at least 10 hours of professional competence activities.

These requirements are regardless of your employment status—that is if you are working full time, part time, not currently working, or anything in between if you are enrolled in the APD program your CPD requirements are the same. CPD refers to “how practitioners maintain, improve, and broaden their knowledge, expertise, and competence, and develop the personal and professional qualities required throughout their professional lives.” The APD CPD program outlines a range of activities detailed in the following sections that can count towards your CPD requirements.

Making a Plan for your CPD

A plan for your CPD will help you get the most out of your ongoing professional development. To develop your plan, work through the steps of the CPD cycle.

Step 1: Reflect on your practice and identify areas for improvement
You should develop your plan by both critically evaluating your own practice and drawing on feedback and input from others such as peers, supervisors, mentors, clients, and other health professionals to identify areas for improvement.

For example: I’ve noticed I am seeing more clients with food allergies and would like to improve my skills, rather than referring them onto another dietitian. After discussing this with a colleague, they confirmed that food allergy cases are indeed increasing in our area. Additionally, in reviewing my client feedback forms, I noticed several comments requesting more detailed advice on managing food allergies.

Step 2: Develop your learning goals
Your identified areas for improvement should then be used to craft your learning goals. It is a requirement of the APD program that you have at least two learning goals.
For example:  If you determined that food allergies were going to be your primary area of focus for the year you might craft your learning goals as follows:

1. To develop and enhance my skills in creating nutritionally balanced meal plans that exclude common allergens while meeting clients’’ nutritional needs. OR
2. To enhance my knowledge of current and emerging treatments for food allergies, such as oral immunotherapy and early introduction strategies for infants.

Step 3: Plan your CPD activities to meet your goals
Now that you have identified your goals, plan out a list of CPD activities that would enable you to meet, or make progress towards them. 

For example: Complete the following activities:

• Complete a training course in food allergy and intolerance.
• Seek out a supervisor who is experienced in food allergies – aim for 10 meetings this year
• Read 4 peer-reviewed journal articles on food allergies
• Listen to 10 evidence-based podcast episodes on food allergies

During the year your practice and therefore your goals may change, if that is the case, update your learning goals and come up with a plan for how to address the modified goals.

Step 4: Complete your CPD and reflect on your learnings
As you complete your CPD activities log them in the Dietitians Australia online system. This includes a brief (a few sentences) reflection of what you learned (if anything) and if and how it may impact your practice. See below for more details on the process of logging your CPD online.

For example: After you complete a training course in food allergy and intolerance you might reflect as follows:

• I have updated my knowledge on emerging treatments for food allergies, particularly oral immunotherapy (what it involves, what allergies is can be used for, risks, age considerations). This information will allow me to have more informed discussions with my clients about their treatment options and to collaborate more effectively with allergists. I feel better prepared to support clients through various stages of allergy management, from diagnosis to potential treatment.

Step 5: Reflect on your overall learning outcomes to your learning goals
For example: Learning Goal – To develop and enhance my skills in creating nutritionally balanced meal plans that exclude common allergens while meeting patients’ nutritional needs

At the end of the 12-month CPD cycle reflect on each of your learning goals specifically focusing on what has or hasn’t changed in your practice. If you identify continued areas for improvement, then this may feed back into the start of the CPD cycle.

Learning Outcome – I have significantly improved my ability to create nutritionally balanced, allergen-free meal plans. The training course and mentoring session provided practical strategies for substituting common allergens —such as replacing cow’s milk with fortified oat or rice milk, using chia or flaxseed gel as egg substitutes in baking, and swapping wheat flour for nutrient-rich alternatives like quinoa or buckwheat flour—while maintaining nutritional adequacy. I now confidently use a wider range of alternative ingredients and have developed a comprehensive database of allergen-free recipes suitable for various combinations of food allergies. This has led to more diverse and appealing meal plans for my patients, resulting in improved adherence and patient satisfaction. However, I’ve recognised a gap in my knowledge regarding the interaction between food allergies and other medical conditions. To address this, I plan to focus my further learning on the management of food allergies in patients with comorbidities, such as diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

What to include in your CPD log

All CPD must be logged in the Dietitians Australia online CPD log. It is a requirement of the APD program for your log to include the following elements:

1. A minimum of two (2) learning goals, with accompanying learning outcomes completed at the end of the year 
2. A minimum of 30 hours of CPD activities
   • 20-hour cap on self-study activities
   • If not enrolled in the APD program for the full year, 2.5 hours per month enrolled in the APD program pro rata requirement
   • Each activity should align with one of your learning goals
3. A learning module for each CPD activity (professional education, self-study, quality improvement/research, supervision/mentoring, Dietitians Australia strategic activity)
4. A personal reflection for each CPD activity

Each of these elements is described in further detail below.

Learning Goals and Learning Outcomes

Learning goals are important because they help guide your professional development over the year.

