The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM; the College) provides a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program to ensure that medical practitioners with a scope of practice that includes a significant component of emergency medicine maintain and develop their knowledge and professional skills. The ACEM CPD Program is designed to meet the requirements of the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) for the purposes of individual medical registration.

This policy outlines the processes for:

• enrolment in the ACEM CPD Program for those who are ACEM Fellows, members or other ACEM CPD program participants,
• enrolment in the ACEM CPD Program for those who are not ACEM Fellows, members or other ACEM CPD program participants, and
• adopting an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than the ACEM for FACEMs and other ACEM members.

Satisfactory participation in an ACEM-approved CPD Program, or an ACEM training program, is a mandatory requirement for ongoing membership of the College. Completion of appropriate CPD is a requirement of the MBA and the MCNZ for the maintenance of specialist or vocational registration in emergency medicine in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand, respectively. 

From 1 January 2024, all medical practitioners in Australia must enrol in a CPD program offered by a CPD Home accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) for that purpose.  CPD Homes provide programs that support doctors to tailor CPD to meet their learning needs, keep track of their CPD participation with a system for record-keeping and validation, and ensure that doctors meet their CPD requirements.  ACEM is accredited by the AMC as an approved CPD Home. 

This policy applies to only those medical practitioners who are required to nominate a CPD Home for the purposes of maintaining their registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). As such, this policy does not apply to medical practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand as they are not governed by MBA requirements to nominate a CPD Home.

ACEM/the College

means the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

College member

means a person admitted as a member of the College pursuant to the provisions of the ACEM Constitution and associated regulations.

Governing body

means the ACEM Board, the Council of Advocacy, Practice and Partnerships (CAPP), or the Council of Education (COE).

Trainee

an individual enrolled in an ACEM training program and, for the purposes of this policy, undertaking College requirements for the purpose of attaining eligibility for election to Fellowship of the College.

CPD Home

means a CPD Program provider, accredited by the Australian Medical Council as a CPD Home, with whom medical practitioners can register for the purposes of recording the completion of their CPD requirements.  AMC-accredited CPD Homes also conduct audits of compliance and report audit outcomes to the Medical Board of Australia.

Continuing Professional Development

means the ongoing maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge, expertise, skills and personal and professional qualities required throughout the careers of medical practitioners.

Medical practitioners in their third or subsequent postgraduate year (PGY3+) with a scope of practice that includes a significant component of  emergency medicine who are registered to practice in Australia may choose ACEM as their AMC-accredited CPD Home. 

Participants who wish to move from an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM to the ACEM CPD Program must complete all requirements as per Section 4 of the ACEM Continuing Professional Development Participation Policy. Upon enrolment with ACEM, newly admitted CPD participants will be required to enter  the activities they have completed for that CPD year up, until their enrolment date, into the ACEM CPD platform.

Enrolment in the ACEM CPD program will automatically roll over at the end of each CPD year, unless participants inform ACEM they have enrolled in another CPD Home (see Section 5).

4.1 Current ACEM CPD participants

Fellows, Certificants, Diplomates, Advanced Diplomates and other participants currently enrolled in the ACEM CPD Program who wish to continue their enrolment are not required to take any action.  Enrolment in the ACEM CPD Program will automatically roll over into the following CPD year.

4.2 FACEM trainees

Upon completion of the FACEM Training Program, new Fellows will automatically be enrolled in the ACEM CPD program unless they advise the College that they have enrolled in an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM on the Election to Fellowship form.

4.3 FEMTP, IEMTP, AEMTP

Upon completion of the FEMTP/IEMTP/AEMTP trainees will automatically be enrolled in the ACEM CPD Program unless they advise the College that they have enrolled in an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM on the FEMTP,IEMTP/AEMTP Membership form.

4.4 Non-members

Medical practitioners who wish to enrol in the ACEM CPD Program and nominate ACEM as their CPD Home must:

•  submit either the Application for Enrolment - Non-member form or the Application for Admission to Membership form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• provide evidence of completion of their CPD requirements in the year prior to applying to joining ACEM’s CPD Program.
• Provide evidence that their scope of practice includes a significant component of emergency medicine.
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5. Alternative CPD Homes

ACEM members may choose to participate in a CPD program offered by an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM. CPD Homes accredited by the AMC offering a CPD Program relevant to the scope of emergency medicine practice will be pre-approved by ACEM Board for this purpose.

Emergency physicians who wish to maintain their registration with AHPRA as specialists in emergency medicine must achieve  the Emergency Medicine High Level Requirements (HLRs), irrespective of the CPD provider they nominate as their CPD Home. Details of the high-level requirements for emergency medicine specialists can be found on the AMC website.  It is the responsibility of individuals to ensure they remain familiar with the requirements of registration with AHPRA as a emergency medicine specialist.

5.1 FACEM trainees – nominating a CPD Home other than ACEM

Upon completion of the FACEM Training Program, new Fellows may nominate an AMC-approved CPD Home other than ACEM on the Election to Fellowship form.

5.2 FEMTP, IEMTP, AEMTP – nominating a CPD Home other than ACEM

Upon completion of the  FEMTP/IEMTP/AEMTP , trainees may nominate an AMC-approved CPD Home other than ACEM on the FEMTP/IEMTP/AEMTP Membership form.

5.3 Membership requirements for FACEMs

ACEM members who wish to nominate an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM, but maintain their membership with ACEM, including the right to use their membership postnominals (e.g., FACEM) must:

• Complete the Notification of enrolment with CPD Home other than ACEM form to withdraw from the ACEM CPD program and nominate an alternative CPD Home. The form must be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
• Continue to meet membership requirements detailed in Regulation A 1.1,
• Complete the Emergency Medicine High Level Requirements (HLRs),
• Complete the Essential Emergency Medicine Procedural skills (EEMs), and
• Complete the annual Cultural Safety requirement.

Each year, at the time of membership renewal, members will be required to provide evidence of CPD compliance, including the HLRs, EEMs and Cultural Safety requirement, from their nominated AMC-accredited CPD Home.

5.4 Membership requirements for FEMTP/IEMTP/AEMTP

ACEM members who wish to nominate an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM, but maintain their ACEM membership, including the right to use their membership postnominals (e.g., AACEM(Foundational),AACEM (Intermediate), AACEM (Advanced)  (ACEM)), requirements must:

• Complete the Notification of enrolment with CPD Home other than ACEM form to withdraw from the ACEM CPD program and nominate an alternative CPD Home. The form must be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
• Continue to meet membership requirements detailed in Regulation A 1,
• Complete the Essential Emergency Medicine Procedural Skills Requirements (EEMs), and
• Complete the Annual Cultural Safety requirement.

Each year, at the time of membership renewal, members will be required to provide evidence of CPD compliance, including the EEMs and Cultural Safety requirement, from their nominated AMC-accredited CPD Home.

Members who wish to withdraw from the ACEM CPD Program must notify the College by submitting a completed Notification of enrolment with CPD Home other than ACEM form and nominate their alternative AMC-accredited CPD Home. The completed form must be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Members who wish to maintain membership of the College, whilst choosing an AMC-accredited CPD Home other than ACEM, must meet the relevant requirements of membership as outlined in Sections 5.3 and 5.4 of this document.