Exemptions

With the introduction of the Medical Board Australia’s (MBA) new registration standards which commenced in January 2023, specialist Colleges are required to align their CPD programs to these new standards. Specialist College CPD programs are therefore considered to be substantially comparable to ACEM’s CPD program and ACEM has reinstated CPD exemptions for eligible Dual and ‘Other’ Fellows for the 2023 CPD Year.

Fellows holding dual and other Fellowships with ACEM and specialist colleges listed below may request an exemption from the ACEM CPD program.
 
Dual Fellowship Exemptions:

• College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM)
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP – Paeds)
• Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) 

Other Fellowship Exemptions:

• Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine (ACRRM)
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
• Best Practice Advocacy Centre New Zealand (bpacNZ)

Approval will be considered for those meeting the exemption criteria below:

• ACEM member participants must be a Fellow of one of the listed Specialist Medical Colleges
• ACEM member participants must be in good standing with both ACEM and the alternate Specialist Medical College during the CPD year for which the exemption is sought
• ACEM member participants will be required to provide annual evidence of CPD compliance with the alternate Specialist Medical College prior to the end of the ACEM CPD year (31 December) for which the exemption is sought; and
• Completion of the Core Procedural Skills component of the ACEM CPD program, (1x Airway, 1x Breathing and 1x Circulation procedural skill) to be recorded in the My ACEM portal, or a current exemption from that component.
• 12x CPD Cycle Scope of Practice skills (pro-rata depending on entry point into the CPD program within the current three-year cycle) 

Before applying for an exemption please read the Exemption Policy and the Policy on Re-entry to Practice following a Period of Absence. The requirements of this policy align with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) ‘Recency of Practice Standard’ and the Medical Board of New Zealand (MCNZ) ‘Policy on doctors returning to medical practice after an absence from practice for three years or more’.

Personal circumstances affecting your capacity to undertake the CPD program may warrant a full or partial (exemption from a CPD Program).

Please note that you may still be required to fulfill reduced CPD requirements for the CPD year. Contact the CPD Unit for more details.

Grounds for exemption

• Not practicing for the duration of the exemption period (four or 12 months)
• No longer in clinical practice

Possible reasons for temporary exemptions include:

• Full-time study
• Extended leave eg., long service leave and travel
• Parental leave
• Prolonged carers leave
• Prolonged illness
• Compassionate leave
• Special consideration

Before (applying for an exemption) you are advised to read the Exemption Policy and the (Policy on Re-entry to Practice following a Period of Absence). The requirements of this policy align with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) ‘Recency of Practice Standard’ and the Medical Board of New Zealand (MCNZ) ‘Policy on doctors returning to medical practice after an absence from practice for three years or more’.