Setting your learning goals

• You need to set at least 2 learning goals at the beginning of each year
• These goals will be about learning, as opposed to what you want to achieve professionally

Examples of learning goals vs professional goals

Learning goal	Professional goal
To enhance my knowledge and skills in motivational interviewing techniques	To use motivational interviewing techniques in my dietetic practice
To update my knowledge in best evidence for healthy lifestyles, and/or To upskill in quality improvement and evaluation	To develop and assess a healthy lifestyles education program

Remember, professional and learning goals have different purposes. Learning goals identify the learning you want to do as part of your CPD and may assist you to fulfil your professional goals. The professional goals do not identify the learning you intend to undertake. They are therefore not appropriate goals for CPD purposes.

When developing your learning goals, it is important that:

• learning goals are clearly expressed
• they are goals, not activities
• goals are relevant to your dietetic practice
• there is a minimum of 2 goals.

Can I change my goals after they are set?

It is ok for your learning goals to change over the year. You need to make sure the activities you have already done still relate to a goal you have set. Any updated or new goals can be recorded in your member profile via the CPD logs tab, or if keeping your own records, you should include any changes to learning goals during the CPD cycle.

If relevant, you can keep the same learning goals for more than 1 year.

 

 

Aligning your goals with practice development areas

Selecting practice development areas allows you to identify gaps within your practice and develop a CPD plan to address these. 

The practice development areas are linked to the Advanced APD competencies and aligning your learning goals with them allows you to start planning your journey to becoming an Advanced APD.

Aim for each of your goals to align with a practice development area. Not all practice development areas need to be covered each year.

The practice development areas are:

• Leadership and influence: Activities that develop leadership and strategic thinking skills and increase capacity to lead positive change for nutrition and dietetics, to lead effective teams and to be influential in organisations. 
• Professional competence: Activities that develop expertise in dietetic practice which include excellence in practice.
• Research and evaluation: Activities that develop research and evaluation skills including research and evaluation in everyday practice.
• Education, supervision and mentoring: Activities that develop skills in supervision, mentoring, and education and training. 
• Strategic and reflective approaches: Activities that develop skills in quality improvement, planning and strategic approaches to service development. 

Learning outcomes - Reflecting on your learning goals

Reflection is an essential element of the CPD cycle, it helps you to consider your learning needs, plan your CPD activities to address these needs, and evaluate if your learning goals have been achieved. Reflecting on your learning goals and activities at the end of each year is an integral part of the CPD process. You are asked to reflect on your activities as a whole and write a learning outcome for each of your goals at the end of the CPD cycle.

When writing your learning outcomes ask yourself:

• Have I changed my practice?
• If so, why has it changed? If not, why not?
• How have I changed my practice?
• What impact have these activities had on me and/or my practice?

You may not have achieved your goals at the end of the year. This is an opportunity to reflect on why. It will also help you set better goals for the next CPD period, so you can plan how you can meet them.

Tips for writing learning outcomes:

• The outcomes are clearly related to the goals and clearly expressed.
• The are expressed as outcomes, not activities.
• The outcome demonstrated reflective practice.

 

 

   

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CPD activities

You should aim to engage in a variety of CPD activities that relate directly to your learning goals. This can include reading journal articles, attending courses, participating in webinars, listening to podcasts, engaging in a supervision partnership. 

For more information on appropriate CPD activities, and the information that you need to keep record of see the ‘How to log my CPD’ section.

How to log activities related to writing and presenting

If you develop materials or presentations aimed at consumers as part of your work, you can log the time you took to research or learn new things to complete these activities, however you cannot log the time it takes to write the materials or deliver these presentations as part of your CPD. For example, you may write a brochure or give a presentation or workshop on home enteral feeding for consumers. If it takes you 1 hour of self-study (i.e., reading journal articles, reading best-practice guidelines etc.) to support the development of the presentation or workshop, this time can be logged. However, you cannot log the time it takes to write the brochure, create a slide deck or give the presentation or workshop. This time instead would count towards your dietetic practice hours. 

Recording activities that span more than one day

If you take part in a course that runs longer than one day, you will need to log an entry for each day. Each CPD activity needs to be logged for the date that it was completed. For example, for a multi-day conference, log each day as a separate entry. Be sure to provide the date, title/topic, presenter/author, organiser details and the time attended for each day.

Learning modules

There are 5 modules for logging your CPD activities:

• Professional education activities
• Self-study activities
• Quality improvement/research activities
• Mentoring/supervision activities
• Dietitians Australia strategic activities

Selecting the right module

Choose the module that best describes the CPD activity. You do not need to complete activities in each module but try to undertake a broad range of learning experiences over time. You can log as many hours of CPD as you want in all modules except self-study. The self-study module is capped at 20 hours per year. Each of the learning modules are described below with example CPD activities. 

Table 1: Summary of Learning Modules and appropriate CPD activities

Professional Education	This module covers attendance or completion of professional educational activities where there is an exchange and sharing of information relevant to your dietetic scope of practice. These activities may or may not contain an assessment. For example:	Conference attendance workshop or seminar Online presentations and webinars Evidence-based podcasts A university unit Online education package
Self-Study (Capped at 20 hours per year)	The focus of self-study is to update knowledge and enhance practice. It also supports other types of CPD. You should ensure self-study materials are peer-reviewed or of a professional standard and correctly referenced in the CPD log. For example:	Peer-reviewed journal articles Professional newsletters Textbooks Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN) Completing your Advanced APD application
Quality Improvement (QI)/Research	These are activities that contribute to nutrition/dietetic research and the development of the evidence based, or involve active participation in the design, implementation, and/or evaluation of a QI activity. For example:	Undertaking research activities Preparation of a conference paper, presentation or poster Presenting your research or quality improvement work Writing an article for a peer-reviewed journal Development of evidence-based guidelines Writing or reviewing for Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN) Quality improvements activities
Supervision/Mentoring	Supervision is a structured, professional development process where two or more professionals engage in reflective discussions to enhance practice, service quality, and health outcomes. it encompasses professional, clinical or practice supervision. Mentoring is a supportive, developmental relationship between a more experienced dietitian (the mentor) and a less experienced dietitian, student, or early-career professional (the mentee). The purpose is to guide, advise and empower the mentee in their professional and personal growth.	Supervisor/Supervisee meetings Group Supervision Peer Supervision Mentor/mentee meetings
Dietitians Australia Strategic Activity	These activities include participation in a Dietitians Australia activity. Include Dietitians Australia Strategic Activities where you are actively learning from your participation. For example:	Being chair or member of a Dietitians Australia committee Dietitians Australia Interest Group (IG) convenor Dietitians Australia Board member Dietitians Australia Branch Engagement and Development Committee (EDC) member Dietitians Australia Representative Contributing to a Dietitians Australia submission

Note 1: Product information and publications oriented to consumers are not suitable for CPD for the APD program.

Note 2: A reminder you cannot log the time take to write materials or presentations aimed at consumers, however if you do self-study i.e. read journal articles, read best practice guidelines etc. to prepare to create such materials or presentations, this can be logged as self-study.

Personal reflections

Reflection is an essential element of the CPD cycle, it helps you to consider your learning needs, plan your CPD activities to address these needs, and evaluate if your learning goals have been achieved. 

You are asked to write a brief personal reflection on each of the CPD activities as it allows you to determine your key learnings from completing the CPD activity, and how these learnings may impact your practice. This will help with completing your learning outcomes at the end of the CPD cycle.

When reflecting on each CPD activity. Ask yourself:

• What specifically did i learn from this CPD activity?
• Is it likely to influence my practice? If yes, how, if not why?
• How might it influence my practice?

We learn more from some CPD activities than others, and come activities have a greater impact. This is an opportunity to reflect on why. It will also help you to write your learning outcomes at the end of the year.

How to log my CPD correctly

All CPD will need to be logged online from January 2026.  Your area of practice, learning goals, CPD activities and learning outcomes are all easy to add to your records in your member profile via the CPD logs tab. 

Step 1: Add your areas of practice, If you work multiple roles, please include each area of practice (for each role) on a new line.

Step 2: Add your learning goals. You must enter a minimum of 2 (up to a maximum of 5) learning goals. Each learning goal should be entered separately.

Step 3: Record your CPD activity as you complete them. Each CPD activity should include:

1. The date of the activity
2. Where it is a professional competency activity or not
3. The amount of time spent on that activity – this should be recorded in hours, if less than 1 hour, decimals can be used.
4. The learning module that aligns best with the activity
5. A description of the activity (see below examples for more details based on the learning module of the activity)
6. A personal reflection on what you learned and how it may impact your practice
7. Optional – Upload Evidence
8. Optional – Provider name (if it hasn’t been included in the description)
9. Optional – Course name (if it hasn’t been included in the description)

Step 4: At the end of the year, write a learning outcome for each goal. To log your learning outcomes, click the edit button next to the relevant learning goal.

Remember:

• The CPD cycle runs annually from 1 January to 31 December. You need to ensure all the CPD activities for a CPD cycle are completed within these dates to count towards the year’s total CPD. It is mandatory 2.5 hours per month of CPD an APD is active. For an APD who is active all year, the requirement is a minimum of 30 hours with 10 hours dedicated to professional competence.
• To successfully complete CPD requirements for the year, the minimum requirements for learning goals, CPD activities, and learning outcomes must be completed.
• From 2026 onwards, our required method of recording CPD for the Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Program is to submit online via the member portal

Table 2: Examples of what to include in your CPD log

Date	The date that the CPD activity was completed.
Professional Competence	Whether the activity relates to your current area of practice or other area of practice (see glossary for a definition).
Hours	The length of the CPD activity in hours.
Learning Module	Which module the CPD activity belongs to: Professional education Self-study Quality improvement / Research Supervision/Mentoring  Dietitians Australia Strategic activity
Description	A brief description of the CPD activity, see below for the required details for each module.
Examples of Evidence	As described below for each module.
Personal Reflection	A brief reflection on the key learnings from the CPD activity and how they will influence your practice.

 

Table 3: Examples of well-written CPD activity logs for each learning module

Module – Professional Education
Date	11/02/25
Professional Competence	Current Area of Practice
Hours	Example 1: 3 hours Example 2: 0.75 hours
Learning Module	Professional Education
Description	Should include the title/topic of the activity, who presented, who were the organisers (e.g., Dietitians Australia, your workplace, the name of the podcast provider). Example 1: Watched ‘The Gut: Health vs. Hype’ webinar presented by Joanna Baker and Jason Hawrelak, organised by Dietitians Australia. Example 2: Listened to the ‘Nutrition strategies for endometriosis & fertility’ episode of the Dietitians Connection Podcast.
Examples of Evidence	Certificate of attendance/completion Copy of registration Copy of marked assessment Your notes from the activity Copy of degree or transcript
Personal Reflection	Example 1: This webinar deepened my understanding of how specific strains of probiotics can influence gut function and symptom relief and highlighted the importance of personalising gut health interventions. This learning is highly likely to influence my practice, particularly in how I assess and recommend microbiome-supportive strategies for clients with IBS and other functional gut disorders. I now feel more confident in selecting evidence-based probiotic products and in educating clients about dietary approaches that support microbial diversity. Example 2: This podcast deepened my understanding of the complex nature of endometriosis, particularly the role of inflammation and the gut-endometriosis connection. I gained practical insights into how diet, supplements, and lifestyle interventions can support symptom management and fertility (e.g., incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like oily fish and turmeric, using magnesium and zinc supplements, and recommending stress-reducing practices such as yoga). This knowledge will influence my practice by guiding more holistic, evidence-based nutrition strategies for clients with endometriosis
Module – Self-Study
Date	04/03/25
Professional Competence	Current Area of Practice
Hours	Example 1:1 Example 2: 1
Learning Module	Self-Study
Description	Should include the name of the journal/publication/organisation running the website, title, year of publication or last update date for websites. If the year is unknown, or the item not published, please indicate this. Example 1: Read and made notes on the following article – Cheng H, Witney-Cochrane K, Cunich M, Ferrie S, Carey S. Defining and quantifying preventable and non-preventable hospital-acquired malnutrition—A cohort study. Nutrition & Dietetics. 2019;76(5): 629-627. Example 2: Read and made notes of the ‘Health Professions’ section (including all subsections) of the Fishfiles website (https://www.fishfiles.com.au/experts/healthprofessionals) titled Promoting Sustainable Australian Fish and Seafood - a guide for Health Professionals. Produced by Health Professionals for Health Professionals. No last update date.
Examples of Evidence	First page of the article or abstract Title page Personal Notes Screenshot of website Website URL
Personal Reflection	Example 1: This study highlighted how systemic factors—such as delayed referrals and inadequate food provision—contribute to preventable malnutrition in hospital settings. I now better appreciate the need for dietitians to engage in hospital-wide advocacy and quality improvement initiatives. This will influence my practice by encouraging me to collaborate more closely with nursing and food service teams to address barriers to adequate nutrition care. Example 2: The resources provided clarified the importance of integrating sustainability into dietary advice and highlighted the role of health professionals in supporting local fishing industries. I now feel more confident using data from the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports to guide my recommendations. This will influence my practice by encouraging me to include sustainability messaging in nutrition education and public health initiatives.
Module – Quality Improvement/Research
Date	7/5/25
Professional Competence	Current area of practice
Hours	Example 1: 3 Example 2: 3
Learning Module	Quality Improvement/Research
Description	Should include a brief description of the activity, including what the activity is, what your role is, how the research contributes to the evidence based, and/or how the quality improvement activity aims to improve practice. Example 1: (Quality Improvement): This quality improvement activity is aiming to implement an effective protected mealtime initiative. I am leading this initiative and collaborating with food service, allied health, nursing staff, medical team, management, and patients. Today I conducted a literature review on ProQuest to determine the best methods to implement and evaluate a new protected mealtime initiative. Example 2: (Research): Finished writing and submitted a paper called [insert name of paper here], to the Nutrition & Dietetics Journal*. This research contributes to the evidence base of [insert additional information about the research here]. *If the paper has been published, include the year, volume and issue.
Examples of Evidence	Conference program First page of article or abstract Title page of paper/guidelines Evidence of submission of manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal Executive summary Summary of outcomes of quality improvement activity
Personal Reflection	Example 1: From the literature review I learned that strategies to promote adherence to the protected mealtime protocol are needed such as environmental changes, adequate communication and training sessions, and adequate staffing resources. These will be applied in the development of a protocol. Example 2: A brief description on how conducting this research has influence your learning, and if and how it has changed your practice.
Module – Supervision/Mentoring
Date	23/6/25
Professional Competence	Current area of practice
Hours	Example 1: 1 Example 2: 1
Learning Module	Supervision/Mentoring
Description	Should include the type of activity (i.e., individual supervision, group supervision, peer supervision, mentoring etc.), whether you are the supervisor/supervisee or mentor/mentee and a brief description of the topic of discussion. Example 1: Workplace supervision meeting with my senior dietitian supervisor. We discussed a complex patient with multiple comorbidities (diabetes, malnutrition, fluid restriction) I was seeing, reviewed and discussed a plan, and had a conversation about how to best manage the patient. Example 2: Workplace supervision meeting with my junior dietitian supervisee. We discussed a complex patient with multiple comorbidities (diabetes, malnutrition, fluid restriction) they had, reviewed and discussed a plan, and had a conversation about how to best manage the patient.
Examples of Evidence	Meeting agenda Notes from meeting Email or calendar confirmation of meeting
Personal Reflection	Example 1: Through discussion, I realized the importance of setting realistic goals and focusing on the most urgent nutrition issues first—malnutrition and fluid restriction in this case—before addressing longer-term diabetes management. My supervisor introduced the idea of using modular supplements to meet protein needs within fluid limits. I’ll apply this prioritization strategy when managing patients with competing clinical demands. Example 2: Supporting my supervisee with this complex case made me reflect on how I balance clinical priorities when multiple comorbidities are present. Their questions about managing fluid restriction alongside malnutrition prompted me to revisit current guidelines and clarify my reasoning. This reinforced the importance of mentoring as a way to stay sharp and critically evaluate my own practice.
Module – Dietitians Australia Strategic Activity
Date	25/7/25
Professional Competence	Current area of practice
Hours	1
Learning Module	Dietitians Australia Strategic Activity
Description	Should include the type of activity, the purpose, and your role/contribution. Example: Attended and contribute to the development of the Child Health Action Plan Consultation in Perth as Dietitians Australia representative.
Examples of Evidence	Meeting minutes (first page showing attendance) Evidence of appointment to a Dietitians Australia group/council/committee
Personal Reflection	Example: Participating in the consultation strengthened my ability to represent Dietitians Australia’s position effectively in a multi-sector policy environment. I learned how to tailor messaging to align with broader health priorities and use concise, evidence-based language to influence decision-makers. This experience will enhance my advocacy by helping me communicate the value of dietetics more strategically in future consultations and submissions

 

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4. Recency of practice

What does recency of practice mean?

Recency of practice is an indicator that you have completed enough dietetic practice hours to remain competent and up to date. You’ll need to declare recency of practice if it has been more than 3 years since you graduated from an accredited dietetic course or passed the DSR process.

Each year you will be asked to declare that you have completed either: 

 

These dietetic practice hours don’t need to be continuous. For example, 450 hours over 3 years works out to about 3 hours per week. Your recency of practice hours can be paid or unpaid, and hours can be spread out or done in blocks.

You are exempt from making this declaration if you are:

• a recent graduate (up to 3 years after graduation)
• successfully completed the DSR process within the last 3 years

Ensuring you have enough practice hours

Start logging your dietetic practice hours after graduating or successfully completing the DSR process to make sure you meet the minimum requirement of 450 hours of practice within 3 years of graduation or 150 hours within one year of graduation. You can use our Recency of Practice Logbook Template to help log your hours. Dietetic practice may be paid or unpaid. Volunteer work can be a valuable addition to your dietetic journey and a great way to build experience or to stay up to date with the recency requirements, just remember to keep evidence or a log of your hours as you go.

Proof of recency of dietetic practice and the APD audit

Each year, 5% of APDs are randomly selected for the APD audit. If selected and required to provide recency of practice, you’ll be asked to provide evidence of recency of dietetic practice. If you can’t demonstrate recency of dietetic practice, you’ll lose your APD status. You can reinstate your APD status via a Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian Pathway.

What is the definition of dietetic practice?

Dietetic practice includes using professional knowledge in both clinical and non-clinical relationships with patients or clients, communities and populations and can be working in management, administration, education, research, advisory, communication, program development and implementation, regulatory or policy development, food service, food security, food supply sustainability and any other roles that impact on safe, effective delivery of services in the profession and/or using professional skills.[5]

This definition was developed to capture the depth and breadth of dietetic practice, which can include paid employment and volunteer activities.

Dietetic practice roles

Roles that are NOT dietetic practice

Clinical/Public Health/Community Dietitian Private Practice Dietitian. This includes hours spent with patients, preparation, follow-up, letters, website, resource development etc. Allied Health Managers Academics in nutrition and dietetic programs Nutrition and dietetic researchers undertaking a PhD in a topic that comes under the definition of dietetic practice Writing for media, media interviews, local events etc. Food policy and food standards code roles Food industry work for dietitians Volunteer roles, including mentoring of dietitians, working on Interest Groups, writing and reviewing for PEN, working at local events promoting nutrition

Dietitian Assistant Research not related to the field of dietetics

 

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5. Regulation

The Dietitian and Nutritionist Regulatory Council

The Dietitian and Nutritionist Regulatory Council (DNRC) is the governance structure responsible for overseeing the profession's regulatory functions. It aims to protect the public by ensuring practitioners are safe and effective in their practice and to uphold our professional standards. 

The main functions of the Dietitian and Nutritionist Regulatory Council (DNRC) are to:

• set the strategic plan for regulatory functions of the profession
• define and regulate professional conduct and credentialing standards
• oversee complaints against our credentialed dietitians and nutritionists
• govern accreditation standards and accreditation of training programs
• govern qualifications for entry into the profession

The DNRC comprises of 6 voting members appointed by the Dietitians Australia Board for a 3 year term.

Learn more about the Dietitian and Nutritionist Regulatory Council (DNRC). 

 

The National Alliance of Self-Regulating Health Professions

Dietitians Australia is committed to maintaining high standards in professional regulation and believes it is a fundamental component of a rigorous health profession. This is why Dietitians Australia is a member of the National Alliance of Self-Regulating Health Professions (NASRHP). NASRHP is a formal independent body that provides a quality framework for self-regulating health professions. The NASRHP Board has decision-making power regarding governance and its membership. All decisions are independent of government. We act with integrity in upholding these standards.

By being a member of NASRHP means we meet rigorous benchmark standards for APD regulation and accreditation. At Dietitians Australia we lead with purpose to ensure public safety and professional excellence, collaborate with other health professionals to strengthen the work we do and boldly advocate for quality and integrity in healthcare.

NASRHP standards have been closely modelled on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) standards and include the following 12 standards:

1. Scope (Areas) of Practice
2. Code of Conduct
3. Mandatory declarations
4. Complaints procedures
5. Professional standards
6. Practitioner certification requirements
7. Continuing professional development
8. English language skills
9. Professional Indemnity Insurance
10. Recency of practice
11. Resumption of Practice
12. Program accreditation

This helps create national consistency in quality and support for self-regulating health professionals. It also meets the national and jurisdictional regulatory requirements, including the National Code of Conduct of Health Care Workers. This assures patients that they are receiving a quality service from a certified health professional.

APD auditing process

Five percent of all eligible APDs are randomly selected for audit every year. Auditing ensures a quality standard of safe practice is maintained across the profession.

How often will I be audited?

As the selection process is random, you may be selected once, more than once or not at all during your APD career.

APDs are also audited when:

• they have not met the program requirements of the previous year
• they are subject to a complaint
• the Dietitians Australia CEO or delegated authority requests they be audited

The audit process

The audit assesses:

• your CPD logs for completeness and appropriateness
• your recency of practice (where applicable) over the previous 3 years and alignment with the definition of dietetic practice
• your engagement in the learning process

Notification of the audit outcome

You will be sent a written audit outcome report at the end of the audit process.

What to do if you’re audited

You will need to make sure your CPD for the audited year is complete and logged online in the CPD section of the member portal. This means:

• You must have at least 2 learning goals
• You need a minimum of 30 hours of CPD activities
• At least 10 hours must focus on professional competence
• If you weren't an APD for the full year, you hours are pro-rated (e.g. 2.5 hours per month you were an APD)
• Each learning goal must include a learning outcome
• You need to submit evidence of recency of practice when asked. This can be a letter from your employer, a statutory declaration or other appropriate evidence.

Possible outcomes of an audit

Outcome 1: If your CPD logs and recency of practice are deemed satisfactory:

• you’ll be notified that you have met program requirements
• you’ll maintain your APD status
• you won’t need to take any further action

Outcome 2: If your CPD records are deemed unsatisfactory:

• you’ll receive an audit outcome report that informs you that you did not meet the minimum requirements and this will also include formative feedback with areas for improvement
• you’ll be automatically re-audited the following year
• you’ll maintain your APD status

Outcome 3: If your CPD records or recency of practice are again deemed did not meet requirements when you are re-audited:

• you’ll receive an audit outcome report that informs you that you did not meet the minimum requirements and this will also include formative feedback with areas for improvement
• a report will be made to the DNRC including your last two years of audit results for consideration
• you may lose your APD status for 12 months

Outcome 4: If you are unable to provide evidence of 450 hours of dietetic practice in the previous 3 years or 150 hours over the preceding year:

• you’ll lose your APD status
• you’ll have 12 months to re-join the APD Program via Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian (RoAPD) pathway 

Most APDs’ CPD records and recency of practice evidence meet the audit process standards. We aim for the audit process to be open, transparent and as smooth as possible-reflecting our commitment to act with integrity, collaborate with members, lead with purpose and be bold in continuously improving professional standards. See the APD Audit Policy for more details.

Contact us with questions about meeting program standards for CPD or recency of practice.

 

Complaints process

The DNRC is committed to ensuring safe, quality dietetic practice across the profession. A complaints process is in place to support this. This allows members of the public and other APDs an avenue to submit a complaint about concerns they may have regarding unsatisfactory conduct or misconduct of APDs or members of Dietitians Australia. A complaint may be made by anyone concerned about the quality or safety of services provided by an APD or a Dietitians Australia member.

Complaints not covered by the DNRC's Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures

• Criminal offences
• Disputes over fees, waiting times, billing procedures, or administrative policies of the dietetic practice

Testimonials and other advertising complaints

The use of testimonials and certain other advertising practices is not permitted under Dietitians Australia's Code of Conduct for Dietitians & Nutritionists. If we receive a complaint about these practices, we’ll write to you to ask you to remove the offending material. If you don’t remove it, we may start a formal complaints process.

What to expect when you are subject to a complaint

• You’ll be notified in writing
• You’ll receive a copy of the complaint and any supporting information submitted by the person making the complaint
• You’ll have an opportunity to respond
• You must not contact the person making the complaint, either directly or indirectly
• Dietitians Australia staff will be available to guide you through the process

What to expect after you submit a response to a complaint

The complaint, your response, all supporting information and any reports from third-party experts are sent to a chief investigator who will make a recommendation to the DNRC Assessment Panel.

The DNRC Assessment Panel considers all information and decides if the complaint will be:

• dismissed
• referred to the DNRC or to the Dietitians Australia Board

We’ll notify you in writing of the DNRC Assessment Panel’s decision. 

Appeals

You may appeal the complaint process if you believe due process was not followed. The appeals process is described in detail in the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures By-Law.

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6. Taking a break

 

Deferring your APD status

We understand that life is bigger than work. Sometimes you need to take a break to explore the world, spend time with family, raise children or work in a non-dietetic related role for a while it's ok to take a break. Just let us know, and we'll guide you through your APD obligations before, during and after your deferment. 

The rules

You can defer from the APD Program for up to 3 years. You can re-enter the APD Program within that time without needing to meet extra requirements other than declaring recency of practice. If your break lasts longer than 3 years, you’ll need to apply to re-join the APD Program via a Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian pathway. If you are out of the program for 5 years or more, with no recency, you’ll need to complete the Dietetic Skills Recognition process.

Things to remember

• Your 3-year break is based on your last completed APD year (the year you last completed the APD Program requirements, including CPD).
• You can defer both your membership and APD status or choose to defer your APD status only.
• You don’t need to complete CPD while you are deferred, but you do need to complete some CPD and your learning outcomes before deferring (this will vary depending on the time you have APD status that year).

CPD requirements prior to deferring

In order to defer, you must have completed 2.5 hours of CPD for each month of the calendar year that you have been an APD. One third of the completed hours must come from professional competence CPD activities. 

These activities must be completed before deferring. You are required to log the CPD activities you have completed using the online CPD log to record your hours. Also ensure your 2 learning goals and learning outcomes are completed.  

Don’t forget to plan how you will meet recency of dietetic practice of 450 hours over 3 years in future years.

When you defer from the APD Program, remember:

• You may not call yourself an APD or use the APD credential or branding.
• You will not be eligible for a Medicare provider number or make claims against Medicare or other health funds.
• You will not have access to any APD services or communications.

How to defer from the APD Program

You can defer from the APD Program by submitting this form.

What you need to do before you can defer

• Enter the current year's CPD learning goals in your CPD Program. 
• Record the details of your CPD activities to date in your CPD logs. 
• Enter the learning outcomes for each goal in your CPD Program. 

What happens if I do not do any CPD before deferring?

If you have not completed your CPD requirements before taking a break from the APD program (for example, deferring lapsing, resigning), that year will not count as a completed APD year.

Returning to the APD Program after a break

When you’re ready to return to the APD Program, complete the APD declaration and restart the CPD cycle.

Your APD status will be listed as active from the date you complete the reinstatement process.

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7. Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian pathways to join the APD Program

You can join the APD program via a Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian pathway if you:

• have had an extended break from working as a dietitian
• didn’t meet practice requirements to be an APD
• have an Australian-accredited degree or passed the DSR process but don’t meet the other APD Program eligibility criteria

The 3 different pathways to enter the APD Program are:

1. Restart
2. Reboot
3. Retest

To help us decide the best pathway for you, submit the Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian application form. You'll also need to complete the RoAPD Referee template. An invoice for the non refundable fee will be issued to you upon receipt of your application. A Credentialing team member will then complete an assessment and recommend the best route to take.

You may need to complete extra paperwork and pay extra fees for these pathways. Contact us for more information.

1.Restart

Three or more years away from the APD program 

Can provide evidence of recency of practice:

• 450 hours in preceding 3 years OR 150 hours in the preceding year
• Evidence - employment contract, statement of service

Direct entry to APD program

2. Reboot

Three to five years away from APD program

X Unable to meet recency of practice of 150 hours in preceding year or 450 hours in preceding 3 years

• Submit CV
• Submit a supervision plan to commit to 10 hours of professional supervision in the first year of return to practice.
• Complete end of supervision template and reflection.
• Submit a CPD plan for first twelve months of return
• Re-enter APD program
• APD Audit after the first year of return.

3. Retest

Five years of no recency or dietetic hours

X Unable to meet Recency of practice
X No practice in past 5 years

Resit Dietetic Skills Recognition Examinations

Contact us for further information about the process.

 

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8. The Advanced Practitioner

Advanced APDs

Being an Advanced APD (AdvAPD) opens doors to new career opportunities. The credential highlights to the public how respected you are among the dietetic community. AdvAPDs are awarded the credential after demonstrating a range of high-level skills in their professional work.

You can apply for AdvAPD if you are an APD and have at least 5 years’ experience working as a dietitian. Applications accepted all year.

 

Applicants need to meet established criteria in the form of competency standards. Advanced APD status is granted for 5 years. Renewal of your AdvAPD status is required every 5 years.

 

The application process

Start your application when you are ready, as it can take several months to complete. This is because you may need to gather and compile evidence from lots of different sources.

We will acknowledge receipt of your application and follow up with if anything is missing after a desktop assessment is complete.

AdvAPD applications will be assessed by a DNRC assessor or delegate. Assessors are required to declare any conflict of interests with applicants prior to conducting an assessment. Applications will be assessed against the assessment rubric and returned to the Regulatory Services Portfolio.

Results are then recommended to the DNRC. We will advise you of the outcome in writing.

Renewing your AdvAPD credential

Your AdvAPD credential is valid for 5 years. You will be sent a reminder to renew your credential when you’re approaching the end of the 5-year period.

If you have any questions please contact Regulatory Services at [email protected]

Fellow of Dietitians Australia

Fellow of Dietitians Australia is an honour of our member association.

If you would like further information regarding becoming an FDA please follow this link.

APD Program calendar of key dates

Key Dates	Details
1 January	Current APD year and CPD cycle starts
31 August	Advanced APD renewals due
31 December	Current APD year and CPD cycle ends

 

 

 

 

 

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9.Glossary

Completed APD year	A year in which you have completed all the APD requirements, including your CPD logs and learning outcomes.
Current area of practice	The area, or areas of practice in which you are currently engaged. This might be paediatric nutrition, research, education, public policy, cardiovascular disease, etc. You can have more than one current area of practice, and these can be entered in the member profile via the CPD logs tab. Here you will be given the opportunity to select your overall practice setting, and area of practice, as well as to provide more detail about your specific area of practice.  CPD activities that you undertake that relate to your current area(s) of practice will contribute to your professional competence in this area. Remember, you need at least 10 hours of professional competence activities in one CPD cycle (1 January - 31 December).  Note that if you are unemployed or not yet employed, you can nominate your primary area of interest as your current area of practice. This will help you identify relevant activities that may assist you in developing your knowledge and skills and securing employment in that area.
Dietetic practice	Includes the use of professional knowledge in both clinical and non-clinical relationships with patients or clients, communities and populations. Can involve working in management, administration, education, research, advisory, communications, program development and implementation, regulatory or policy development, food service, food security, food supply, sustainability and any other roles that impact on safe, effective delivery of services in the profession and/or using professional skills.
Dietetic Skills Recognition (DSR) Process	A three-stage process: a desktop review of dietetic qualifications and experience gained outside Australia, a written multiple-choice question examination, and an oral counselling interview examination. Once completed, a DSR assessment is valid for 3 years. Failure to join the APD program within this period will result in the applicant having to re-complete the DSR process.
Full APD	A Full APD is a practitioner who has completed the Provisional APD Program or been given entry to the APD program via the alternate process pathway.
Other areas of practice	Areas of dietetic practice that you are interested in, but that you are not currently engaged in, or practising in. If a CPD activity that you undertake is not related to your current area(s) of practice, it should be marked as relating to an other area of practice, and it will not be counted towards your 10 hours of professional competence CPD activities.
Practice development area	Areas of dietetic practice in which you would like to extend your learning. They consist of 5 areas:  1.leadership and influence - Activities that develop leadership and strategic thinking skills and increase capacity to lead positive change for nutrition and dietetics, to lead effective teams and to be influential in organisations. 2.professional competence - Activities that develop expertise in dietetic practice which include excellence in practice. 3.research and evaluation - Activities that develop research and evaluation skills including research and evaluation in everyday practice. 4.education, supervision and mentoring - Activities that develop skills in supervision, mentoring and education and training. 5.strategic and reflective approaches - Activities that develop skills in quality improvement, planning and strategic approaches to service development.
Professional competence CPD activities	Specific activities that develop expertise in your current area of practice. For example, you complete a course in paediatric anthropometry measurement if you work in paediatrics.
Recency of practice	An indicator that you have completed enough hours of dietetic practice to remain competent. For the APD program, this means that you have completed 450 hours of dietetic practice over the preceding 3 years or 150 hours of dietetic practice in the preceding year in paid or unpaid work.

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10. Appendices

Appendix 1: Code of Conduct for Dietitians & Nutritionists

Appendix 2: Scope of Practice

Appendix 3: The National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia

Appendix 4: Accredited Practising Dietitian policy 

Appendix 5: Mandatory Declarations policy

Appendix 6: Accredited Practising Dietitian audit policy

Appendix 7: Resumption of Accredited Practising Dietitian (RoAPD) policy 

Appendix 8: Dietitian and Nutritionist Regulatory Council (DNRC) terms of reference

Appendix 9: Advanced APD policy

Appendix 10: Fellow of Dietitians Association of Australia policy

Appendix 11: Recency of Practice Log Book template

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